Missed chances pave the road to replay

Crusheen 0-14   Na Piarsaigh 1-11

As Crusheen and Na Piarsaigh review their performances last weekend in Semple Stadium in Thurles, they will look back on a game where each team had opportunities to win the Munster Senior Club Championship title.
That said, they both likely concede that a draw was a fair result to a game in which the sides were on level pegging six times. Each team enjoyed periods of dominance and, in terms of possession, the Limerick champions enjoyed the lions share in the final quarter but it would have been very harsh on either side had they lost out.
They will return to the famed Tipperary venue on this Sunday for the replay (throw-in at 2pm) when officials will be hoping to see an increase on the disappointing number of 2,893 that attended the drawn game.
The Clare champions missed a couple of great chances to take the lead with Pat Vaughan failing to find the target from two frees. In the early stages the Crusheen full-back line was stretched on a couple of occasions and the opening scores of this final came from the Na Piarsaigh corner-forwards, Adrian Breen and Shane Dowling.
Crusheen got on top after this and by the end of the first quarter, they had edged into a one-point lead, 0-4 to 0-3 with scores coming from Cathal Dillon, David Forde, Jamie Fitzgibbon and Pat Vaughan from ’65.
The game’s only goal came two minutes into the second quarter when Shane Dowling blasted a penalty to the net. Kevin Downes won possession from a delivery from his centre-back James O’Brien and he was judged to have been fouled.
Two Paddy Meaney points had the sides level by the 20th minute as the Clare champions regained the upperhand that they held until the half-time whistle. The second of Meaney’s points came following a great cross from team captain Gerry O’Grady and for a moment a goal looked likely but the corner-forward needed a second attempt to control the ball.
Fergus Kennedy, Ciarán O’Doherty from a 65m free and Pat Vaughan from a close in free added points before the break to leave Crusheen ahead on a 0-9 to 1-3 scoreline.
A lead of five or six points would not have flattered Crusheen at this stage of the game such were the chances they had created in that opening half when the switch of Fergus Kennedy to midfield had helped improve matters in that area. Kennedy continued at midfield on the resumption with Joe Meaney at corner-forward while Na Piarsaigh brought in David Lynch and made a number of positional switches, one of which saw Shane Dowling move to full-forward. The Limerick teenager had the opening score of the half when he pointed a 55m free but like scores from Gerry O’Grady, after a Paddy Meaney shot rebounded off the upright and Fergus Kennedy had Crusheen four clear five minutes into the new half.
With James O’Brien becoming increasingly dominant at centre back for the Limerick champions, Na Piarsaigh hit back and three pointed frees by Dowling left the minimum between the sides entering the final quarter.
With ten minutes to go they teams were level and the momentum was now with Na Piarsaigh, who were winning a lot of possession in the half back and midfield areas. An excellent point from play by midfielder Pat Vaughan put Crusheen back in front but substitute John Madden quickly cancelled that score with a good point.
Donal Tuohy saved well from David Breen seven minutes from time as Crusheen brought in Conor O’Donnell for David Forde. A minute later, Tuohy saved from Dowling but when Breen pointed Na Piarsaigh into the lead three minutes from the end, it looked as if they would snatch the spoils.
Crusheen hit back from the puck out and Pat Vaughan levelled the game for the sixth and final time when he converted a 20m free.
The Crusheen defence worked hard throughout and generally held the upperhand on their opponents, conceding just 0-4 from play over the hour. Up front, however, the Clare champions struggled for much of the game despite the fact that five of their forwards got on the scoresheet. Team captain, Gerry O’Grady created some great scoring chances while Paddy Meaney caused problems for the Limerick side’s defence throughout. It was a little surprising that Crusheen waited until near the end to make their only substitution.
James O’Brien was outstanding at centre back for Na Piarsaigh on a day when Cathal King, both in defence and when he moved to midfield, Alan Dempsey and Shane Dowling got through a lot of work.

Crusheen: Donal Tuohy; John Brigdale, Cronan Dillon, Alan Brigdale; Ciarán O’Doherty, Cian Dillon, Cathal Dillon; Pat Vaughan, Joseph Meaney; Gearoid O’Donnell, Jamie Fitzgibbon, David Forde; Patrick Meaney, Gerry O’Grady, Fergus Kennedy.
Sub: Conor O’Donnell for Forde (54 minutes)
Scorers: Pat Vaughan (0-5, 3f, 1 ’65); Paddy Meaney, Fergus Kennedy (0-2 each); Ciarán O’Doherty (free); Cathal Dillon, Jamie Fitzgibbon, David Forde, Gerry O’Grady (0-1 each).
Frees for: 15; wides: 10; ’65’s: 1.
Bookings: Alan Brigdale (39 minutes).

Na Piarsaigh: Padraic Kennedy; Cathal King, Kieran Breen, Kieran Bermingham; Brian Hartnett, James O’Brien, Alan Dempsey; Kieran Kennedy, Pat Gleeson; Kevin Ryan, David Breen, Shane O’Neill; Shane Dowling, Kevin Downes, Adrian Breen.
Subs: David Lynch for A Breen (half-time); Aidan Hennessy for Bermingham (44 minutes); John Madden for Gleeson (49 minutes); Damian Quigley for O’Neill (59 minutes).
Scorers: Shane Dowling (1-7, 1-6f); Adrian Breen, Cathal King, David Breen, John Madden (0-1 each).
Frees for: 10; wides: 7.
Bookings: Kevin Ryan (2 minutes).

Referee: Johnnie Ryan, Tipperary