O'Mahoney masterclass sees Arravale Rovers win late on to book county final place

FBD Insurance U19B Hurling Championship Semi-Final

Arravale Rovers 1-22 

Kilsheelan Kilcash 3-15

By John O’Shea 

Arravale Rovers are through to the Final of the FBD Insurance County Under 19B Hurling Championship following their one-point victory over Kilsheelan Kilcash at Dillon Quirke GAA Grounds Clonoulty on Wednesday night. 

Played before a smallish crowd on a well-presented pitch and with little or no wind affecting proceedings, this game was hugely entertaining from the start, with some fine individual displays coming from both sides.

The South champions staged a huge second-half recovery, driven on by Tommy O’Connor from placed balls and Senan Butler who banged in three goals from open play, the third coming two minutes into added time to tie the game for the fourth and final time.

At the death, and with extra time looming, it took a point from Shane Quigley, from the Stand side, to get the West champions over the line.

Kilsheelan Kilcash attacked the road goal and Tommy O’Connor split the posts inside the opening minute to get the scoreboard moving. 

Sean O’Mahoney equalised from a placed ball but Tadgh McGuire replied as the game swung from end to end. Sean O’Mahony set up Shane Quigley for a point to tie the game for the second time as the game hit the five-minute mark.

Rovers got up to the pitch of the game and with their defence getting on top, they hit four of the next five points, with Sean O’Mahoney contributing three, one from a free, one from open play and a wonder score from a sideline cut. 

Tommy O'Connor and Liam Freaney pulled two back for Kilsheelan but these were cancelled out by Donncha Quigley and Sean O’Mahoney, who was covering an amount of ground and linking up well with his defence. A Tommy O’Connor free put three between the sides at the quarter stage.

The second quarter was where Arravale pushed on and opened up the Kilsheelan defence. Sean O’Mahoney put over his second sideline cut, this time from the Stand side and then converted a 65 to double his team’s advantage. 

The Rovers goal came six minutes before the break when David O’Brien latched on to a long ball from Sean O’Mahoney to beat Oisin O’Donoghue from close in. Senan Butler got his first score of the evening with a point from an acute angle but this was cancelled out by a similar Shane Quigley effort. 

Adam Ryan then put Ciarán Kelly through and the full forward split the posts with a shot from the left-hand side before Liam Freaney put over his second, two minutes into added time to leave Rovers eight ahead at the break on the score, Arravale Rvs. 1-12, Kilsheelan Kilcash 0-7.

The South team answered the questions posed after the restart, with two points in succession from Tommy O’Connor. While Arravale responded from Donncha Quigley and Sean O’Mahony, the difference in Kilsheelan’s approach was evident. They chased down every ball, won the tight battles and upped their intensity. 

They hit a purple patch in two minutes between the ninth and 11th minutes. First, Senan Butler got in for a goal before Tommy O’Connor followed up with his sixth point of the evening.

Goal number two came, again from Burler, when he was set up by Mikey McGuire. The deficit was now down to the minimum and all to play for. 

Sean O’Mahony put over his third side-line cut and then followed up with a long-range free. The game was now swinging from end to end and scores followed quickly Kilsheelan pulled two back from Mikey McGuire and Tommy O’Connor from a placed ball, but Donncha Quigley responded for the town side.

Two converted placed balls in succession by Tommy O’Connor had the sides back on level terms with ten minutes of normal time remaining.

These final minutes were edge-of-the-seat stuff, with Arravale just shading the issue with points from Shane Quigley, Sean O’Mahoney and substitute Stephen Ryan, whose point on sixty minutes put his side three to the good. 

Kilsheelan threw everything into attack and Senan Butler goaled two minutes into added time to bring the sides level.

Extra time looked inevitable but in a last-gasp attack, Stephen Ryan found Shane Quigley with a precision pass and the corner forward put over his fourth of the evening to advance Arravale to the final by the narrowest of margins.

Arravale Rovers: Ben Dudley; Michael Bowes, Ronan O’Connor, Odhran O’Connor; Alex Webster, David Ryan, Jaye Cilvanis; Brendan Delaney, Sean O’Mahoney (0-12, 0-7f, 0-3 sl-cuts); David O’Brien (1-0), Adam Ryan, Evan Ryan; Donncha Quigley (0-4), Ciarán Kelly (0-1), Shane Quigley (0-4). 

Subs used: Robert Ryan for Alex Webster (47); Stephen Ryan (0-1) for David O’Brien (49).

Kilsheelan Kilcash: Oisin O’Donoghue; Mark Ryan, Jack Norris, Harry Roche Nagle; Conor O’Shea, Lucas Shiel, Shane Cronin; Tommy O’Connor (0-10, 0-9f), Tadgh McGuire (0-1); Liam Freaney (0-2), Ru Kelly, Senan Butler (3-1); Matthew Roche Nagle, Mikey McGuire (0-1), Michael Bates. 

Subs used: Eoin Barry for Michael Bates (57).

Referee: Johnny Dooley (Thurles Gaels)