Crokes write a second chapter

ALL-IRELAND CLUB titles are never won easy. It’s just that some are won easier than others. In Croke Park yesterday, Portumna took the hurling honours with record ease and if that seemed a little tame then Kilmacud Crokes made up for it with what followed.

The difference was reflected on the scoreboard. Portumna racked up 2-24 against De La Salle’s 1-8, more than enough to claim their third All-Ireland in four years and further their claim as one of the best club hurling sides of all time.

For Kilmacud it was a lot more interesting. Crossmaglen Rangers don’t lose finals. They came to Croke Park with 26 consecutive final victories to their credit, along with 13 consecutive Armagh titles. But they lost this, falling behind early on and ending up fairly well beaten, 1-9 to 0-7.

As a game it proved better value for the combined attendance of 32,952 – and provided another memorable moment of triumph for the south Dublin club.

When they first claimed the title, in 1995, they still seemed a fledgling side but yesterday they moved into the big time, from boys to men in more ways that one.

“I remember 14 years ago today, being on this pitch, and one man said to me, ‘Jonny, that will be you some day’ Fourteen years later, Pádraig Mac (McMenamin) you were right.”

That was how captain Jonny Magee kicked off his victory speech and it was a fitting tribute. This 2009 edition of Kilmacud was built on the successful chassis of the 1995 edition, and if there was one truly surprising aspect to this win it’s that it took them so long to achieve it.

“It was great to have that to aspire to, as a club footballer,” he added. “Sure, we’ve been kind of written off all year.

“No one has given us full credit for what we’ve achieved, but we had great belief in one another. We knew if we went at Crossmaglen then we could take them. St Vincent’s showed us that last year.

“That’s what we did, attacked, and went up 1-3 to a point, and that set the tone for the rest of the game.”

Manager Paddy Carr had the advantage of watching everyone put their money on Crossmaglen, when he was quietly confident about doing otherwise.

“It would be foolhardy to have anything other than massive respect for Crossmaglen,” he said. “They’re a class act, and have elevated this competition to a whole new level.

“But at the same time we knew we could only control what was in our own remit, and what was in our own remit was to deliver the big performance. We have ebbed and flowed in games, but it was so important that we got this big performance. That was the key thing for us.

“If there was any frustration on my part all season it was that I just knew how good these guys could be. And there were a lot of good performances out there. Guys have to step up. But we told them the scoreboard wasn’t the issue. It was about the performance, character, and that was evident there today.”

The aftermath of Portumna’s victory was a little more muted. Manager Johnny Kelly had the disadvantage of watching everyone put money on his team, yet he wasn’t bothered.

“There was a lot of pressure on us to perform,” he declared after the match. “The favouritism tag we got after beating Ballyhale was huge.

“But we’ve learned to deal with it, to concentrate on the hurling aspects of our game, and bring what we do in training to fruition on the field. And thankfully all that worked out great.”

GAA apologise for Croke Park delays

THE GAA yesterday apologised for any inconvenience caused to patrons arriving at Croke Park to find lengthy queues at the four designated ticket booths. A wait of up to an hour was experienced, and in some cases patrons turned away rather that wait.

However, GAA press chief Alan Milton said there had been a sudden rush of around 9,000 ticket-seekers in the immediate aftermath of the St Patrick’s Day Parade, around 1.0, and this resulted in the wait.

“This occurred despite the fact that we’ve made calls for the past two weeks to purchase tickets in advance, and the fact that the ticket booths were open from 10.30 in the morning. A sudden influx of people like that will always be difficult to accommodate.”