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Cuala and Na Piarsaigh focus on positives ahead of replay

Cuala v Na Piarsaigh - AIB GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Club Championship Final

Cuala v Na Piarsaigh - AIB GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Club Championship Final

By John Harrington

When Cuala manager Mattie Kenny was asked after yesterday’s drawn AIB All-Ireland Club Hurling Final against Na Piarsaigh whether relief was his dominant emotion, he replied he didn’t quite know exactly how he felt.

You couldn’t blame him, really. It had been such a nerve-shredding, emotionally draining sort of match for both managers you’d understand if they were numb by the end of it.

Kenny’s spirits were high, though, and that was understandable too. His team hit late levellers at the end of both normal and extra-time, so perhaps a draw was a better result from their point of view than Na Piarsaigh’s.

“The game was played at a very fast pace,” reflected Kenny. “It was very competitive and physical. The conditions were very blustery and some of the passes didn't go exactly to where you'd expect.

“There was a swirling wind out there but I thought both teams served up a really good spectacle. It was really honest, both teams went at one another and from our own side there were a couple of times we showed good character to come back.

“They got two goals, one at a really crucial time but we came back and got a few points to come back into it again. Then they got a goal in extra-time, which you'd imagine would be a very big score at that time, but our lads went on and got scores again.

“Which showed out guys never gave up and steadied the game for the full 80 minutes.”

Na Piarsaigh v Slaughtneil - AIB GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Club Championship Semi-Final

Na Piarsaigh v Slaughtneil - AIB GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Club Championship Semi-Final

Na Piarsaigh manager Shane O’Neill also presented a positive face after the match.

He thought his team should have won it, but he was relieved too they didn’t contrive to lose it.

“Absolutely, yeah. I actually thought we were the better side,” said O’Neill. “ But, look, it happens, we'll just deal with it and drive on.

“When you're playing in an All-Ireland final, you're expecting a result, one way or the other. Obviously we're delighted that we haven't been beaten.

“I think Cuala got the last score in ordinary time with the goal from a penalty (21 yard free) and then the last score from a free in extra-time, I believe.

“As a management team we're just absolutely delighted and so proud of the lads because it was a real, real battle from start to finish.”

It did look like Na Piarsaigh were about to be crowned champions when they led by three points deep into injury-time, but against the odds Cuala found a way to bring the match to extra-time.

You wouldn’t have put much money on their centre-back Sean Moran when he stood over a free around 23 yards out in front of a Na Piarsaigh goalmouth packed with light blue jerseys.

Cuala v Na Piarsaigh - AIB GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Club Championship Final

Cuala v Na Piarsaigh - AIB GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Club Championship Final

But he struck the shot well and it was deflected to the net via the hurley of Na Piarsaigh goalkeeper Podge Kennedy.

“What was going through my mind was, 'This is the last puck of the game’,” admitted Kenny after the match.

“Harry Robertson was beside me and I said, 'He needs to make this or it's gone.' Full confidence in him?

“You wouldn't. How could you have full confidence? The goal was lined. I was just hoping he'd get a good strike on it and that he did. I was more than pleased when I seen the net shaking.”

It was David Treacy who then earned his team a replay with a well-struck free in the final minute of extra-time from around 60 yards and against the wind.

“That was a good free from David because he wasn't that far inside the 65m line and he was hitting it into the teeth of the wind,” said Treacy.

“I was down that end of the field and I knew it was going to take a really good strike to get it from there. Thankfully, David's free-taking for the last three or four years has always been crucial for us and he didn't let us down today either.”

Na Piarsaigh will have Conor Boylan and Tommy Grimes back for the replay – both were suspended for yesterday’s Final – and team manager O’Neill is hopeful that will make them stronger.

“On paper anyway, yeah,” he said. “But you just don't know what's going to happen as we saw there today, anything can absolutely happen between the lines.”