Double champions
November 27, 2010That trouncing at the hands of Rathmolyon came less than a year after they had lost the final to Killyon and that much sought after Keegan Cup seemed as far away as ever. They reached the quarter-final in 2007, losing by a point to eventual winners Kiltale after extra time, and by the following year there were definite signs that Kildalkey were developing into a team that might just make the breakthrough.
They were praying for the long whistle in the final against Kilmessan when they were caught by a late equalising point and then lost the replay. That really hurt, but back they came in 2009 to beat Kilmessan with a tremendous extra-time surge in the semi-final. That was sweet, but they still had to finish the job which they did with a final victory over Dunboyne.
Kildalkey partied as if everybody in the parish had won the National Lottery, but when it all calmed down and the turkey and ham were consumed a few months later there was a definite resolve to prove that their first senior title won on the field of play was no one-hit wonder. And, apart from one hiccup when they lost to Dunboyne in the group stages this year, they did so in emphatic style, beating who else but Kilmessan in the final.
Pat O'Halloran, who also had the thrill of seeing his native Tipperary claim the McCarthy Cup this year, has done a tremendous job with Kildalkey, moulding them into a panel with tremendous self-belief. This year that quality was more in evidence than last term and was so apparent in the decider when they played with real assurance.
Mattie Murtagh, Gary Costello, Nick Fitzgerald and Sean Kealy acted as selectors alongside O'Halloran this year and Navan O'Mahonys felt the force of their retention desires when the championship got under way. Kildalkey didn't have to extend themselves to win by 1-14 to 0-5 at Dunsany where the town team managed only one point from play.
They also had Shane Crosby sent off after 21 minutes at a time when Kildalkey led by 0-5 to 0-1 and the advantage had stretched to 1-8 to 0-3 at the interval after Sean Heavey had scored the goal. Amazingly, they didn't score for 23 minutes of the second half, but the outcome was never in doubt. Noel Kirby top-scored with nine points, six of them from frees, and Heavey got 1-2.
An even more clearcut victory followed in the second round when Clann na nGael were overcome by 2-19 to 0-8. Kildalkey demonstrated plenty of class on a magnificent Trim surface which was staging its first SHC game. This time, Kirby contributed 1-8 and his goal direct from a long range free after seven minutes helped them to a 1-9 to 0-6 interval lead.
They cruised clear in the second period when Tony Fox and Maurice Keogh were superb at midfield and Derek Doran notched their second goal. Clann na nGael's day of misery was completed when Matthew Mullen was sent off after 53 minutes.
Kildalkey also scored well in the third round against Killyon, but they had to work hard to win by 1-17 to 0-16 at Pairc Tailteann. Kirby scored 13 points (11 frees and two 65s), but that was better by Killyon's Keith Keoghan who tallied 14, made up of two from play, 11 frees and one 65.
A concern after this game was the amount of frees Kildalkey conceded and it took a strong third-quarter performance to see them through. Gary Kelly scored a controversial goal, with Killyon claiming that the ball hadn't crossed the line, and that helped Kildalkey to be level (1-3 to 0-6) at the end of the first quarter.
They were still locked together at the interval (1-7 to 0-10), but Kildalkey pushed on after the restart to lead by 1-13 to 0-13 at the three-quarter stage and did enough subsequently to secure their third successive group victory.
Kildalkey beat Dunboyne in last year's final, but they had earlier lost to them in the divisional stages. The same happened in the fourth round this year when the St Peter's men won by 2-11 to 0-13 at Longwood to keep the battle for top spot in the section very much alive.
The champions started well and led by 0-4 to 0-1 after eight minutes thanks to three points from Kirby and another from Paddy Conneely, but Dunboyne found their feet and aided by a Neil Hackett goal they edged ahead by 1-3 to 0-4. They held a double scores advantage (1-7 to 0-5) after 28 minutes, but a Keogh point left Kildalkey adrift by four at the break.
That 1-7 to 0-6 advantage looked useful for Dunboyne and they increased it to five points on the restart, but Kildalkey rallied and points from Kirby (four), Sean Heavey and Tony Fox brought them back to parity by the 50th minute. However, the introduction of Niall Smyth worked wonders for Dunboyne and he scored 1-2 late in the game to push them towards the winning post. Kirby scored nine points, six of them from frees, but it wasn't enough.
Last year's intermediate champions Longwood provided the opposition in the last round at Boardsmill and a 2-14 to 1-8 victory was sufficient to earn Kildalkey top position in the group on points difference ahead of Dunboyne. It meant the title holders were straight through to the semi-finals and Dunboyne and third placed Killyon would have to content themselves with quarter-final places.
