Sixmilebridge earn bragging rights in County Semi
CO. SHC Semi final
Cratloe 1-13 v 1-17 Sixmilebridge
You hear it said from time to time that it’s the worst place to lose. A finalist can at least have a week of what might be and a share of the fanfare. But for a semi finalists – nothing. It’s the lonliest stage exit of all.
Well you know, on Saturday we learned it can be worse. What about if you could have escaped? What about if you gifted much of the prize to the winners . And what about if it’s your nemeses who zips your shroud.
Sixmilebridge were good victors. Christy Chaplin would have been forgiven if he’d have sat on his hands for a while and waited for the sure natural climb again from ‘The Bridge’. But when asked, barely a winter on from his own retirement, ‘Rusty’ dived straight into gluing back the shards after Sixmilebridge’s fall from the plinth. The result has been quicker than anybody had expected and next week they’re back where they havent been for nine Octobers. Hardly a famine.
On Saturday they won this absolutely absorbing contest by being cuter. And none more so than their talisman Niall Gilligan. In an opening half where Cratloe asked many questions of Sixmilebridge it was Gilligan’s freetaking that milled away a patient response. And in the second period when the game veered in the opposite direction, again Gilligan stood out. And it wasn’t simply his haul of 0-9 that split the teams. At club level Gilligan hurls like an old sage. If Cratloe won a free who was there to question it while planting himself over the ball? Gilly was. If the whistle blew in the opposite direction, who sauntered to take the free with all the rush of a man following a herse? Gilly did. Now Cratloe might say that such cute hoorism shouldn’t be the difference in a game but if Cratloe had Niall Gilligan we’d all be putting up bunting this week.
And yet, Saturday’s game started out all so different. When Conor McGrath’s pilfered onto an Óige Murphy delivery behind the Bridge fullback line and had the ball in the net after 12 minutes Cratloe’s ‘upstarts’ were in the throes of bossing the fixture. After a slow start, the pace of the game became frenetic and it was suiting the Cratloe men who had each of their full forward line on the score tally to lead 1-4 to 0-4 . Two McGrath frees and a further brace from Sean Collins at centre half forward stretched Cratloe’s lead nearing the interval to 1-9 to 0-7 but a calamitous final three minutes of the opening half turned the script on its head. Clinging to their coat-tails Sixmilebridge latched onto two balls Cratloe dawdled in clearing to close the gap but the sucker punch arrived soonafter when Declan Morey pounced on an interception to blast to the net.
With one strike a bouyant dressing room was turned to one looking over it’s shoulder. The reprieve gave the Bridge the cockiness they usually demand in this fixture and in fairness they went about asserting that after the break. Cratloe’s long deliveries dried up and when forced to chasing the game Cratloe’s search for goals prooved a much sterner challenge than shooting points from distance was in the first half. Again McGrath was his side’s chief scorer with three second half frees but Cratloe will also rue two shots on goal which could have troubled returning netminder David Fitzgerald more than they did. The sides were still deadlocked with fifteen minutes remaining. Cue Gilligan who hit three points from play ably assisted by Caimin Morey who found his range late on also. Jamie Shanahan and Tony Carmody put the icing on the cake for the Bridge who now qualify for the chance to relieve Crusheen of their Championship honours.
Cratloe will feel the aches of this lost for longer than most but in defeat they still arguably turned in their best performance of the season. Manager Mike Deegan who now departs to partner Davy Fitzgerald as part of the Clare management team next season acknowledged afterward that “the goal before half time was crucial”. “Once Sixmilebridge got infront we could never peg them back”, said Deegan who also lamented that the bounce of the ball didn’t fall for Cratloe on the day.
Cratloe;
Sean Hayes, David Ryan, Barruy Duggan, John O Gorman, Enda Boyce, Michael Hawes, Liam Markham, Sean Chaplin, Martin Óg Murphy, Damian Browne (0-1), Sean Collins (0-2), Conor Ryan (0-1), Cathal McInerney (0-2), Conor McGrath (1-6), Paudge Collins (0-1).
Thomas O Connor 48 mins. Padraigh Chaplin 54 mins.
