Colaiste Naomh Cormac grind down brave St Brendan's in Offaly derby

A STAR studded Colaiste Naomh Cormac, Kilcormac team were pushed to the pin of their collar before claiming the Leinster Post Primary Schools senior B hurlng title in Glenisk O'Connor Park on Saturday afternoon.

Leinster Post Primary Schools Senior “B” Hurling Final

Colaiste Naomh Cormac, Kilcormac 1-12

St Brendan's CS, Birr 0-10

The multi-talented Kilcormac students were the better team and deserved to win but it was far from clearcut against a very brave and hard working St Brendan's CS, Birr side, who looked like they could take the win at one stage in the second half.

This Offaly derby provided fine entertainment in difficult windy conditions. While there were way too many rucks for it to be regarded as a classic, it was another good advertisement for Offaly underage hurling and there was plenty of quality hurling played by both.

Colaiste Naomh Cormac were warm favourites and they duly confirmed this in the second half but an upset win loomed large for St Brendan's until well into the second half.

The Kilcormac school did lay a strong foundation when playing against a strong wind in the first half. They had one hand on the silverware when they led by 1-4 to 0-5 at half time but it was a tenuous grip and St Brendan's posed the most serious of questions in the second half.

They were level, 0-10 to 1-7 with ten minutes left and Colaiste Naomh Cormac were seriously worried. St Brendan's, however, couldn't get another score as Colaiste Naomh Cormac got five without reply for the win.

Crucially, the wind did seem to pick up in strength in the closing quarter. On a couple of occasions, Birr goalkeeper Charlie Hogan could barely get the ball past his own 45 metre line and this was a factor in the winners getting across the finish line – the puckouts from the Park Avenue goal were going a good 20 metres less in the closing ten minutes than earlier.

There was more to it than that, however. Some of the best, most skilful and most exciting young hurlers in Offaly were on the Colaiste Naomh Cormac side but they also showed they can grind it out in a dogfight. They also displayed a tremendous work ethic, fighting for everything and their defence was superb.

There was much to savour in this game. There was a battle royale between Colaiste Naomh Cornmac's star player, Adam Screeney and St Brendan's Caelum Larkin. Larkin was brilliant for Birr, especially in the first half while he continued to battle with impressive composure in the second half but with more ball going in, it was inevitable that Screeney would do damage – and he did make a telling contribution, getting on more ball and floating over three excellent points from play in the second half.

Patrick Dooley and Ben Miller also had great games in a St Brendan's defence that really could not have done much more.

Eoin Burke had a real tour-de-force at midfield for St Brendan's. He got nine points, eight from frees but also contributed powerfully in general play, winning dirty ball, breaking tackles and setting up attacks.

Unfortunately for St Brendan's their attack did not perform well enough on the day and the credit for that has to go to the winning defence. Shane Connolly was the only St Brendan's forward to score and he was taken off. Cathal Robinson had some very good moments but as a unit St Brendan's just could not esccape the Colaiste Naomh Cormac shackles – the statistic that only two St Brendan's players, one forward, scored and that eight of their ten points came from play tells its own story.

James Mahon and Brecon Kavanagh were immense in their defence while Mark Mulrooney also excelled.

Harry Sweeney and Colin Spain put in a lot of hard yards for them at midfield. The Colaiste Naomh Cormac attack also struggled, despite Screeney's second half brilliance. Alex Kavanagh got a decisive 1-1 before the interval and Daniel Hand had his moments but it was very much a day for defences.

St Brendan's CS battled very hard in the first half with their defence doing particularly well. Caelum Larkin caught the eye as he stuck like glue to Adam Screeney and he succeeded in his task. Screeney got three frees and was fouled for one of those himself but Larkin was tight, getting the hurl in to ensure the lethal forward couldn't get away.

Patrick Dooley also came across to cut out good ball for St Brendan's but at the other end, they just didn't do enough with the strong wind on their back. They had a great work ethic throughout the field but creating chances was problematic for them.

Impressive midfielder Eoin Burke did get three in row from the 12th to the 22nd minutes, the last of them a beaut from play as they led by 0-4 to 0-2 but that lead was not near enough with the wind. They were 0-5 to 0-3 ahead after 26 minutes but it unravelled for St Brendan's before the break.

Colaiste Naomh Cormac's first score from play in the 28th minute was a decisive one and ironically, it came from a weakly hit shot by Daniel Hand, who had clear sight of the posts. Charlie Hogan, however, could only parry and Alex Kavanagh nipped in to tap to the net. Kavanagh added a fine point from play and a 1-4 to 0-5 lead had Colaiste Naomh Cormac in a very strong position at the break.

There was a huge amount to admire in the way St Brendan's dug deep and fought for everything in the second half. Two Burke frees had them back on level terms by the 35th minute but crucially, they could never get their noses in front.

