Inspired McGrath ends Kilruane’s title ambitions

County Senior Hurling Championship Quarter Final

Loughmore/Castleiney 4-15

Kilruane MacDonaghs 0-21

Report: Michael Dundon at Semple Stadium

A masterclass in goal-scoring by inter-county star John McGrath destroyed Kilruane MacDonagh’s Dan Breen Cup hopes as Loughmore/Castleiney knocked the North men out of the County Senior Hurling Championship following a tense quarter-final on Saturday.

McGrath, who had a quiet year in the Blue and Gold, scored four first half goals for Loughmore-Castleiney, two from penalties, as part of a personal tally of 4-6, and he was the big difference between these two sides in an encounter that was always enthralling as Kilruane strove mightily to make up the leeway after McGrath’s goal splurge.

It didn’t take the Loughmore man long to make an impression, bagging his first goal in the second minute and he added another in the thirteenth minute as Loughmore moved into a 2-4 to 0-8 lead by the first water break. Willie Cleary was very accurate from frees for Kilruane who had every reason to feel hard done by to be behind at that stage as they were playing the better hurling.

McGrath almost had a third goal in the 24th minute but his shot deflected off a defender wide of the posts. Four minutes later he completed his hat-trick when he blasted home a penalty after Liam Treacy was fouled in the square, and in the 32nd minute he notched his fourth, again from a penalty, after Ed Connolly was fouled.

At half-time Loughmore led 4-9 to 0-11, a scoreline which was a great injustice to a Kilruane side which had been working very productively and positively throughout but whose prospects of advancement were now all but gone. It was very hard to see them salvaging their season after that, in keeping with their great tradition they did not go down without a fight. In the third quarter they again had the better of the exchanges and by the water break had the deficit down to a manageable six points, 0-17 to 4-11.

Kilruane really needed a goal but Tomas Cleary, who had come on as a sub, saw his powerful goal-bound shot turned away by Loughmore goalie Aidan McGrath in the 42nd minute. A green flag for Kilruane at that stage might have influenced the game is anybody’s guess.

Loughmore were under pressure now to stay clear but points from Liam Treacy and Noel McGrath gave them an eight points advantage again. Once more Kilruane responded, William Cleary, Niall O’Meara and Cian Darcy firing over points to leave them five behind with eight minutes to play.

Victory was still not beyond them, but they got no closer. John McGrath, surprisingly subdued in the second half, and Willie Cleary exchanging points before Noel McGrath set the seal on the Loughmore win with an injury time point.

It is of little consolation to Kilruane that they went down fighting but lesser teams might well have thrown in the towel after that four goal first half bombshell. Conceding four goals so early in the game made it night impossible to recover but they can take pride in how they responded to adversity.

John McGrath on song is almost impossible to contain and it was Kilruane’s misfortune that the Loughmore man chose this day to turn in his best display of the year – even if only for that opening half-hour.

It was a disappointing end to a year which has yielded no silverware for Kilruane MacDonaghs, but they will take encouragement from the performances of Cian Darcy, Craig Morgan, Niall O’Meara, the accurate Willie Cleary, and Thomas Cleary as they look ahead to next year’s championship.

Loughmore/Castleiney’s concern now is to keep two campaigns going at top level as they face into a county senior football quarter-final this weekend with the hurling semi-final due a week later. Few clubs can match their resilience in this regard, but it must take its toll on players’ stamina and avoiding injuries is also a headache. That said, it is a headache most clubs would be happy to have.

John McGrath was the mastermind of this success and without him it would not have been achieved. His penalty-taking was masterful, as were his two goals from play and Loughmore will be hoping he has recaptured his goal-scoring form at just the right time.

His brother Brian also had a fine game in defence where John Meagher continues to shine match after match. Joey Hennessy, Tomas McGrath, Noel McGrath, Liam Treacy and Ed Connolly were others to work their socks off for the Loughmore cause.

Player of the Match: John McGrath (Loughmore-Castleiney)

Loughmore-Castleiney: Aidan McGrath (6); Willie Eviston (6), Joey Hennessy (7), Tomas McGrath (7); John Ryan (6), John Meagher (7), Brian McGrath (7); Lorcan Egan (6), Tommy Maher (6); Liam Treacy (0-1 ,6), Ciaran Connolly (0-1, 6), Noel McGrath (0-3, 7); Ed Connolly (0-2, 6), John McGrath (4-6 (2-0 pens, 0-3f) 9), Liam McGrath (0-2).

Subs: Evan Sweeney (6) for Egan (33); Conor McGrath (6) for Maher (56), Lorcan Egan for E Connolly (57); Anthony Ryan (NR) for Sweeney (60).

Kilruane MacDonaghs: Conor Doheny (6); James Cleary (6), Jack Peters (6), Aaron Morgan (0-1, 6); Niall O’Meara (0-1, 7), Kieran Cahill (6), Craig Morgan (0-1, 7); Thomas Cleary (0-2, 6), Sean McAdams (6); Kian O’Kelly (6), Mark O’Neill (6), Jerome Cahill (6); Willie Cleary (0-10f, 7), Cian Darcy (0-4, 7), Seamus Hennessy (6).

Subs: Eoin Hogan (6) for O’Neill (HT), Conor Cleary (6) for Hennessy (HT); Tomas Hogan for T Cleary (58), Eanna Hogan (NR) for A Morgan (60+2).

Referee: John McCormack (Knockavilla Kickhams).