Kilkenny SHC- O’Loughlin Gaels fight off big Clara scare with strong finish

The last of the St. Canice’s Credit Union Senior Hurling Championship Quarter-Finals in UPMC Nowlan Park on Sunday afternoon delivered a pulsating finale that could not have been envisaged at half time with favourites O’Loughlin Gaels comfortably ahead at the break by nine points (OLG 3-11 Clara 1-8).

Clara were enjoying all the momentum with the finishing line in sight. A pointed free from James Bergin tied the game on the sixtieth minute mark. Serious questions were now being asked of O’Loughlin Gaels, but they found some badly needed energy to land three points without reply in injury time to clinch a victory that they just about deserved.

But kudos to a gallant Clara side who refused to buckle and just got caught at the finish by some sublime play from the winners.

Clara more than held their own against the city side during the opening quarter. They grabbed two early points through a James Bergin free and Rory Glynn. By the fourth minute the sides were level when Jack Nolan and Mark Bergin (free) pointed for the winners.

The first goal of the game arrived on fourteen minutes and it saw Rory Glynn intercept a poorly placed pass in the O’Loughlin Gaels defence. Glynn spotted his brother Dara who out fielded Huw Lawlor to finish impressively to the OLG net. An eighty metre point from Paddy Deegan tied the game as the clock entered the second quarter.

For the next fifteen minutes the winners took a firm grip on the game. Their first goal came on eighteen minutes when Conor Kelly gained possession after Luke Hogan had won the ball in a ruck and he finished superbly to see his side take a two-point lead. The winners scored a second goal almost immediately when a fifty metre run by Mikey Butler saw him lay the ball off to Own Wall who hit the sliothar low past Kevin Nolan in the Clara goal.

O’Loughlin Gaels were now rampant and with five minutes to go to the interval they kept up their onslaught on the Clara goal. A well-directed clearance from Jordan Molloy was won in the air by Fionan Mackessy and he tapped the ball over the head of the advancing Kevin Nolan for another green flag. The winners could well have had a fourth goal four minutes later, but Kevin Nolan saved brilliantly from Owen Wall.

James Bergin reduced the margin with a brace of points with the O’Loughlin Gaels midfielder Eoin O’Shea, who excelled for the winners, landing a point to see his side ahead 3-11 to 1-8 at the interval.

Most supporters in the 4,100 attendance expected the winners to continue their dominance in the second half.

But, a very different Clara emerged after the break and they slowly started to eat into the O’Loughlin Gaels lead.

Subs Joe Power and Conor O’Shea made telling impacts when introduced. Just over seven minutes into the new half Chris Bolger scored a second Clara goal to reduce the margin to six points. They would have scored another goal ten minutes later had Stephen Murphy in the O’Loughlin Gaels goal not saved brilliantly from Paul Cody.

The growing dominance of Clara saw O’Loughlin Gaels concede a number of frees, all of which were impressively despatched over the bar by James Bergin. The city side struggled to gain any meaningful possession and a six point return in the second half up to the sixtieth minute mark was indicative of the control Clara had on the game.

As the game ebbed towards the concluding minutes, a third Clara goal arrived. A brilliantly struck line ball from David Barcoe landed in the O’Loughlin Gaels square. Huw Lawlor looked to have gained possession but the sliothar somehow ended up in the back of the net, with Chris Bolger perhaps getting his hurley to the ball to steer it over the line. Three minutes later James Bergin tied the game with yet another pointed free.

The pressure was now on O’Loughlin Gaels to respond. And they did so very impressively. In the space of a minute Fionan Mackessy and Conor Heary landing points. Conor Kelly pointed a free two minutes later.

This may have been a quarter-final that took time to warm up, but the second half was highly enjoyable. Clara battled bravely for all of the second thirty plus minutes, but their momentum fell away crucially in injury time.

The winners deserve credit for responding to the third Clara goal which really had them on the ropes. That display of character could be crucial in their semi-final against opponents Mullinavat on Sunday week.

Teams and Scorers

O’Loughlin Gaels - Mark Bergin (0-7, 0-5 frees); Conor Kelly (1-3, 0-1 free); Fionan Mackessy (1-2); Owen Wall (1-0); Jack Nolan,Eoin. O’Shea (0-2, each); Paddy Deegan, Jordan Molloy, Luke Hogan, Conor Heary (0-1, each).

Clara - James Bergin (0-9, 0-8 frees); Chris Bolger (2-0); Darragh Glynn (1-0); Joe Power (0-3); Conor Hoyne (0-2); Rory Glynn, Paul Cody, Conor O’Shea (0-1, each).

O’Loughlin Gaels - Stephen Murphy, Tony Forristal, Huw Lawlor, Mikey Butler, Ronan Buckley, Paddy Deegan, Jordan Molloy, Jack Nolan, Eoin O’Shea, Luke Hogan, Owen Wall, Conor Heary, Conor Kelly, Fionan Mackessy, Mark Bergin.

Subs – Robbie Buckley (for Mark Bergin 49); Jamie Ryan (for Jack Nolan 50); Greg Kelly (for Owen Wall 57).

Clara - Kevin Nolan, Luke Lawlor, Shane Staunton, Harry Boyle, Jack Langton, Matt Kenny, Martin O’Connell, Dara Glynn, James Bergin, Paul Cody, Rory Glynn, David Barcoe, Conor Hoyne, Chris Bolger, Liam Ryan.

Subs – Conor O’Shea (for Harry Boyle 20); Joe Power (for Liam Ryan H/T); Paddy Bolger (for Luke Lawlor H/T); Lester Ryan (for Conor Hoyne 40).

Referee – Michael O’Sullivan (Shamrocks).