They were level twice more but as the last ten minutes approached, it was clear that conditions had exacted a heavy toll on St Brendan's and they were heading into empty. Screeney pointed a '65' after Charlie Hogan made a good save from James Hennessy to put Colaiste Naomh Cormac ahead. Screeney added a free a minute later and the writing was on the wall for St Brendan's.

By the time they lifted the siege late on, Colaiste Naomh Cormac were five clear, with all their last five coming from Screeney – the last two were from play. St Brendan's did exert some fierce late pressure but were resorting to hit and hope balls in. They could have yielded a goal but one wouldn't have been enough and a resolute Kilcormac defence held firm.

MATCH ANALYSIS

MAN OF THE MATCH

James Mahon (Colaiste Naomh Cormac): A few contenders on both sides. Caelum Larkin and Eoin Burke staked strong claims for St Brendan's while Colaiste Naomh Cormac's James Mahon and Brecon Kavanagh were sensational at the heart of their defence. It is almost a 50-50 call between the Kilcormac-Killoughey players but Mahon gets my vote. He was superb when St Brendan's were dangerous in the first half and continued to put himself about with real ferocity in the second half. It wasn't that he won that much clean ball or lofted huge clearances but his presence ensured that the square was a no go zone for St Brendan's. He cut out a lot of ball and even when he was only poking it on a few metres, it was generally in the direction of a team mate and more importantly, kept the ball out of St Brendan's hands. Full credit also to Brecon Kavanagh – his no fuss style of hurling, his ability to do the simple thing and read the game well continues to impress all observers.

THE SCORERS

Colaiste Naomh Cormac: Adam Screeney 0-10 (6f and 1 '65'), Alex Kavanagh 1-1, Daniel Hand 0-1.

St Brendan's: Eoin Burke 0-9 (8f), Shane Connolly 0-1.

THE TEAMS

COLAISTE NAOMH CORMAC, KILCORMAC Cillian Spain (Drumcullen); Luke Bracken (Kilcormac-Killoughey), James Mahon (K-K), Mark Mulrooney (K-K); Richard Bracken (K-K), Brecon Kavanagh (K-K), Ultan Carroll (Brosna Gaels); Colin Spain (K-K), Harry Sweeney (K-K); Daniel Hand (K-K), Leigh Kavanagh (K-K), Ciaran Scully (K-K); Oisin Guinan (K-K), Alex Kavanagh (K-K), Adam Screeney (K-K). Subs – James Hennessy (Drumcullen) for Carroll (HT), Dylan Hollywood (Drumcullen) for Scully (60m),

ST BRENDAN'S CS, BIRR Charlie Hogan (Coolderry)l Caelum Larkin (Carrig-Riverstown), Patrick Bergin (Carrig-Riverstown), Patrick Dooley (Kinnitty); Cian Nolan (Birr), Ben Miller (Birr), Ajay Cleary (Coolderry); Stephen Gilligan (Seir Kieran), Eoin Burke (Coolderry); Peter King (Carrig-Riverstown), Darragh Tierney (Birr), Marc Ryan (Coolderry); Eoin Bailey O'Brien (Shinrone), Cathal Robinson (Kinnitty), Shane Connolly (Coolderry). Subs – Ailbhe Watkins (Birr) for Ryan (HT), Andrew Hogan (Coolderry) for Connolly (41m), Conor McDowall (Carrig-Riverstown) for Tierney (55m), Joseph McLoughney (Coolderry) for Larkin (61m),

Referee – Brian Gavin (Offaly).

REFEREE WATCH

Brian Gavin let the game flow in difficult conditions. There were a lot of rucks for possession and he allowed them to develop. There were a couple of soft looking frees but they balanced out and he was not a factor in the result.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

Alex Kavanagh's 28th minute goal was pivotal. It helped Colaiste Naomh Cormac to a 1-4 to 0-5 half time lead and with the wind to come, they were in the driving seat.

VENUE WATCH

There were plenty of stewards in O'Connor Park to cater for an enthusiastic crowd. It was the right venue for this final and the pitch looked good. The only negative was the Colaiste Naomh Cormac team was only listed in Irish in the programme – as desirable as it might be to promote the Irish language, most people don't have a working knowledge of it and the team list should have been provided in English as well.

TALKING POINT

It was great to see two Offaly schools play in this final. With the combined Offaly schools team having won the Leinster senior hurling “A” title, there is a rich vein of talent at this level in the county. The Birr team had a good spread of clubs represented while the all bar two of the Colaiste Naomh Cormac starting team were from Kilcormac-Killoughey. It was also a historic victory for Colaiste Naomh Cormac over St Brendan's, who have long been the traditional powerhouse of Offaly colleges hurling.

WHAT'S NEXT

Colaiste Naomh Cormac go on into the All-Ireland series.

STATISTICS

Wides: Colaiste Naomh Cormac – 7 (2 in first half); St Brendan's CS – 4 (3 in first half).

Yellow cards: Colaiste Naomh Cormac – 1 (Daniel Hand); St Brendan's – 2 (Patrick Dooley and Darragh Tierney).

Red cards: 0.