Toome both aggrieved and relieved with draw

GAA: FBD Insurance County Senior Hurling Championship Group 3

Toomevara 3-12

Mullinahone 2-15

Report: Michael Dundon at FBD Semple Stadium

Liam Ryan hit a point deep in injury time to salvage a draw for Toomevara against Mullinahone in the County Senior Hurling Championship tie on Saturday.

Three first half goals had Toome coasting at half-time (3-6 to 0-9), and they were still six points clear as the game entered its final stages, but then things went awry for Toome, the introduction of an injured Eoin Kelly inspiring Mullinahone, who hit two goals in three minutes to nudge ahead by a point after 61 minutes.

There was a mixture of relief and frustration in the Toome camp at the finish. This was a game that looked to be theirs for the taking but they failed to put it to bed, some slack shooting undermining their performance. Certainly, the introduction of Eoin Kelly to the Mullinahone attack unsettled them but they also deserve credit for the resolve shown in salvaging a draw when defeat stared them in the face.

A pedestrian enough encounter saw Alan Ryan net for Toome after two minutes for a 1-0 to 0-2 lead. Mullinahone were doing the better hurling, with Mikey O’Shea a problem for the Toome defence. The sides were level 0-6 to1-3 when Jack Delaney punished a stray puck-out with Toome’s second goal after eighteen minutes, and five minutes later Delaney was again in the right spot to punish a further Mullinahone error with his second goal.

Leading 3-6 to 0-9 at half-time, Toome looked comfortable, but the tempo of their play dropped in the second half as Mullinahone, with Jack Shelly deadly from frees, began to cut into the deficit. They were still six points to the good, 3-11 to 0-14, and shaping as winners, when Eoin Kelly entered the fray. The former All-Star immediately pointed a free for Mullinahone and was then involved in a three-man move which ended with Martin Kehoe netting in the 58th minute to leave only two points between the sides, 3-11 to 1-15.

Toome were rattled. And when Mikey O’Shea was fouled, referee Kevin Jordan awarded Mullinahone a penalty which Kelly duly dispatched in the 61st minute to put his side ahead 2-15 to 3-11. Toome defenders argued that Kelly’s shot had gone wide, but the umpires and referee disagreed, and defeat looked certain for Toome with time running out.

The North lads saw two efforts for an equaliser go wide before joint-captain Liam Ryan drove forward to strike the equaliser in the 66th minute much to the relief of players, mentors, and supporters of ‘The Greyhounds’.

Whether Toome got off the hook or let outright victory slip through their grasp, is a matter for debate but they surely did not deserve to lose. Their failure to capitalise on a greater number of their scoring chances was their ultimate undoing, fifteen wides being an unacceptable level of inaccuracy. They will need to raise their game and sustain it for the full sixty minutes in their future outings with games against Upperchurch-Drombane and Holycross awaiting them.

Kevin McCarthy was their top performer in attack though Jack Delaney’s brace of goals were vital, Conor O’Meara also did well while Jake Ryan, Liam Ryan and David Young also made significant contributions.

Hats off to Eoin Kelly who continues to drive Mullinahone forward and without whom they would have gone away from this game empty handed. However, they also had key players in Colin Shelly, Jack Shelly, Eoin O’Dwyer, and Eoin Fennelly.

Their determination kept them in the game when the goals conceded in the first half spelled their undoing, but they have a lot of work to do if they hope to be involved in the knock-out stages of the championship.

Player of the Match: Eoin Kelly (Mullinahone)

Toomevara: Rory Brislane (6); Jake Ryan (7), Andrew Ryan (6), Josh McCarthy (6); Robbie Quirke (6), Liam Ryan (0-1, 7), Jason Ryan (6); Jack Ryan (0-2, 7), Jack Delaney (2-0, 7); Alan Ryan (1-0, 6), Joey McLoughney (6), Conor O’Meara (0-3, 7); Kevin McCarthy (0-5, 1f) 8), David Young (0-1, 6), Mark McCarthy (6).

Subs: Darren Delaney (6) for McLoughney (42); Adam Hall (6) for M McCarthy (47); Kenneth Ryan (6) for O’Meara (53); Willie Coffey (6) for A Ryan (55).

Mullinahone: Alan Walsh (6); Kevin Walzer (6), Paul Curran (6), Colin Shelly (7); Daire O’Brien (6), Eoin Fennelly (7), Alan Curran (6); Sean Curran (6), Conor O’Brien (6); Michael Dunne (6), Mikey O’Shea (0-3, 7), Martin Kehoe (1-0, 6); Graham Horan (0-1, 6), Jack Shelly (0-7, 6f) 6), Eoin O’Dwyer (0-3, 7).

Subs: Enda Keane (6) for A Curran (41); Eoin Kelly (1-1, 1-0 pen, 0-1f) 8) for Horan (54); Darragh Kelly (NR) for Dunne (60+1).

Referee: Kevin Jordan (Thurles Gaels)