St Rynagh's powerful kick sends Cahill dependant Birr out of championship

ST Rynagh's produced a powerful kick to send a bitterly disappointed Birr packing in the first of the two Senior Hurling Championship quarter-finals at O'Connor Park on Saturday afternoon.

Molloy Precast and Environmental Systems Senior Hurling Championship quarter-final

St Rynagh's 0-20

Birr 0-17

The Banagher based club deservedly qualified for a semi-final against either Kilcormac-Killoughey or Ballinamere after a teak tough, no holds barred dogfight of a game.

St Rynagh's had not been going well in the group stages, just about doing enough to qualify. We knew there would be a bite in them here but the big question was would it be enough to down a Birr side who had been in slightly better form. It was as St Rynagh's produced a superb defensive display and coupled with a five star show from a flying Luke O'Connor in their attack, they were just able to get over the line.

Birr were not far away and it would not have taken a whole lot more for them to have won it but they have no complaints at their defeat. They were not quite good enough on the day, they were just short of the potency they needed in all sectors and an over reliance on Eoghan Cahill for scores once again manifested itself.

Birr had other forwards who scored. Ailbe Watkins got two and Emmet Nolan, Ian Kerin and sub Lochlann Quinn got one apiece but Cahill hit ten of their seventeen points, nine of them from placed balls. He missed just one, in the first half, and struck some wonderful frees over from his own half but Birr had been just too dependant on him to keep them afloat all year.

That was always likely to blow up in their faces in knockout hurling and this was the day it happened. When the game really entered the business end of affairs in the last ten minutes, Birr were looking to Cahill for scores, hoping for St Rynagh's to foul. Cahill got their last three points, two from frees but the Rynagh's defence displayed great discipline – six of their eight second half points came from him and that was a problem for Birr. St Rynagh's worked hard at not coughing up soft frees and it was a really impressive defensive display by them with Simon Og Lyons brilliant the whole way through and Ben Conneely inspirational in the second half.

St Rynagh's needed Luke O'Connor to fire on all cylinders but their attack looked a little bit more menacing as a unit whereas Birr were not quite clinical enough up front, the sharpness they needed in close to goals wasn't there often enough.

It was a dour, uncompromising shootout and did little to set the pulse racing but still made for compelling viewing. Birr were in a bit of bother when they went in level at 0-9 each at half time after playing with the wind. They led by 0-3 to 0-2 after six minutes, trailed by 0-5 to 0-3 after thirteen minutes, led by 0-8 to 0-6 after 20 and needed a 29^th minute Eoghan Cahill free to send them in on level terms at half time.

There was an obvious opportunity for St Rynagh's to advance but the game still had to be won and everyone in O'Connor Park knew that this would go down to the wire, that Birr were far from being out of it.

The sides were level twice more in the opening ten minutes of the second half but points from Stephen Quirke and Aaron Molloy put Rynagh's two ahead by the 42^nd minute. In a tight game of this nature, two points was a very significant lead and Birr were chasing their tail from here on. They got the gap down to one point on four more occasions in the second half but each time, St Rynagh's got the next score and that was a huge factor in their win. A super Luke O'Connor point had put St Rynagh's 0-18 to 0-15 ahead with seven minutes left and Birr did very well to claw their way back into it.

Two Cahill points, one from play, got the deficit back to the minimum with three minutes left on the clock. Almost seven minutes of injury time ended up being played but Birr didn't score again and Rynagh's found another gear with the winning post in sight. O'Connor got the last two points, one of them a sensational strike from play, to open a three point gap with three of the announced five minutes of injury time played – there was a stoppage for over a minute in that and referee Adam Kinahan was right to let play go on.

Birr needed a goal but neither side really looked like getting one on the day and they never looked like opening up the Rynagh's defence. Instead, they were left hoping for a last gasp one at the death when awarded a free in midfield. Barry Harding dropped it in but it didn't land quite close enough to the goals and Rynagh's were able to clear for a huge win for them.

MATCH ANALYSIS

MAN OF THE MATCH

Luke O'Connor and Simon Og Lyons (St Rynagh's): In normal circumstances, Luke O'Connor would be an automatic choice. He was brilliant in their attack, a bundle of energy and pace all afternoon, the star man in their attack and the single biggest reason they advanced. He scored five of his eleven points from play and St Rynagh's could not have won this without him.

