St Mary’s cruise to All-Ireland Schools glory

GAA: Masita All-Ireland Post Primary Schools Senior ‘D’ Hurling Final

St. Mary’s SS, Newport 6-17

Coláiste Éinde, Salthill 1-7

Report: Thomas Conway in Tulla

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Shane Flanagan (St. Mary’s Newport)

SCORERS – St Mary’s SS, Newport: Shane Flanagan 4-0; Brian Tobin 1-4; Darren Collopy 1-3 (0-3 frees), Cillian Collins, Daniel Ryan 0-3 each; Tommy Cusack 0-2; Jamie Long, Calum Poole 0-1 each.

Coláiste Éinde, Salthill: Cian Corcoran 0-6 (4 frees, 1 ‘65), Jason Carr 1-0; Cian Cloherty 0-1.

All-Irelands are never won easy, but in this case, perhaps we’ll make an exception. Granted, St. Mary’s Secondary Schools Newport’s quest for the ultimate glory this season has had plenty of twists and turns but on Saturday it was all a little different, more serene as they cruised past Colaiste Einde from Salthill as smoothly and as comprehensively as could be imagined.

They clicked straight into fifth gear and then never relented. It was a consummate performance. Credit to all involved.

Shane Flanagan, their shiniest attacking weapon, was, for his part, immense. The adroit corner-forward netted a quartet of goals, one or two gems among them, but it was his awareness and presence of mind that was perhaps most impressive. Flanagan ghosts into scoring positions, and like his fellow forwards, namely Brian Tobin and Darren Collopy, seems to have a telepathic understanding of where the ball is going to go. He sees the play seconds before it actually happens - always a slight advantage.

Really and truly Newport were never in danger here. Callum Poole had the Tipperary school up and running inside twenty seconds, and although Cian Cloherty responded with a fine individual effort, there was a sense that Salthill were there for the taking. And so, it proved. Early Newport goals gave David Minogue’s side a clear foundation, and they built on it over the course of the sixty-plus minutes.

The first of those goals was an awesome team move, a weaving intelligent passage of play which saw Cillian Collins tee up Darren Collopy following a diagonal run. Collopy made no mistake with the finish, nor would Brian Tobin several minutes later, after he himself had been set up brilliantly by Poole. Newport looked like a team that has trained and bonded intimately with one another. Their off-the-ball movement is second to none, their in-game awareness and general decision-making both equally outstanding.

Trailing 2-5 to 0-5 some twenty minutes in, Salthill were doing just enough to hang in there, fighting desperately for primary possession and depending on placed-balls from their captain, Cian Corcoran, to stay in the game. His free-taking was indeed impeccable, but on its own it wasn’t enough, and from that twentieth minute onwards Newport began to pull away.

All of a sudden, an avalanche of points started to rain down on the Galway school. Collopy with a free, Tommy Cusack with a gem from play, Tobin with another one of his thumping efforts from forty metres. Newport seized the initiative and by half-time they had built up a 2-10 to 0-5 lead.

The outcome, one sensed, was never in doubt, and sure enough, once the Tipp side emerged from that half-time dressing room their performance level never diminished, never slackened off. They play that same brand of short-passing, quick stick-work hurling that has come to be associated with current All-Ireland champions Limerick.

Some of those players in Newport colours are die-hard Limerick men, It’s conceivable that one or two might well go on to represent their county at senior level someday. The same can be said for the many Tipperary faces on this Newport squad. After all, eighteen of the thirty player panel are Newport to their core. That’s some achievement, for a small rural town and a relatively small secondary school.

Flanagan swiped his second goal just minutes after the restart and following two neat points in quick succession from midfielder Daniel Ryan, any prospect of a Salthill revival was definitively put to bed.

Newport played out the remaining minutes in style. Some of their scoring was sublime, but the golden moment of their second-half was arguably the breathtaking double save pulled off by their keeper, Evan Duffy, at the other end. In two swift movements the Newport netminder combined bravery with acrobatics to twice deny the Salthill forward line. Of course, he would concede a consolation goal late on, but at that stage it mattered little. Newport were home and hosed.

Newport did have a penalty saved in the 44th minute, but Flanagan’s lightning quick instincts enabled him to react quickest and finish off his hat-trick, scrambling the ball home amidst a sea of bodies. Ultimately, he would net one further, scoring his fourth and final goal right at the death. Collopy landed a free just seconds later and that was that.

The Niall McInerney Cup, named after a Galway legend, will reside in Tipperary for the forthcoming twelve months. And Newport will move up a grade, to the ‘C’ competition, where they will almost certainly challenge for top honours.

Players will obviously depart, but this team has now created a culture in a school never really known for its hurling tradition. They remain a long way away from the Harty Cup, but who’s to say that someday they won’t challenge for school hurling’s ultimate prize. If they do, they will have this team to thank. Perhaps this is the start of something.

TEAMS - St. Mary’s Secondary School, Newport: Evan Duffy (Newport 8), James Anderson (Ballinahinch 7), Cathal Hannon (Newport 8), Keith Hogan (Newport 7); Darragh Meaney (Newport 7), Colm Kennedy (Seán Treacys 8), James Tobin (Newport 7); Daniel Ryan (Newport 8), Jamie Long (Murroe-Boher 7); Tommy Cusack (Murroe-Boher 8), Brian Tobin (Newport 9), Darren Collopy (Murroe-Boher 8); Shane Flanagan (Newport 9), Cillian Collins (Newport 8), Callum Poole (Newport 7).

Subs: Cathal Sheridan (Murroe-Boher 6) for Long (48); David Whelan (Newport 6) for Cusack (56); Eoghan Flynn (Newport 6) for Collins (56); Daire Cantillon (Newport 6) for Poole (56).

Coláiste Éinde, Salthill: Jason McDonagh (6); Seán Keane (6). Ethan Hynes (6), Dylan Carr (6); Jack Nolan (6), Lorcán Sampietro-Daly (6), Dean O’Brien (6); Aaron Keane (7), Cian Cloherty (6); Éanna Coffey (6), Cian Corcoran (Capt 8), Conor Cloherty (6); Jason Carr (7), Dara Walsh (6), Darragh Finnerty (6).

Subs: Colm O’Donohue (6) for Walsh (44); Michael Brosnan (6) for Finnerty (48); Ben Magee (6) for Carr (56); Conor Madden (6) for Coffey (56).

Referee: Aaron Hogg (Clare).