MAC HITS HAT-TRICK
Captain Conor sets a fine example
CAPTAIN CONOR McDonald savoured his first club hat-trick since round two in 2021 as last year’s beaten finalists Naomh Éanna devoured Crossabeg-Ballymurn in Sunday’s concluding Pettitt’s Senior hurling championship Group A clash in McCauley Park, Bellefield.
Twenty-two hurling games had passed since McDonald hit Fethard for 3-3 a few years ago, and he might well have plunged another goal or two but for the sheer defiance of Crossabeg-Ballymurn ’keeper Noel Scallan, who thwarted a series of raids on his goal throughout this tie.
Crossabeg-Ballymurn had prevailed in the sides’ last meeting – by 2-15 to 0-15 on All-Ireland hurling Sunday in July 2022 – but the 2020 Intermediate champions just could never gain any purchase in this meeting, as they succumbed to their fifth straight defeat in qualifying.
Naomh Éanna are undefeated – two draws and three victories – and their second-place finish earns them a rest until the quarter-finals in early October, leaving the reigning Intermediate football champions to concentrate on activity in that code in the meantime.
Crossabeg-Ballymurn also have football demands, but they’ll be spending some time trying to get to the bottom of how they were so badly exposed here.
This was their worst defeat since returning to Senior hurling in 2021, exceeding the 13-point losses to Shelmaliers (round three in 2021) and Ferns St. Aidan’s (round one this year).
They have Cloughbawn in the preliminary quarter-final, with the loser into the relegation decider. Cloughbawn won their last meeting, round two in 2022 (1-19 to 1-11).
Crossabeg-Ballymurn were certainly down a few bodies here, including sharpshooter Mark Byrne, while Joe Kelly played through injury.
But there was genuine reason to believe they’d at least give Naomh Éanna a good challenge for a considerable stretch.
However, that never materialised. Naomh Éanna were ten points clear inside as many minutes (1-7 to nil), and it was 2-13 to 0-6 by half-time in a chilling experience for an outclassed Crossabeg-Ballymurn.
Pádraig Doyle had the ball in their net in the early moments, only to be blown for travelling. Nevertheless, points from Jack Cullen, Cathal Dunbar and J.J. Twamley had Gorey settling nicely before McDonald buried his first goal on six minutes – after creating havoc inside as a delivery from Aodhán Doyle dropped, with the sharpshooter forcing home (1-3 to nil).
Additions from Dunbar (two), Twamley and McDonald created the ten-point cushion, before Oisín Foley fielded a puck-out to the right wing to point Crossabeg-Ballymurn off the mark after ten minutes. And he quickly added a free earned by Niall Cullen.
But Naomh Éanna lorded matters, and Cathal Dunbar determinedly maintained possession on the left before crossing to Jack Cullen who fed McDonald to force a save, before Twamley flashed the rebound to the town-end net to consolidate Gorey’s position in the 20th minute (2-8 to 0-4).
Pádraig Doyle was denied by Noel Scallan, one of this championship’s finest stoppers, but Naomh Éanna were moving out of sight by half-time, 13 points to the good.
A blunder early in the second-half by a Crossabeg-Ballymurn player was seized upon as Aodhán Doyle produced a turnover which led to Jack Cullen forcing a ’65 that he put over to negate a score on the restart from opposition captain Bill Eviston.
Naomh Éanna then nailed a 3-14 to 0-7 lead when Pádraig Doyle’s delivery from the right corner was fielded at the far post by Conor McDonald, who rounded his marker before kicking home on 35 minutes.
And ‘Mac’ completed his hattrick four minutes later, with the dominant Charlie McGuckin’s handpass finding Jack Cullen, who charged in from the right to force a save before their captain capitalised (4-16 to 0-7).
Crossabeg-Ballymurn had the consolation of Noel Scallan hammering home a last-gasp penalty after Conor Devereux was impeded, but they have quite some introspection ahead of them after flat-lining here.
Naomh Éanna: Jack Cushe; Tom Stafford, Eoin Molloy, Cian Ó Tuama (0-1); Charlie McGuckin, Cian Molloy, Gary Molloy (0-1); Seán Doyle, Aodhán Doyle (0-1); J.J. Twamley (1-3), Cathal Dunbar (0-4), Jack Cullen (0-8, 4 frees, 2 ’65s); Pádraig Doyle (0-2), Conor McDonald (capt., 3-3), Jack Doran. Subs. – Rian Fitzpatrick for C. Molloy, inj. (HT), Cian Browne for P. Doyle (41), Darragh Hughes for Doran (44).
Crossabeg-Ballymurn: Noel Scallan (1-0 pen.); Matthew Bishop, David Kehoe, Robert Murphy; Bill Eviston (capt., 0-1), Pádraig Foley, Conor Devereux; Joe Kelly, Aaron Cummins; Ronan Devereux, Niall Cullen, Paddy Devereux (0-1); David McCarthy, Oisín Foley (0-10, 9 frees), William Murphy. Sub. – Michael Cullen for W. Murphy (HT).
Referee: John Carton (Monageer-Boolavogue).