Parity in a stop-start game
July 24, 2021
This game between Killavullen and Shanballymore played on Friday night in Killavullen ended all square with both sides having periods of dominance, perhaps, it was the fairest result.
Killavullen opened the scoring with a Jack O Connor point before Shanballymore equalised from a free. Our North Cork northern neighbours then rolled back the years, and were utterly dominant for a 10 minute period, where their hurling was crisp, and decisive, and they scored freely. By the 12th minute of the game, we trailed by 0-06 to 0-01. Jack O Connor scored a free back for us, before Shanballymore tacked on two further points, to lead at the water break, 0-08 to 0-02.
On the resumption, Liam Cronin scored two long range frees, before Shanballymore intercepted a ball out of our defence, and tacked over another point. A regrouped and reformatted Killavullen team started to play the hurling that had seen them unbeaten in the league thus far but found their improved play not rewarded with scores initially. Shanballymore scored a further brace of points, to open up a considerable lead, 0-11 to 0-05. Eoghan Buckley caught a magnificent ball from the air, and scored a great point to begin our comeback, with two further points from dead ball situations, bringing our tally to 0-08. The second dead ball was from a 65 Metre shot, after the Shanballymore net minder raised off his line, to deny Seamus Fox a goal scoring opportunity. Right before the truncated end of the first half, Shanballymore scored a pointed free, to leave the score at the short whistle, 0-12 to 0-08 against us, a period of play in which we had 10 wides, as against only 3 for Shanballymore.
The second half started quickly with a Jack O Connor free, for us before a harshly awarded penalty against us, was scored by Shanballymore. Hard to see what the misdemeanour was for, but then, there was a few of those polemical calls on the night. That opened us the margin against us to six points, and the Killavullen backroom team responded by springing Seamus O Mahony and Noah Butler onto the field. Seamus scored a point immediately with a sharp finish before Shanballymore pushed out the lead again, with another converted free. Noah led the fightback with determined play in the half-forward line, and scored from an acute angle, from the far side of the field. Jack O Connor then scored two fine points to leave only a goal between the two teams, and then Jack eroded into the margins further with another point free. At the final water break, on a warm night, it was 1-13 to 0-14.
Killavullen enjoyed a period of dominance now, when their midfield came much more into the game, and led to Shanballymore conceded frees, to prevent scores. We scored three such frees in a row, two from Jack, and another from Liam Cronin to push us ahead by a point. Brian Cotter was very influential in this period, relentlessly getting on the ball, and driving it forward. Shanballymore used their experience, guile, and considerable following to force two frees that they converted to go back in front, before Eddie Cotter scored a point, from an impossible angle to bring parity to the game one again.
We went in from when we got a soft free, where the Shanballymore full back must be scratching his head as to what he did wrong, and this time, Mickey O Connor stepped up and scored the free, after his brother had left the field, in the incident that led to the free. We lost a player to a second yellow card, before the final point, was, well, you guessed it, another free, for Shanballymore to draw level. The final score was 0-19 to 1-16
A good game, punctuated by too many frees would be the conclusion, Killavullen would have been glad to rally back from a six point deficit at the start of the second half, while Shanballymore will be left thinking, how did they let this one slip.
- Michael Cronin.
- Michael Cagney
- Kevin Fox
- Patrick Angland
- Paul O Sullivan
- Liam Cronin (0-05F)
- Brian Cotter
- Fionn Magner
- Darragh O Grady
- Micky O Connor (0-01F)
- Seamus Fox
- Eoghan Buckley (0-01)
- Jack O Connor (0-09, 0-06F)
- Liam Fox
- Eddie Cotter (0-01)
Substitutes
- Seamus O Mahony (0-01) for Darragh O Grady
- Noah Butler (0-01) for Liam Fox
- Sean O Regan for Jack O Connor (injured)
On the issue of Refereeing, The all-time line on this phenomenon was delivered by PJ McGrath, the referee in the 1982 All-Ireland final won by Offaly’s Seamus Darby with that late goal. Years afterwards, McGrath was approached by a man who said he’d spent hours, days, weeks watching the reply and was now convinced McGrath made the right call. “Thanks,” said McGrath. “You had 20 years. I had three seconds to make that call.”