All-Ireland Club SH Final/ Birr ... 1-19 Dunloy...: Dunloy must have some questions to ask. People tell them their day will come, people promise them the gap is closing, people pat them on the head. All very well but they must wonder when reward comes.
Yesterday, they came to Croke Park and lost by 11 points to a Birr side who always looked comfortable. Hardly seems fair.
This club hurling final never ignited. Declan Pilkington gave Birr a lead after two minutes just by latching onto a long Brian Whelahan free and turning it over the bar. After that it was more of the same.
Dunloy never led. Birr never panicked. Finally a few minutes from the end Pilkington swept a stray ball to the Dunloy net to kill of the slender chance of a Dunloy comeback.
For Birr the win was a triumph for the fundamentals of their game. From being a run-of-the -mill Offaly club they have become a powerhouse merely by embracing the ideals taught by a Christian Brother to schoolchildren on a little field on the outskirts of town. Fast ground hurling. Good touch. Good feel. Good timing. Brother Vincent taught it that way. Pad Joe Whelahan kept on teaching it.
You could see the expression of the Birr hurling philosophy everywhere yesterday. Balls driven along the ground into the spaces in front of forwards who as often as not would double on the ball, sending another of their number skeetering after it. A variety of hooks and flicks tormented the Dunloy players into frustration.
There was one moment in the first half which summed up the difference between the sides. Dunloy were trailing by three points when the ball came in to Ally Elliot on the edge of the square. Behind Eliot, Brian Whelahan was like a dancing octopus, he seemed to have limbs everywhere.
Elliot was reluctant to turn and shoot straight, so disturbing had his experience of being blocked been earlier. Instead, he dummied one way. dummied another and another but couldn't lose his man.
Finally he turned and sent a hurried shot wide. Birr scored the next two to send Birr to the break leading by five points.
It was that sort of day for Elliot who did so much right and deserved more than two points from play. If Dunloy look back for key moments which might have changed things they will linger on the incident in the 18th minute when they were three points down and Elliot pulled the ball back across the Birr goal. It sneaked past 'keeper Brian Mullins and looked destined to cross the line when JP O'Meara scooted in from corner back and escorted the ball to safety.
Dunloy will have told themselves at half time they needed the first scores of the second half. They got them, the pair of them falling to Greg O'Kane.
Dunloy needed something big from both O'Kanes. Gary, usually so influential at centre back, had been moved out of there early as Gary Hanniffy became dominant. Dunloy missed those long balls radiating out to the corners. As for Greg playing in the lee of Brian Whelahan is never easy even if Whelahan no longer takes the game by the scruff of the neck.
After Greg O'Kane's salvo Birr shook themselves and matched Dunloy's pair with two of their own, both from the hurl of Simon Whelahan. And thereafter Birr were trading at a profit. Martin Curry scored for Dunloy, Declan Pilkington and Gary Hanniffy and Brian Whelahan punished the Northerners with a string of points.
On days like these Birr must be a hard and depressing team to play against. The key to success in the club grade is how good your weakest links are. Birr have some superstars but more importantly they have very few duffers and could even afford to have emerging stars like Stephen Browne and Dylan Hayden on the bench yesterday.
Elliot played well for Dunloy, foraging hungrily to provide what shreds of hope he could. And the full back line, two McMullans and a Mullan defended doughtily, smothering the best Birr attacks and hustling the play away from goals. Gareth McGhee between the sticks made at least three fine saves, two of them from Rory Hanniffy.
Yet the best moments were still Birr's. Paul Molloy's point minutes from the end out on the left touchline was a heartbreaker.
Birr's win ensures an extension to a few glittering careers. The hardcore of players who broke through for the club with a county title 12 years ago will stay on in the hope of winning a fourth county honour on the trot and will come back next year hoping to become the first side to win three All-Ireland club titles back to back.
BIRR: B Mullins; G Cahill, J Errity, JP O'Meara; D Franks, Brian Whelahan (0-1, f), N Claffey; Barry Whelahan, R Hanniffy (0-2); D Pilkington (1-2), G Hanniffy (0-2), P Molloy (0-2); L Power, J Pilkington, S Whelahan (0-8, 7f). Sub: S Browne (0-2) for Power (44 mins).
DUNLOY: G McGhee; D McMullan, S Mullan, F McMullan; M Molloy, Gary O'Kane (capt), P McMullan; C Cunning, C McGuckian; L Richmond, Greg O'Kane (0-5, 4f), N Elliot; P Richmond (0-2), A Elliot (0-3, 1f), M Curry (0-1). Sub: E McKee for C Cunning (50 mins).
Referee: S MacMahon (Clare)
