All year long, the All-Ireland champions have been dawdling along the club route, hanging in there like gnarled old veterans who don't know how to lose. Yesterday in Parnell Park, they reaffirmed their worth in explosive fashion, tearing a hapless UCC outfit asunder in a devastating opening half-hour.
The students were 2-5 to 0-1 in arrears after only fifteen minutes and so overwhelming was Crossmaglen's domination that it was impossible to foresee any type of recovery. The effervescent Cathal Short and Jim McConville orchestrated the Crossmaglen attack while Oisin, the younger McConville, was, as ever, the team's main creative font, hitting 1-7.
But the magnitude of this win was inspired by the efforts from further down the field; the McEntee's, John and Tony, threw themselves about with forbidding authority. Anthony Cunningham soared around midfield and utterly overshadowed the efforts of Gary Stack and Michael O'Se, two pivotal figures in UCC's year.
And while UCC's half-back trio had been lauded for their exploits during the Munster odyssey, it was the Ulster defenders who made the impact on this occasion. UCC's attacking wraiths like Keith Moran and Ian Twiss were simply not afforded space enough to embark upon the sublime runs which illuminated their play in December.
Instead, Crossmaglen suffocated them and with John Donaldson and Donal Murtagh bursting forward, the team set about gaining scores with breathtaking directness.
The assurance with which Short dispatched two early points must have been alarming for UCC but before they could rouse themselves, things fell apart. First, Gavin Cumiskey chased down a long hoof forward and delicately fisted the ball past the out-rushing Alan Quirke. Three minutes later, Cross had found the net again when Tony McEntee viciously drove a shot off the cross bar. Oisin McConville stepped up to claim the rebound and the goal.
Up 2-3 to 0-1, Crossmaglen really began to cut loose. After 18 minutes, Cumiskey ran deep to collect a pass and flicked it over his head to Jim McConville, who arced a point.
Six minutes later, Jim McConville turned play maker, carving out a cross-field pass to the roving John Donaldson who calmly took his score. At halftime, the bewildered UCC team trailed by 2-10 to 0-4.
"I thought that first 30 minutes were as good as you'd see anywhere," said Kernan afterwards. "We always knew it was in the team but to be fair, I was surprised that we were ahead by so much at the break."
During the interval, the hearty Cross congregation began planning for St Patrick's Day and reflected that the UCC team were probably in for a long closing half hour.
But there has been a refreshingly romantic streak about this UCC story that seems to push them on at the most implausible of times. Hence, after pitching themselves even further into the abyss early in the second half (both McConvilles hit points), they had the temerity to embark on some crazy comeback trail. The passage was, as ever with this bunch, utterly unorthodox.
Down 2-13 to 0-5, they clearly abandoned the very concept of points and instead went on kamikaze missions for goals. And it worked. First, the lively Michael O Croinin drilled a shot past Hearty. The students won a free from the kick-out around 30 minutes from goal, the Cross defenders turned sleepily to await O Croinin's token point and instead he cracked another goal.
Oisin McConville restored sanity by curling a point but incredibly, UCC came again, scorching down field with a scintillating passing movement which climaxed with Michael Cahill's finishing shot. 2-14 to 3-6 with five minutes left and suddenly the Cross faithful were nervy.
"No, no, I was only looking for respectability at that stage," responded Des Cullinanane when asked if he had visions of another improbable twist. "To be honest, we kind of froze out there but even if we had been playing to our full potential, we would have found it hard to beat Crossmaglen there. They are the best in the country."
The champions underlined this opinion in the closing minutes. That UCC rally provided a fitting swan-song while Crossmaglen steamed on imperiously, a remarkable team who, with impeccable timing, once more look to be the truest masters of their craft.
Crossmaglen Rangers: P Hearty; M Califf, D Murtagh, G McShane; L Fitzpatrick, F Bellew, J Donaldson (0-1); J McEntee (0-1), A Cunningham; C Short (0-4), T McEntee (0-1), O McConville (1-7, 3 frees), C O'Neill, G Cumiskey (1-0), J McConville (0-2).
UCC: A Quirke; C Breathnach, S MactSithigh, F Kelleher; P Galvin, E Fitzmaurice, D Reidy; G Stack, M O Se; L Murphy (0-2), M O Croinin (2-2, 2 frees), B Sheehan, M D Cahill (1-2), K Moran, I Twiss. Subs: Downey for K Moran (43 mins).
Referee: B White (Wexford).