CO. SHC Semi final
Cratloe 1-13 v 1-17 Sixmilebridge
You hear it said from time to time that it’s the worst place to lose. A finalist can at least have a week of what might be and a share of the fanfare. But for a semi finalists – nothing. It’s the lonliest stage exit of all.
Well you know, on Saturday we learned it can be worse. What about if you could have escaped? What about if you gifted much of the prize to the winners . And what about if it’s your nemeses who zips your shroud.
Sixmilebridge were good victors. Christy Chaplin would have been forgiven if he’d have sat on his hands for a while and waited for the sure natural climb again from ‘The Bridge’. But when asked, barely a winter on from his own retirement, ‘Rusty’ dived straight into gluing back the shards after Sixmilebridge’s fall from the plinth. The result has been quicker than anybody had expected and next week they’re back where they havent been for nine Octobers. Hardly a famine.
On Saturday they won this absolutely absorbing contest by being cuter. And none more so than their talisman Niall Gilligan. In an opening half where Cratloe asked many questions of Sixmilebridge it was Gilligan’s freetaking that milled away a patient response. And in the second period when the game veered in the opposite direction, again Gilligan stood out. And it wasn’t simply his haul of 0-9 that split the teams. At club level Gilligan hurls like an old sage. If Cratloe won a free who was there to question it while planting himself over the ball? Gilly was. If the whistle blew in the opposite direction, who sauntered to take the free with all the rush of a man following a herse? Gilly did. Now Cratloe might say that such cute hoorism shouldn’t be the difference in a game but if Cratloe had Niall Gilligan we’d all be putting up bunting this week.
And yet, Saturday’s game started out all so different. When Conor McGrath’s pilfered onto an Óige Murphy delivery behind the Bridge fullback line and had the ball in the net after 12 minutes Cratloe’s ‘upstarts’ were in the throes of bossing the fixture. After a slow start, the pace of the game became frenetic and it was suiting the Cratloe men who had each of their full forward line on the score tally to lead 1-4 to 0-4 . Two McGrath frees and a further brace from Sean Collins at centre half forward stretched Cratloe’s lead nearing the interval to 1-9 to 0-7 but a calamitous final three minutes of the opening half turned the script on its head. Clinging to their coat-tails Sixmilebridge latched onto two balls Cratloe dawdled in clearing to close the gap but the sucker punch arrived soonafter when Declan Morey pounced on an interception to blast to the net.
With one strike a bouyant dressing room was turned to one looking over it’s shoulder. The reprieve gave the Bridge the cockiness they usually demand in this fixture and in fairness they went about asserting that after the break. Cratloe’s long deliveries dried up and when forced to chasing the game Cratloe’s search for goals prooved a much sterner challenge than shooting points from distance was in the first half. Again McGrath was his side’s chief scorer with three second half frees but Cratloe will also rue two shots on goal which could have troubled returning netminder David Fitzgerald more than they did. The sides were still deadlocked with fifteen minutes remaining. Cue Gilligan who hit three points from play ably assisted by Caimin Morey who found his range late on also. Jamie Shanahan and Tony Carmody put the icing on the cake for the Bridge who now qualify for the chance to relieve Crusheen of their Championship honours.
Cratloe will feel the aches of this lost for longer than most but in defeat they still arguably turned in their best performance of the season. Manager Mike Deegan who now departs to partner Davy Fitzgerald as part of the Clare management team next season acknowledged afterward that “the goal before half time was crucial”. “Once Sixmilebridge got infront we could never peg them back”, said Deegan who also lamented that the bounce of the ball didn’t fall for Cratloe on the day.
Cratloe;
Sean Hayes, David Ryan, Barruy Duggan, John O Gorman, Enda Boyce, Michael Hawes, Liam Markham, Sean Chaplin, Martin Óg Murphy, Damian Browne (0-1), Sean Collins (0-2), Conor Ryan (0-1), Cathal McInerney (0-2), Conor McGrath (1-6), Paudge Collins (0-1).
Thomas O Connor 48 mins. Padraigh Chaplin 54 mins.
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