Killavullen come up just short in minor championship final
September 16, 2019
Killavullen and Kilara Óg, the amalgamated team from Kilworth and Araglin served up a rip roaring Minor Division 2 grade Rebel Óg North region hurling championship final last night in Glanworth. Kilara won out in the tense final by a solitary point 1-12 to 0-14.
Killavullen were first to score when Mark Nagle placed a ball over the bar. Kilara’s first score occurred in controversial circumstances, their brilliant forward, Michael Gowen was fouled out in the field in the process of shooting, and the referee signalled for a free. The ball landed in the square and was gathered by a player inside the small parallelogram, who finished to the net. Killavullen thought that the player was inside the square and that the free from outside the field should stand, but the goal was allowed, and it was to be vital. Kilara were next to score a point but Mikey O Connor replied from a free and we edged back closer into contention when Liam Fox scored a good point under pressure in the 11th minute. Mikey brought us level with another scored free before the same player repeated the dose for another indiscretion. Kilara replied with two points, the first from play, and the second for a free to edge ahead again, only for Jamie Magner, introduced as a temporary blood substitute for Noah Butler to equalise with a sharp shot in a crowed area. Kilara took the lead before half time with a very well executed point, their player was hemmed in by our backs right out in the corner, but he did not panic, and fired across and out the field to a team mate who scored. 1-04 to 0-04 at the interval
Killavullen sprung Seamus O Mahony and Jamie from the bench and these players added potency to a under functioning attack, especially with their ability to control the sliotar on their sticks. Liam Fox got us back on level terms in the 1st minute but Kilara replied with two points of their own, one a lovely effort from Jack Kearney. Jamie replied for us in the 7th minute and already his ball control was causing consternation in their rear guard. Liam Fitzgerald, the hurley maker in Araglin must have been thrilled at this juncture because every pull was ferocious and hurleys were being broke like match sticks. Michael Cagney emerged from a throw in and ruck situation somehow with the ball, and rifled over a point from distance. Kilara replied with a free, and made it a 3 point game with a score from play. Mikey O Connor scored from play for us, in this most pulsating of periods, before Kilara got another score from the hugely talented Gowen, wearing the number 15 shirt. Kilara pushed that margin out to 4 points before Jamie Magner scored from a free in the 25th minute after Mikey O Connor was taken down. The Kilara player was sent off for the foul, but in truth he probably saved his team conceding a goal and thus his frustration will be tempered by the team success afterwards. Darragh O Grady scored a point for us in the 30th minute and Jamie added another to leave the margin at a single point again.
Kilara in a break away attack got a desperately valuable point for them, and the game ended in a welter of excitement and no small amount of controversy again. Colm Looney gathered the ball and turned his man, and sped towards goals. Another defender came out and fouled him, but Colm had released the ball, towards goals, where Jamie Manger and Michael Cagney succeeded in scoring a goal. The referee disallowed that goal, and went back for the earlier foul on Colm. Mikey stepped up to the free and hit a rasping shot but it crept over the bar and the left us still a point behind.
The ball was pucked out and the game concluded. In Michael Gowen, Jack Kearney, Luke Carey and PJ Ahern, Kilara have outstanding players that will force their way onto their intermediate team very shortly. Killavullen will rue chances that they left behind them in the 1st period, when a lot of ball was played into the channels, with little return.
The team was
- Padraig Cronin
- Conor Griffin
- Ronan Barry
- Michael Looney
- Brian Cotter
- Fionn Magner
- Chris O Callaghan
- Michael Cagney (0-01)
- Mikey O Connor (0-05, 0-04F)
- Cian O Connor
- Liam Fox (0-02)
- Noah Butler
- Colm Looney
- Darragh O Grady (0-01)
- Mark Nagle (0-01)
Substitutes –
- Jamie Magner (0-04, 0-01F) for Cian O Connor
- Seamus O Mahony for Mark Nagle
- Kian Lane for Mikey Looney