St Jarlath's an hour away from Hogan Cup glory

By JIM CARNEY St Jarlath's, Tuam .................................1-14 Col. Chríost Rí, Cork ..............................0-14 THE old virtues of Colleges Gaelic football, such as total commitment to skill, purity of sporting expression and the exclusion of cynicism and negative tactics, magnificently came to the fore in this absorbing encounter between two fine teams contesting the All-Ireland Senior (A) Championship semi-final at Cloughaun on the south/east of Limerick city last Saturday.[private] Victory deservedly went to the Connacht champions St Jarlath's, for although their Cork opponents had several chances to make it level pegging, at the very least, in the second half, including a last-gasp effort for a match-saving goal, they were second-best in general play from start to finish. Indeed, it appeared that most of the losers' missed chances, especially in the second-half, came not from their own carelessness or ineptitude, but from intense pressure exerted by the Tuam college, in all sectors of the field. Ultimately, while the St Jarlath's performance had the stamp of class written all over it, they eventually won the match by sheer hard work, huge concentration and application, and massive teamwork. In the latter sense, in particular, the very impressive winners proved themselves physically and mentally tough enough for the huge effort it took to established superiority in the opening five/ten minutes, and to maintain it all the way to the final whistle. It was a very enjoyable game to watch, highly entertaining and played at a fast pace all the way. Both sides were superbly fit, but St Jarlath's were sharper, more methodical and, significantly, the more disciplined of the two teams. I feel bad about criticising the gallant losers, as they too put in an honest effort, but they were prone to fouling, in the first half in particular, and a sharp referee from Kerry spotted everything. St Jarlath's, on the other hand, were exceptionally disciplined going into the tackle, and coming out of it. Their focus on the ball was fantastic. A week ago, Alan Kerins of the Clarinbridge hurling team, gave several interviews in which he said the newly crowned All-Ireland Club champions built their performance in the final at Croke Park around one simple philosophy: 'The next ball; win the next ball. No matter what happens, for us or against us, win the next ball.' I could see that in the play of the St Jarlath's lads all through last Saturday's game â€â€ in every area of the field they confidently had their eyes on the ball and clearly were thinking only of how to get it and what to do with it. It was all clinical and hugely convincing, and it was a joy to watch.' Early on, St Jarlath's put over a string of spectacular points, and they were always in front. Coláiste Chríost Rí were playing catch-up from the first whistle to the last, but they had one glorious spell in the middle of the first half, during which they showed their class and they too shot some great points. But coming up to half-time, St Jarlath's got in for a cracking goal on the run by left half-forward Conor McNamara, and an interval lead of 1-8 to 0-5 was healthy. On such a big occasion, after playing into a lively wind in the first half, a six-point lead was a major advantage, and in all aspects of the game it was looking good for the Tuam school and their enthusiastic followers. Chríost Rí had one great chance of a goal late in the first half but a forward well placed to receive a good pass nervously turned out and passed the ball to a colleague out on the 20-metre line. The St Jarlath's defence clamped down on the recipient of the pass and the chance was lost for Cork. All through indeed, St Jarlath's defended brilliantly, with exemplary support play; they were a very well prepared team, and I also thought they were much sharper mentally than their opponents. There's no way of knowing, but it's possible that having come through a tough Munster Championship and won an exciting provincial final, Coláiste Chríost Rí may simply have been over-confident. The second half was all about hard work. Both sides put in huge physical effort. St Jarlath's manager Joe Burke and his fellow-mentors Clive Monahan, Liam Quinn, Tommy Newell and Cathal Furey showed confidence in their bench, which helped to keep the team on their toes, and even though the Cork lads attacked in waves in the closing stages the gallant Tuam defence continued to work hard. Twice the opposition created goal chances; first, a back's interception saved the day, and then a Cork close-range ground shot hit off both posts and simply wouldn't go over the line! Unlucky perhaps, but there was no time when St Jarlath's were not on top. And yet, astonishingly, a mystery remains. How did St Jarlath's win this game, and win it so impressively, giving a brilliant exhibition, while conceding the aerial exchanges from the kick-out at either end of the field? In midfield, Chríost Rí monopolised clean catching; there were times when Cork jumpers went up without opposition for the dropping ball in the middle of the pitch, although it should also be recorded that the Cork lads didn't always get the ball away cleanly to their forwards. Tuam were in big trouble there, no doubt about that, but all around the field they compensated by working harder and, in particular, the half-back line and half-forward lines, blessed with pace, pounced on every loose ball and made good use of it, every time. That will be even more vital on the huge pitch that is Croke Park, in the All-Ireland final. The scenes at the final whistle in Cloughaun were uplifting for the winning team, their mentors, everybody associated with the school, and for the parents and club supporters of the players. But the job is not finished; there's no Hogan Cup or medals, or a place in the Roll of Honour, for winning an All-Ireland semi-final. There's one more hour's work to be done, at Croke Park on Saturday week, April 9th, against the defending champions St Colman's, Newry who defeated Dundalk Colleges in the second of last Saturday's semi-finals, by 3-14 to 1-9. Newry will be strong favourites to make it back-to-back All-Ireland titles, but that won't mean anything on the day. There's only one certainty about any final â€â€ if you're in it, you can win it. St Jarlath's: J Healy; C Mulryan, C Cunningham, D Collins; P Glynn, A Nolan (0-1), P Varley; G Armstrong (0-1), L Silke (0-1); S Walsh (0-6, 0-3 frees), A Varley (0-1), C McNamara (1-0); S Silke, I Burke, captain (0-3), M McWalters (0-1). Subs., C Langan for McNamara (54 mins); M Farragher for Glynn (57 mins); C Treacy for Mulryan (60 mins). Coláiste Chríost Rí: J Kerins; I Lynch, K Fulignati, M Lyons; E Dunne, T Lawrence, S Cronin; S O'Keefe, E Finn (0-1); A Nolan, E McGreevy (0-2), P Fitzgerald (0-1); J Philpott (0-3, two frees), L Connolly (0-5, three frees), C Dalton (0-2). Subs., C Madden for Finn (54 mins). Referee: Pádraig O'Sullivan (Kerry). Herald Sport Man of the Match: Shared by Shane Walsh and Ian Burke (St Jarlath's). All-Ireland V.S. Senior semi-final: Clonakilty C.C. 5-19 Athenry V.S. 1-5. All-Ireland Colleges Senior B Football semi-final: Roscommon CBS 4-16 Abbey CBS 0-2. All-Ireland Colleges Senior B Hurling final: St Patrick's, Maghera 0-14 St Raphael's, Loughrea 0-11.[/private]