Electric Ireland Leinster MHC Final: Galway win thriller

Electric Ireland Leinster MHC Final

Galway 3-20 Kilkenny 3-19

After extra-time

By Kevin Egan at Laois Hire O'Moore Park

It took a while for this Electric Ireland Leinster MHC final to find its spark, but once it did, it blazed brightly into the Portlaoise night sky.

The story of the game will be written in three parts. There was the first 45 minutes, where Kilkenny looked the more polished team, with more balance all across the pitch, and they were full value for their 12-point lead at the midway point of the second half, even if it came on the back of an incredible 2-2 in the space of just three minutes.

Then there was the last 15 minutes, when Galway got the wind in their sails, boosted by goals from Tadhg Mac Cártaigh and Anthony Poniard. They took control of the middle third, used the breeze, and after scoring 2-5 unanswered, it all boiled down to one ball into the right corner of the attack.

Mac Cártaigh got their first, got nudged in the back, and Michael Coen showed incredible composure and nerve to nail his free from the sideline, drawing the sides level with three minutes of stoppage time played.

There was one last play, but a brave block from Kilkenny’s Ruairí Power ensured that there would be no match-winning score, and instead it would take 20 minutes of overtime to decide the contest.

Kilkenny opened with a point from Jamie Walsh into the wind and looked to be in a better position when they turned around to hurl with the aid of the elements for the last ten minutes, still level.

Galway took the wind out of the equation by controlling the ball for that closing 10 minutes, with Daithí Dillon coming off the bench to score two crucial points and the defence coming up trumps as Kilkenny pushed for an equaliser.

Conor O’Neill, Eoghan McClearn and Cathal Donoghue all made blocks or steals in that closing few minutes to see out the win, ensuring that Galway have added a second Leinster MHC crown to the one they won in their debut season in the competition three years ago.

Round robin form suggested slight favouritism for Galway here, but it was Kilkenny who looked impressive in the early stages.

Joe Dowling was their leading scorer up front, but there was real balance to their attack, while Jack Treacy swept up a world of ball as a deep-lying centre back and Matthew Corr was tireless at midfield.

Dowling whipped in a goal after Mark Walsh blocked Ruairí Power’s initial effort to help the Cats to a 1-10 to 0-6 interval lead, but Galway got the dream start to their wind-assisted second half when Cillian Power scored from a similar rebound with his first touch at the other end.

Anthony Poniard started to show his class with scores and the switch that put Gus Lohan to centre forward and moved Eoghan McClearn back to midfield looked like a masterstroke; or it did until Kilkenny hit 2-2 in three minutes, their goals coming from Power and Brion Walsh.

Kilkenny got real impact off the bench too, with Jamie Walsh tireless, playing a key role in setting up Power’s goal.

There was still 11 points between the teams and a mere 12 minutes remaining when Mac Cártaigh scooped up a break, sprinted away from the tackle and placed a perfect low shot just inside Eoin O’Gorman’s near post.

It was all about to catch fire, and it was the westerners who were to become the phoenix that would emerge from the flames.

Scorers for Galway: Michael Coen 0-11 (9fs, 1 65), Anthony Poniard 1-4, Tadhg Mac Cártaigh 1-3, Cillian Power 1-0, Daithí Dillon 0-2.

Scorers for Kilkenny: Joe Dowling 1-10 (7fs), Brion Walsh 1-4, Ruairí Power 1-2, James Kavanagh 0-1, Jamie Walsh 0-1, Jack Bolger 0-1.

Galway: Mark Walsh; Jack Cahill, Dillon Shaughnessy, Ethan Whyte; Conor Lynskey, Ultan Leen, Cathal Donoghue; Jamie Egan, Gus Lohan; Eoghan McClearn, Tadhg Mac Cártaigh, Tom McAdam; Cathal Larkin, Michael Coen, Anthony Poniard.

Subs: Cillian Power for Larkin (half-time), Joey McMahon for Lynskey (half-time), Conor O’Neill for Cahill (46), Ultan O’Connor for Egan (48), Daithí Dillon for Whyte (55), Larkin for Mac Cártaigh (80+3).

Kilkenny: Eoin O'Gorman; Micheál Meany, Seán Kavanagh, Seán Corcoran; Paddy Grace, Jack Treacy, Oliver Phelan; Jack Bolger, Matthew Corr; James Kavanagh, Conn O'Neill Pembroke, Joe Dowling; Brion Walsh, Liam Corcoran, Ruairí Power.

Subs: Jamie Walsh for Kavanagh (42), Gary McHugh for O’Neill Pembroke (55), Daniel Lawlor for Grace (56), Cian Franks for Corr (60+2), Andrew Holohan for S Corcoran (60+4), Seán Morrissey for L Corcoran (76), Paddy Purcell for Meany (80).

Referee: Matthew Farrell (Offaly).