Go Ahead Adult Hurling League - Division Nine South, Round 4
Cluain Tarbh v St Vincents, Thursday, 29-07-2021, Pitch 35.
A hat-trick of goals from Richie Dennehy helped secure the points for Clontarf and dent St Vincents’ hopes of a play-off final in Division 9.
Beating St Vincents is never easy: doing it against revenge-seeking league leaders even harder. Losing the corresponding fixture at home last season, the visitors were primed for payback.
But Clontarf shot out of the traps, rattling the Marino men. Points were picked off without reply, with a new-look full-forward line tormenting their backs. Debutant corner forwards Paddy McKeon and Senan McCann – both Minors – followed the game plan to the T: taking points from quick ball in.
Anchoring the full-forward line was the evergreen Dennehy. An early piece of opportunism provided the game’s first goal. With such a lift, and a lot of one-way traffic, heads were up on Pitch 35. Within 20 minutes, Clontarf were 10 points to the good and in control.
Brian Gaffney and Killian Keogh (midfield), and half forwards Cian Davitt, Stephen Evans and Daniel O’Sullivan kept feeding the forwards, who duly obliged with scores. The Vinnies’ defence was closed down time and again by our five up front, starving their own team of supply. A second Dennehy goal, following pointed frees by the No 14 and Keogh, kept the opposition on the back foot.
It looked too easy – and, of course, there was a sting in the tail from a wounded animal.
A team of proud traditions like St Vincents doesn’t go down without a fight. The agreed roll-on, roll-off allowed the visitors to send in the young guns. With eight subs on the line, they weren’t short of talented options. In the dying minutes of the half, the visitors changed the script. Clontarf were second to the ball and struggling to answer the questions posed. Clever tactical switches – including the deployment of a sweeper to suck up misplaced Clontarf balls – put the visitors in the driving seat. Game on.
But then the turning point.
Bundled over in the box, Dennehy won a deserved penalty. No prizes for guessing who was stepping up to take it.
Dennehy rifled it into the back of the net, with enough force to send it past Pitch 29. The mood switched, heads lifted and the home team was back in the ascendant.
If Vinnies had brought a kitchen sink, they’d have thrown it into the mix. Wave after wave, ball in after ball in. Goals offered the only hope of a comeback, but Clontarf weren’t letting go of the lead. Rónán Reid thwarted relentless attacks; Paul Crowley was a rock at centre back, while Daire Vickers offered fresh legs after the excellent Luke Marren came off with a leg injury.
The back line of Rory Doran, Simon Wall and Sean Downes used all their experience to keep that net safe. And with goalie Ronan Hickey pulling off a top-corner save from close range, the visitors knew it wasn’t going to be their day.
Credit to Vincents – they’re a good team and it was clear why they’d won all of their league games in this campaign. Standards have risen sharply in Division 9, with teams blooding rising stars in their ranks. Despite a first-round walkover, and narrow defeat to a one-team club, Clontarf has a joint second-placed finish in its sights, which is down to the will – and skill – of our players.
Playing Division 9 is tougher than it looks. Every week there’s a new face beside you, whose game you have to know – and fast. Our midfield alone has had more line-ups than the Sugababes.
If most teams are set in stone, drilled and trained together, this team is a different animal. It’s like an airport – some people are new arrivals to the adult game, others are heading to the departures lounge and a happy retirement. The faces change each week. A mix of footballers willing to lend a hand, an old guard belying their age, and social hurlers eager to step up and keep a third adult team alive. Every week that we can field is a win for the club and its future hurlers.
Without the Minors, this team would struggle to field. This match saw the welcome return of Andrew Keegan after absence through injury. It also witnessed Senan McCann joining team-mates in the leap up to the adult game. All destined for great moments. We also welcomed some old friends, with Cian Davitt joining from the footballers and Luke Marren looking as good as ever.
With that kind of commitment, we now look to Championship. Not just to field but to dream.
3-16 to 1-14 the final score.
Mark Evans.