Mount Sion get all the breaks

Mount Sion ... 2-12 Mullinahone ... 0-15 A week after their landmark county title win in Tipperary, Mullinahone let further achievement slip like sand through their fingers in Walsh Park, Waterford yesterday. A tough and enthralling AIB Munster semi-final ended with Mount Sion having got the breaks and put them to good use.

The only breaks Mullinahone got were bad ones. Their impressive home-grown crop of quality players was fatally thinned by injury. The immaculate Paul Kelly could play no part. His prodigious brother Eoin pulled a hamstring in the second half and couldn't even hobble out to take frees. Brian O'Meara played with a broken bone in his hand, while manager and all-round inspiration John Leahy also appeared troubled in the second half. Up-and-coming centrefielder Eddie Carey was withdrawn before the start.

Despite this litany of woe the Tipp champions buckled down to the job in hand. Although last week's Return to Atlantis never reached the south, the pitch was heavy and uneven. This might have ruled out putting-green accuracy but the sublime touch of Mullinahone's Eoin Kelly was the defining aspect of the first half.

His Waterford namesake might have struck the killer blows after half-time but there was no mistaking who the influential Eoin Kelly was in the first half-hour. Mount Sion manager Jim Greene reflected afterwards with candour on a bad start for his side.

"We were surprised at Mullinahone's first-half display because winning their championship for the first time last Sunday we felt would be to our advantage this Sunday. They mightn't be as focused, they mightn't be fresh; they've had two hard county finals in a fortnight. But we were wrong. They were fresh, they were focused, they were as anxious as we were for this match.

"In the first half we were disappointing and didn't do what we should be doing all around the field, where county players weren't performing. At half-time we nailed a few of them and came out in the second half with big heart, big spirit and dug in.

"We hit the trenches and dug out a victory. Nothing fancy, nothing stylish about it."

Kelly's efforts around the middle as he shuttled back to the half forwards and centrefield got Mullinahone moving and his facility with the dead ball piled up five of his six first-half points.

It was encouraging for Mullinahone. Leahy's cuteness and Kelly's craft combined with O'Meara's hard work and the willing pace of Pat Croke to pressurise the Waterford side, who faded after a good start. Ken McGrath kept them afloat with his placed-ball efforts but even he wasn't firing on all cylinders and got a yellow card for a wild pull on Edward O'Brien.

So it was 0-8 to 0-6 at half-time and Greene felt it necessary to tell it like it was in the Mount Sion dressing-room.

"Being a county player and winning a senior Munster senior medal with your county is fine but you have to perform big for your club. We demand that sort of performance from our county players. We have seven of them and on paper we look great.

"But paper if you throw it out on the field will blow away. They have to perform and they weren't performing in the first half. Tony (Browne) was, Ken (McGrath) was but the others weren't and in the second half they did. And the lesser-reputation guys battled hard as well and we're very proud of the way we won that match."

The win came about largely because of two fortuitous goals. It's probably hard on Mount Sion's Eoin Kelly to ascribe to luck his calm and hugely ambitious solo through the heart of his opponents' defence and its stunning finish. But Mullinahone plainly lost concentration on the puck-out after taking the lead, 0-14 to 1-10.

"Eoin Kelly is a phenomenal hurler," said his manager, "a marvellous talent and he wasn't playing particularly well. I was definitely giving out to him at half-time. I would still have been giving out to him - we expect more of him. But to do what he did - marvellous goal, marvellous goal and boy, did we need it."

It was to Mount Sion's credit they twice retrieved a match that looked like heading beyond them. Kelly's first goal arrived seven minutes after half-time. Vincent Doheny in the Mullinahone goal misjudged Roy McGrath's dropping shot and Kelly was able to tap the sliotar into an empty net.

Then Ken McGrath tacked on two points and the Tipperary champions visibly wilted as Eoin McGrath took over at centrefield. Mullinahone's recovery was inspired by Croke, whose searching runs at Mount Sion's defence showed that there was fight left in his team.

Because of Eoin Kelly's injury Croke took over on frees and cracked over four but he also hit the post with one two minutes from time. His next attempt regained the lead for Mullinahone but then it all slipped away.

Afterwards Leahy was philosophical. "When we look back we'll say we did ourselves proud but the lads are totally disappointed in there. I thought myself we had it won but in fairness to Mount Sion, they got the goal at the right time and we were unlucky not to get a free and missed one or two as well.

"We're disappointed but overall it's been a great year and we probably needed a few weeks to recover. That maybe showed today. But in fairness to the fellas they deserved to celebrate after what they achieved."

Mount Sion will face Sixmilebridge in the provincial final.

MOUNT SION: I O'Regan; J O'Meara, A Kirwan, B Flannery; J Cleare, T Browne, B Greene; E Kelly (2-1), R McGrath; D Kelly, K McGrath (0-9, 5fs, '65), M O'Regan; M White (0-2), S Ryan, E McGrath. Subs: J Meaney for M O'Regan (half-time), B Browne for D Kelly (50 mins), M Frisby for Ryan (62 mins), K O'Neill for Browne (63 mins).

MULLINAHONE: V Doheny; D Hackett, P Curran, T Dalton; K Vaughan, E O'Brien, P O'Shea; P Croke (0-6, 4fs), N Curran; B O'Meara (0-1), J Leahy, C Arrigan (0-1); J Connolly, E Kelly (0-7, 5fs), N Leahy. Subs: E O'Meara for N Leahy (57 mins).

Referee: D Richardson (Limerick).