O'Connor's excellence would have been in vain, however, without the brilliance of their defence. It was a real defensive tour-de-force by them and Simon Og Lyons encapsulated this. The amount of covering and blocking he did was phenomenal, he mopped up a lot of ball, didn't try and do anything spectacular and nearly always found his man with simple passes.

While O'Connor was the standout figure in this game, we are going to go against our normal principles and go with a joint man of the match as the St Rynagh's defensive display has to be acknowledged and Lyons was so effective.

There were other St Rynagh's players who excelled. Ben Conneely really stood up to be counted in the second half and St Rynagh's 12^th and 13^th points both came after he superbly won the ball in defence and sent in a radar like ball to a forward. Dermot Shortt was another who showed great leadership in their defence, using his vast experience to great effect while Joey O'Connor got through a huge volume of work in midfield and Stephen Quirke really came to his milk in the attack in the second half, getting two crucial points.

Birr corner back, Pauric Watkins was their main contender. He was almost as effective as Simon Og Lyons in their defence, cutting out a lot of ball and doing his defensive duty very well. Barry Harding and Ben Miller did a lot of good hurling in defence and Eoghan Cahill's shooting was almost flawless but Birr were just a little bit off as a unit and that is why they lost.

THE SCORERS

St Rynagh's: Luke O'Connor 0-11 (6f), Aidan Treacy 0-4 (3f and 1 '65'), Stephen Quirke 0-2, Darragh Scully, Aaron Molloy and Conor Hernon 0-1 each.

Birr: Eoghan Cahill 0-10 (8f and 1 '65'), Ailbe Watkins 0-2, Barry Harding, Colm Multooney, Ian Kerin, Emmet Nolan and Lochlann Quinn 0-1 each.

THE TEAMS

BIRR: Sean Thompson; Cian Nolan, Eoin Hayes, Padraic Watkins; Ben Miller, Brendan Murphy, Barry Harding; Joe Ryan, Colm Mulrooney; Eoghan Cahill, Luke Nolan, Emmet Nolan; Ailbe Watkins, Morgan Watkins, Ian Kerin. Subs – Lochlann Quinn for Luke Nolan (38m), Sean Ryan for Kerin (51m), Jimmy Irwin for Cian Nolan (52m), Niall Lyons for Ailbe Watkins (60m),

ST RYNAGH'S: Conor Clancy; Keelan Rigney, Dermot Shortt, Simon Og Lyons; Matthew Maloney, Ben Conneely, Conor Hernon; Joey O'Connor; Eoin Woods, Shane Rigney, Stephen Quirke, Aidan Treacy; Gary Conneely, Luke O'Connor, Aaron Molloy. Subs – Darragh Scully for Shane Rigney (45m), Shane Rigney for Woods (57m), Sean Dolan for Molloy (64m),

Referee – Adam Kinahan (Clodiagh Gaels).

REFEREE WATCH

Adam Kinahan's understanding for hurling was obvious in the way he refereed this. He allowed it to run but blew when he had to, was good at spotting holding or those type of deliberate fouls and got the vast majority right. Neither side could have an issue with him.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

Aaron Molloy's 42^nd minute point stuck in the memory for a number of reasons. The defensive work by Ben Conneely in winning the ball and lofting it into space for Molloy commanded complete respect. The score itself was spectacular, a delicious strike from well out on the left wing, under the stand. The fact that it came from a player who had been finding the going tough was also significant. Molloy, who has brightened up the championship with some great skill and pace, got little change out of Pauric Watkins and the ball didn't run for him but he still had the confidence to take on that shot when the opening presented. It also gave St Rynagh's a two point lead, 0-13 to 0-11 at a crucial stage and they led from here to the finish.

VENUE WATCH

The County Board managed the fixture well and the pitch was at its best.

WHAT'S NEXT

St Rynagh's play Kilcormac-Killoughey or Ballinamere in the semi-final.

STATISTICS

Wides: Birr – 7 (5 in first half); St Rynagh's – 7 (2 in first half).

Yellow cards: St Rynagh's – 1 (Joey O'Connor); Birr – 1 (Joe Ryan).

Red cards: 0