Taroger Rosbelcon (Kilkenny) 2-21 St. Catharines (Cork) 1-13
A superb first-half performance, highlighted by the brilliance of Kilkenny star Walter Walsh, propelled Taloger Rosbelcon to AIB All-Ireland Club Junior Hurling Championship glory.
In 2009, when Walsh was just 17, his club fell short to Dripsey in that season’s junior decider, but 15 years later they made amends with a comprehensive victory over another Cork team.
And Kilkenny star Walsh played a key role in the first half with a superb solo goal, lifting the Leinster champions to 11 points after just 20 minutes, finishing the game with a 1-03 to their name.
They led by the same 11 points at half-time and full-time, and in the end it was too much against an inferior opponent with overwhelming skill and ability.
Marty Murphy scored for Taroger Rosbercon, Cian O’Donoghue scored 10 points and centre-half-back Pat Hartley was named player of the match.
The game was an impressive show of scoring ability for Michael Doyle’s side, the 11th Kilkenny team to take home the national junior crown, with an outburst of 18 goals since winning the title for Kilkenny.
St. Catharines bounced back from their loss in the county finals and boldly pursued their dreams. Winners Erin’s Own were second team and therefore did not qualify for Munster, but they mounted a strong provincial campaign, including a win over former All-Ireland junior winners Ardmore from Waterford.
However, they struggled to dislodge Sligo champions Easkey in the All-Ireland semi-final stage, winning 0-12 to 0-11, where they were immediately put under huge pressure.
It didn’t help that key players Daniel Mangan and Darragh Morrison were sidelined through injury early in the season, but both were named as replacements.
Taloger Rosberkon took full advantage and after just nine minutes of play he had already extended his lead to 1-05 to 0-01.
They had an advantage in all major areas. They prevented their own puck-out and, crucially, St Catherine’s as well, but their power and stickwork, as well as Walsh’s individual ability, all combined to cause the Munster champions a huge headache. Ta.
Murphy put Taroger Rosberkon ahead just three minutes later, showing ingenuity to hit the net with a batting finish from close range, leaving trailing defender Cian O’Donoghue with no chance of hooking.
A great catch from Oisin Fitzgerald featured in the build-up to this goal, and when Walsh made a similar catch in the 15th minute to complete a ferocious solo run through the middle, there seemed to be only one outcome. I was disappointed.
It was no surprise when Kilkenny’s hero of the 2012 All-Ireland Championship final smashed the ball into the net to score his team’s second goal. Walsh made his Kilkenny debut in that famous game against Galway in 2012, scoring 1-03, and by half-time he had amassed a 1-02 lead.
Free-taker O’Donoghue also played well, scoring eight points in the first half alone. St Catharines player Shane Cotter had spoken ahead of time about Cork’s appearance in the 2006 All-Ireland minor semi-final at Croke Park, but on the day young Joe Canning was cut from the sideline. It was the day he scored against winners Galway.
Eighteen years later, Cotter flinched again, this time when O’Donoghue sliced a score from a line ball under the Cusack stand. It was all too easy for the Kilkenny men and one line of play summed up their superiority.
St. Catharines scored in the 14th minute when Rory Galvin kicked the ball out of a ruck, but it was a rare skill-based goal. But just seconds later, Taroger Rozberkon slotted the ball into the opposition net as Walsh effortlessly grabbed the ball from the air and scored a stunning goal.
Now Taloger Rosberkon were in dreamland, leading 2-14 to 0-09 at half-time.
St. Catharines management responded by making three changes at halftime, bringing in two fresh defenders and one attacker.
Although they had used all their substitutes by the 52nd minute, they were much more competitive in the second half, with both teams evenly scored in the second period, 1-04 to 0-07, but never again. There was no sign of him fighting back. To save the results.
St. Catharines desperately needed a goal, but they didn’t get a sniff of it until it was too late, as Galvin punished Taloger Rosberkon’s rare mistake from the full-back line in stoppage time and found the net.
Taroger Rosbelcon: Davey Walsh. Richard Gill, Donncha O’Connor, Sean Murray. Lar Murphy, Pat Hartley, Cathal Mooney. Jamie Ring, Colman O’Sullivan (0-01). Marty Murphy (1-01), Walter Walsh (1-03), Jason Seeley (0-01). Danny Glennon (0-01), Conor Hennessy (0-04), Cian O’Donoghue (0-10, 0-05fs, 0-01 65, 0-01 s/l).
sub: Michael Handrick as Seeley (42), Stephen Lawlor as Mooney (57), Niall O’Shea as Gill (59), Tony Conway as Murray (60) and Brian Walsh as Murphy (62).
St. Catharines: Eoin Davies (0-04, 0-04fs); Liam O’Connor, Eoghan O’Riordan, Fionn O’Connell. Kieran Neville, Oisin Fitzgerald (0-01), Kian O’Donoghue (0-01). Kyle Wallace (0-01), Shane Cotter; Sean O’Donoghue (0-03, 0-03fs), Rory Galvin (1-01), William Leamy. Brian Mulcahy (0-01), Eoin Condon, Matthew Mulcahy.
sub: Neville (ht) Conor Hegarty (0-01), O’Connor (ht) Eoin Wallace, Leamy (ht) Gearoid O’Brien, Matthew Mulcahy (46) Kevin Barry, Brian Mulcahy (52) Nathan Sheehan.
Referee: Colm McDonald (Antrim).