Honesty and work rate does the job

COMMENT

SEEMINGLY innocuous moments can sometimes prove the most revealing. When Conor McGrath pointed Cratloe’s third score, 17 minutes into the first half, it pulled his side to within two points (1-2 to 0-3) of Newmarket.

The now 23-time county champions hadn’t scored for ten minutes, when David Barrett had fired over his first point in the eighth minute. Shane O’Brien’s 50th minute second goal was a huge tonic for Newmarket and for the following eight minutes, they hurled manfully. Bit-by-bit, however, Newmarket dropped the tempo and while Cratloe weren’t zipping anywhere close to their optimum level, they were at least gaining a toehold.

 

If they had pushed even a score closer after that aforementioned McGrath pointed free, who knows what could have happened.  What did happen proved pivotal. David Barrett pointed from Darren Duggan’s puck-out and that score settled the Blues. Three minutes later, O’Brien hit his second goal, while Colin Ryan tagged on two critical frees, conceded by Liam Markham and David Ryan. Suddenly Newmarket had gone from a scoreless 10-minute spell into a 2-5 to 0-3 lead, four minutes before half-time.

Come the interval, Cratloe had reduced that deficit to six-points before another decisive spell turned the game irrevocably towards Newmarket. Cratloe emerged from the half-time dressing room about four minutes before The Blues.

Clearly Newmarket had decided county final day 2012 would be played out on as near to their terms as they could manage. Putting it simply, they knew if they could tag on another score or two early in the second half, they would have a hand and a half grasping Canon Hamilton.

Referee Ambrose Heagney had to almost enter the Newmarket dressing room to encourage them back out, his repeated whistling deafening the packed stand. When they did re-enter the playing field, they were much sharper and more focused than Cratloe. Clearly the Blues hadn’t been talking about how the Irish economy was going at half-time. What they did talk about clearly registered because within half a minute, Colin Ryan pointed a 55-yard free after Conor Ryan had over-carried.

The Newmarket free taker concocted a point from play minutes later, when he played a quick one-two from a line ball with Martin O’Hanlon and fired his side into a 2-8 to 0-6 lead. Such was Newmarket’s dominance at this stage, Cratloe were held scoreless until the 17th minute when Seán Collins pointed from play.

While understandably most of the focus is on Newmarket’s return to the helm of Clare hurling, what cannot be ignored is that Cratloe were not anywhere close to being as committed or driven as their opponents. That’s what will disappoint them more than losing. They never made a real battle of it. Cratloe didn’t improve on their semi-final display against Inagh-Kilnamona who, if they had the stomach to pay their admittance fee on Sunday, must have done so with huge regrets. That semi-final was theirs for the taking if they had really believed in themselves.

Newmarket devoured the majority of breaks in the middle third, while their ploy of firing in high ball from distance into their full-forward line was met with very little Cratloe resistance. Their full-back line won less than a handful of clean possessions. Perhaps Cratloe subconsciously bought into the theory that they were tired.

After all, between club hurling and football, county U-21 and senior hurling, on top of Fitzgibbon Cup hurling, at least half of their team must be burned out at this stage. Still they won’t use that as an excuse for meekly accepting their fate. Tactically perhaps Cratloe could have been a bit more imaginative and maybe moved Conor McGrath or Cathal McInerney to the half forward line for a period and possibly dropped a spare defender in front of their struggling full back line. Of course Barry Duggan was a monumental loss to Cratloe, who had to make changes from midfield back to offset his absence.

Darren Duggan’s save from Seán Collins, six minutes from full time, crowned an admirable team performance. While Shane O’Brien’s goals and Colin Ryan’s 1-8 were match winning totals, players like Eoin O’Brien, Enda and David Barrett produced performances of industry, discipline and calm intelligence.

The torrent of Newmarket people pounding onto the pitch at about 4.20pm illustrated what this meant to their community. Several wintry showers had deposited on Cusack Park throughout the afternoon and the deluge was added to by the torrent of tears shed by the men, women and children of Newmarket. Enda Barrett’s acceptance speech capped it all. The first Newmarket man to get his hands on Canon Hamilton since 1981 delivered his words with humour, intelligence and humility. The Blues are back but Barrett didn’t forget those who have worn the jersey over the last three decades and who kept they flag flying.

Perhaps even the diehards in Clarecastle and Sixmilebridge won’t begrudge Newmarket this one. That magnanimity might not last though if Newmarket retain their title next year.