A brace of goals from Derek Doran proved decisive, but Longwood performed very well in the opening half and as a result Kildalkey held only a slender 1-6 to 1-4 lead at the interval. However, they upped the tempo in the second period and added 1-8 to their tally, including Doran's brilliant second goal.
Trim are gradually developing into a team which will challenge the likes of Kildalkey and Kilmessan for the senior title over the next few years and they really put it up to Kildalkey in the semi-final which was played in wet and breezy conditions at Pairc Tailteann.
The champions looked to be in danger of elimination when they led by only 0-6 to 0-4 at the change of ends after being favoured by the elements, but they demonstrated the characteristics of champions in the second half when they edged clear to secure a 1-13 to 1-7 win and a place in the final for the third successive year.
Eight different Kildalkey players shared in the scoring and they also defended very well, with goalkeeper Gary McNally, Conor Dunne, Stephen Forde, Daire Lahart and Mairtin Doran impressing. Sean Heavey and Derek Doran were other key figures against a Trim team which missed goal chances which might have made a big difference if they had been taken.
Trim were back on level terms (0-7 each) entering the last quarter when Kildalkey surged clear by 1-9 to 0-7 thanks to points from Noel Kirby and Maurice Keogh and a well-worked goal from Dan Fagan.
However, Trim had no intentions of throwing in the towel and when Neil Heffernan goaled they had reduced the deficit to only two points. But Kildalkey demonstrated the mark of champions as they finished strongest and scored the last four points of the match without reply.
It was an indication of the strength in the Kildalkey panel that substitutes Sean Corrigan and Paddy Conneely both scored points after their introduction, but there was also bad news as they started their preparations for the final because Tony Fox was forced to retire with a shoulder injury at half-time.
The final was a meeting of the previous two champions who have build up a very keen rivalry and Kilmessan were well fancied to regain the Jubilee Cup after cruising past Kiltale at the penultimate hurdle. But nobody could deny that Kildalkey were the superior team on the big day, even in the absence of the inspirational Fox.
Kildalkey played as if they had a point to prove and while only five points (1-21 to 2-13) separated the teams at the end, they were more superior than that score line suggests. They were never headed and were 10 points clear with as many minutes remaining, before Kilmessan produced a mini-revival.
Only five of Kildalkey's total came from frees which gives an accurate indication of their potency in attack, while they defended magnificently, with brilliant centre-back Enda Keogh a worthy recipient of the 'man of the match' award. His brother Maurice and Conor Dunne were other stars at the back, while Derek Doran and Sean Heavey were superb up front.
Heavey capped a fine performance with five points from play in the second half, Doran got four overall, Dan Fagan notched 1-1 and Noel Kirby was their leading marksman with six points, five of which came from frees.
David Brady replaced Sean Corrigan on the listed 15 and, playing with the aid of the wind, Kildalkey scored four points and hit as many wides in the opening 11 minutes. But they looked more potent than Kilmessan and when Fagan goaled on 18 minutes after a Padraig Geoghegan delivery they had opened up a 1-6 to 0-2 advantage.
Two minutes later Kilmessan got their first goal when Kevin Keena netted after Nicky Horan's free fell short, but Kildalkey were playing with assurance and responded positively to that setback as Kelly and Kirby (free) pointed. They did the brunt of the first half scoring after that and led by 1-11 to 1-4 at the break.
That was a useful lead considering they hit nine first half wides compared to two for Kilmessan. With the wind to come Kilmessan were expected to mount a revival mission, but instead Kildalkey outscored them by 0-8 to 0-5 in the opening 20 minutes of the second period to copper-fasten their position of supremacy.
Kilmessan had made positional switches in a bid to revive their fortunes, but Kildalkey never looked in danger of being reeled in. Ollie Horan's team did close the gap late on, but their second goal didn't arrive until injury time when a '65' by goalkeeper Chris Curtis ended up in the net.
By that stage the Kildalkey supporters had already started to celebrate the two in-a-row and it was a happy and proud moment for captain Mairtin Doran when he received the Jubilee Cup.
The Kildalkey team in the final was - G McNally; C Dunne, S Forde, D Lahart; M Keogh, E Keogh, M Doran; D Brady (0-2), P Keogh; G Kelly (0-1), N Kirby (0-6, 5 frees), P Geoghegan (0-2); D Doran (0-4), D Fagan (1-1), S Heavey (0-5). Subs - S Corrigan for Brady, P Conneely for P Keogh. Tweet
