Doonbeg into county final

Doonbeg 1-6 Kilmurry-Ibrickane 0-8

The Magpies are back. The roar from their supporters in the huge Cooraclare crowd, underlined the depth of what it meant to Doonbeg. The wild reaction on the sideline to Enda Doyle’s winning point further indicated how desperate they were to win this one.
Come the county final, Doonbeg will be represented for the first time since 2001. Last Saturday evening the 2010 Doonbeg senior football team showed that they had the mettle needed to overcome the Munster and two-in-row Clare champions. Doonbeg’s resolve had been under scrutiny following successive one point county semi-final defeats.
What makes this result even better from their viewpoint is that it looked as if they had folded the tent yet again. 0-5 to 0-2 up a minute into the second half, Doonbeg didn’t score again for 17 minutes, while Kilmurry reeled off six unanswered points.
Doonbeg were wilting and it seemed that another semi-final defeat was inevitable as Kilmurry led 0-8 to 0-5, 14 minutes from time.
Kilmurry had taken over in the midfield area, winning almost every break. The move that brought Doonbeg alive was David Turbidy’s switch from the full-forward line to the half-forward/midfield area. Albeit not going well from frees or ‘45’s, Tubridy won critical ball for Doonbeg and also managed to bury the games only goal.
Twelve minutes from full time, Colm Dillon floated a ball across the Kilmurry square, which Kevin Nugent first fielded and then off loaded superbly to Tubridy, who fired Doonbeg level.
Now level at 1-5 to 0-8, the remaining 12 minutes produced just a single score from a rather unlikely source. Inhibited by what looked like a lower back injury, Enda Doyle somehow managed to curl over a sensational injury time winner from about 40 yards. Conor Whelan started the move with a free to Frank O’Dea, who made ground, broke a couple of tackles and laid the ball off to Doyle, whose match winning point curled inside the car park post in Cooraclare at the last millisecond.
“The day Enda Doyle dies, I hope I’m around for the autopsy because I’d say his chest is just one big heart. He just doesn’t seem to know when to die,” Doonbeg manager Kieran O’Mahony said after the game.
Half a minute later Stephen Moloney kicked Kilmurry’s twelfth wide from play and that was that.
Michael Rock blew the final whistle and Doonbeg went berserk. You couldn’t blame them given their recent record of nearly but not quite making it to the slow march behind the band.
Kilmurry were not happy with some of Michael Rock’s calls and felt that Mark McCarthy and Stephen Moloney should have been awarded frees, when the game was still level approaching full time.
Doonbeg could have made it easier on themselves though if Shane Ryan had hit the net, six minutes from full time, after Dillon and Nugent had combined to create an identical chance to that scored by David Tubridy.
The first half was peppered by wides, with Kilmurry kicking six and dropping five balls short into Nigel Dillon. Noel Downes was responsible for three of these efforts, while he also missed a great goal chance four minutes before half time. Peter O’Dwyer, who scored Kilmurry’s first point, delivered a high ball, Downes picked up the break by fired high to the right and wide.
He was subsequently taken off before the interval, which perhaps was a slightly hasty decision. Maybe he could have been left on for the first five minutes of the second half as Kilmurry had the wind after half time. If he couldn’t locate the target by then, whip him off.
Brian Egan kicked both of Doonbeg’s opening points, while Shane Killeen hit the target with their third after linking up with Colm Dillon and Ryan. David Tubridy kicked their final first half point from a free, near the sideline, three minutes into injury time. Shane Hickey landed Kilmurry’s only other point of the first half, a minute into injury time, leaving Doonbeg 0-4 to 0-2 up.
Shane Ryan pointed Doonbeg 0-6 to 0-2 ahead after David Tubridy had made a good run and found his colleague. After that though Kilmurry took over and dominated for 15 minutes as Doonbeg faltered.
Kilmurry won virtually every break around the middle as Enda Coughlan from 47-yards, Evan Talty, Michael O’Dwyer, Stephen Moloney, Mark McCarthy and Peter O’Dwyer shot the now deposed champions into a 0-8 to 0-5 lead. If they had gone four ahead, Doonbeg could have caved in.
Only a goal could rescue them and it was Tubridy, thanks to Nugent’s excellent fielding, who stepped up.
To win their first championship in nine years, Doonbeg will have to work on retaining more of their own kick outs. At one stage in the second half they lost six from nine.
Kilmurry, who lost Michael O’Dwyer to a second yellow card near the end, may feel that a couple of 50/50 decisions went against them but they did shoot a dozen wides, drop five balls into Nigel Dillon and miss great goal chance.
Enda Coughlan, who was allowed a lot of room by Shane Killeen, Peter O’Dwyer and Ian McInerney played well for Kilmurry who mightn’t have played to their optimum but they fought until the last second to hang on to their county and provincial titles.
It would be interesting to hear what Seán Dempsey made of his first Doonbeg v Kilmurry encounter and if he will be back with Kilmurry next year.
Colm Dillon’s work rate stood out for Doonbeg, while Kevin Nugent also produced his hardest working display of the 2010 championship. David Downes picked up plenty of possession at centre back, while Enda Doyle, Frank O’Dea, David Tubridy, when Doonbeg needed a leader and Shane Ryan gave everything for the winners.
The Cooraclare club again dealt admirably with the large crowd, the pitch was in excellent condition and there was no shortage of stewards in the after match car park.

Doonbeg: Nigel Dillon; Richie Vaughan, Padraig Gallagher, Conor Whelan; Joe Blake, David Downes, Paraic Aherne; Colm Dillon, Enda Doyle; Brian Egan, Shane Killeen, Frank O’Dea; Kevin Nugent, Shane Ryan, David Tubridy.
Subs: Jamie Whelan for Kevin Nugent (58).
Scorers: David Tubridy (1-1, 0-1f), Brian Egan (0-2), Shane Killeen, Shane Ryan, Enda Doyle (0-1 each).
Wides: 8; frees: 23; 45s: 2
Yellow cards: Kevin Nugent, Shane Killeen, Nigel Dillon.
“Sometimes you need the breaks and maybe this time we just got the break. I don’t think we were ever going to die. We spent two years working on trying not to die. I think the lads knew this time, particularly after the Miltown game in the Cusack Cup semi-final, that whatever was going to happen, we were going to the end.” Doonbeg manager, Kieran O’Mahony.

Kilmurry Ibrickane: Peter O’Dwyer; Darren Hickey, Mark Killeen, Martin McMahon; Shane Hickey, Enda Coughlan, Declan Callinan; Paul O’Connor, Peter O’Dwyer; Mark McCarthy, Michael O’Dwyer, Evan Talty; Noel Downes, Ian McInerney, Stephen Moloney.
Subs: Johnny Daly for Noel Downes (29), Michael Hogan for Evan Talty (42), Brendan Moloney for Declan Callinan (52 – inj), Odran O’Dwyer for Ian McInerney (58).
Scorers: Peter O’Dwyer (0-2), Shane Hickey, Enda Coughlan, Evan Talty, Michael O’Dwyer, Stephen Moloney, Mark McCarthy (0-1 each).
Wides: 12; frees: 14
Yellow card: Michael O’Dwyer.
Red card: Michael O’Dwyer.
“I think Doonbeg were hungrier. They came back very well and they deserved their victory. It was a very, very exciting match all the way through. I thought our defence did well in the first half and the forwards in the second, although we missed a couple of chances.” Martin Keavey, Kilmurry Ibrickane manager.

Referee: Michael Rock (Ennistymon).