Kilkenny IHL- Final flourish enough for Dunnamaggin to see off Gowran
Dunnamaggin 1-20 Young Irelands 2-15
Dunnamaggin produced a big finish to overcome a plucky Young Irelands challenge in last Saturday’s Michael Lyng Motors Hyudai IHL clash.
A late flurry of points from Brian Hickey, Denis Walsh and Andy Hickey settled the game in Dunnamaggin’s favour at the end of a pulsating 60 minute contest.
Two second half goals from Gowran centre-forward Seamus Farrell helped the Young Irelands club overturn a seven point deficit but the brave effort came up just short in the end.
As well as Denis Walsh who was his usual excellent self with 1-9 for the winners, there was also a notable senior debut for Brian Hickey with the former Kilkenny underage star notching five points from play.
It was a slow burner of a contest with defences on top for much of the first half with Brian Hickey and Denis Walsh sharing scores with Seamus Farrell and Cian Phelan as the teams remained deadlocked at 0-2 apiece.
Back to back efforts from Denis Walsh then made it a double scores lead for the Dunnamaggin team and Young Irelands were unable to reel that lead in for the remainder of the opening half.
A Killian Carey free got Gowran back to within the momentum at the halfway point of the first half before Hickey and Walsh scored in double quick time for the winners.
Seamus Farrell and Paddy Langton added on further points for Young Irelands before the end of the half but with the wind at their back, Dunnamaggin opened up a bit of a gap in their favour with Walsh, Andy Hickey and James Logue all scoring to leave them ahead on a 0-9 to 0-5 scoreline at the change of ends.
Like the opening half, the first stanza at the start of the second period was nip and tuck as both of last year’s beaten semi-finalists shared the first four points.
Dunnamaggin then grasped control of the contest when scoring the next four points on the trot with two Denis Walsh scores arriving either side of efforts from play by Brian Hickey and Jamie Tallon. Young Irelands had a lifeline in the 40th minute when a long delivery was batted down by Killian Carey into the path of Seamus Farrell and he made no mistake in hitting the sliotar to the net past James Logue.
When Paddy Langton and Cian Phelan quickly added on two points after the goal, a seemingly lost cause had now become a game where only a puck of the ball seperated the teams. Dunnamaggin didn’t panic though and when Joe Fitzpatrick was fouled in the square, Noel Lahart’s team were awarded a penalty which Denis Walsh finished to the net with aplomb.
Jamie Tallon’s second point of the game from the next attack then regained the seven point difference between the sides but like earlier in the half, Young Irelands relished the opportunity in taking the game to their opponents.
A mini Gowran spurt which saw Thomas Langton, Killian Carey and Cian Phelan find the target was briefly interrupted before Seamus Farrell’s second goal and two Killian Carey frees left the sides deadlocked going into stoppage time. Dunnamaggin finished in style however with points from Walsh, Brian Hickey and Andy Hickey putting the seal on the win.
Teams and Scorers
Dunnamaggin: Denis Walsh (1-9, 5fs); Brian Hickey (0-5); Andy Hickey, Jamie Tallon (0-2 each); James Logue (0-1, 1f); Ray Cody (0-1)
Young Irelands: Seamus Farrell (2-3); Killian Carey (0-5, 5fs); Cian Phelan (0-3); Paddy Langton (0-2, 1f); Thomas Langton, Kealan Barcoe (0-1 each)
Dunnamaggin: James Logue; Dylan Crehan, Michael Cody, Pierce Costello; Darragh O’Keeffe, Alex Moore, Shaun O’Keeffe; Andy Hickey, Ray Cody; John Fitzpatrick, Denis Walsh, Jamie Tallon; Brian Hickey, Joe Fitzpatrick, Noah Cahill.
Subs: Jimmy O’Neill for J.Fitzpatrick, h-t; Harry Walsh for Moore, 47 mins; Tim Doherty for Cahill, 50 mins.
Young Irelands: Jason Brennan; Sam Brennan, Geoff Brennan, Bobbie Brennan; Jim Conlon, Paddy Langton, Michael Walsh; Cian Phelan, Diarmuid Langton; Padraig Naddy, Seamus Farrell, Tommy Phelan; Dylan Carey, Ted Drea, Killian Carey.
Subs: Thomas Langton for Naddy, h-t; Kealan Barcoe for D.Langton, 55 mins.
Referee: Eoin Hayes