Relieved Kilcormac-Killoughey fall into final as brave Lusmagh come up agonisingly short

CLODIAGH Gaels will certainly not be losing any sleepless nights after watching title favourites Kilcormac-Killoughey fall across the line in an extra time shootout with a tremendously brave Lusmagh in the Senior “B” Hurling Championship semi-final at Birr on Sunday.

Molloy Precast and Environmental Systems Senior “B” Hurling Championship semi-final

Kilcormac-Killoughey 0-29

Lusmagh 2-18

Lusmagh put it up to the holders for a long time, playing their best hurling of the year and they were agonisingly close to a famous win, though they went into the red in the second half and once extra time emerged, it was clear that they had shot their bolt.

While Kilcormac-Killoughey are still favourites to retain their title, it is very much in the marginal category and they are nowhere near as good as they were last year when they stamped their authority on this grade from start to finish.

With a few of their outstanding young hurlers gone to senior, this was always going to be the way this year and they are way more beatable. K-K did deserve to win here and had they managed to lose it, they would have had only themselves to blame.

A defeat would have been a calamity for them considering the way the game went but full marks to Lusmagh for the way they put it up to them and almost pulled it off. Lusmagh turned a big corner this year and their physicality and appetite for battle clearly unsettled a lighter K-K team for a good three quarters of the game, before an edge in fitness manifested itself.

Lusmagh showed great heart from the start and led by 0-4 to 0-2 after six minutes. Two soft goals put them in a great position at half time when they led by 2-7 to 0-10. The first came in the 11^th minute from a penalty when Paul Kinsella blasted to the net after he was fouled – Cathal Kilmartin had ran in to trouble when moving the ball out of defence just before that and lost it.

K-K recovered to lead by 0-9 to 1-5 but the second goal was a disaster for them in the 26^th minute – Rory Quinlan did very well to get a flick to a long ball but K-K keeper Shane Mulrooney thought he was guiding it out wide when it crept into the corner.

Lusmagh also started well in the second half and led by 2-10 to 0-11 after 36 minutes. That was a very big lead at that stage but it was also the high point of their afternoon and K-K's dominance became more pronounced as the half wore on. They went on a great run from the 39^th to 45^th minutes with five unanswered points to level it up, 0-16 to 2-10.

Lusmagh were crying out for a score and Paul Kinsella delivered a free. They led twice more but were now very reliant on Kinsella from frees and K-K's pressure had to tell. They eventually got in front with a lovely Peter Geraghty point in the 57^th minute. Darren Healy got a great 61^st minute equaliser to make it 2-14 to 0-20 at full time but K-K really should have won it at that stage.

Lochlann Kavanagh missed a very scoreable free and also had a wide from play. The free was his first one to take as Dylan Hand had been called ashore minutes later - the decision to take off their free taker at that stage was a strange one, though he had missed a couple close to that late free before regaining his composure.

Still, it was clear that K-K would have more legs in extra time, more options on the line and so it proved. They gained a foothold throughout the field and while they still displayed feet of clay, sufficient scores flowed over. They led by 0-25 to 2-16 at the end of the first period and after Kinsella got another free at the start of the second period, K-K were winning all the battles at this stage. Lochlann Kavanagh's free put them four ahead, 0-27 to 2-17 three minutes into the second period and while Lusmagh fought with every inch of their being, the goal they needed never looked like materialising and K-K were able to get home with a degree of comfort in the end.

MATCH ANALYSIS

MAN OF THE MATCH

Peter Geraghty (Kilcormac-Killoughey): Peter Geraghty had a fantastic game for K-K. He scored five points but brought way more to the table than that as he showed his vast experience. He almost always did the right thing, won frees, set up scores and also contributed well in extra time when many colleagues were tired. He was replaced just before the end of extra time but that was a clock running down exercise at that stage.

Karl Guinan had a powerful game in the heart of the K-K defence and Lochlann Kavanagh was a contender in their attack while there was so much to admire in the way Lusmagh played. Paul Kinsella's striking was a major factor in them being so close, though he also had his misses, and he was their most important player but they emptied the tank all over the field and played some great hurling.

THE SCORERS

Kilcormac-Killoughey: Dylan Hand 0-7 (7f), Locholann Kavanagh 0-6 (3f), Peter Geraghty 0-5, JK Kilmartin and Conor Quinn 0-3 each, Shane Guinan, Thomas Geraghty, James Gorman Dan Currams, Mark Mulrooney, 0-1 each.

Lusmagh: Paul Kinsella 1-12 (9f) (goal from a penalty and 7f), Rory Quinlan 1-0, Darren Healy 0-3, Graham Lynch, Aaron Kelly, Eibheann Kelly 0-1 each.

THE TEAMS

KILCORMAC-KILLOUGHEY: Shane Mulrooney; Shane Melia, Harry Sweeney,Charlie Bracken; Cathal Kilmartin, Karl Guinan, Alan Spain; Killian Leonard, Conor Quinn; Dylan Hand, JK Kilmartin, Peter Geraghty; James Gorman, Shane Guinan, Lochlann Kavanagh. Subs – Thomas Geraghty forLeonard (33m), Dan Currams for Shane Guinan (43m), Mark Mulrooney for Quinn (49m), James Geraghty for Spain (51m), Shane Guinan for Hand (57m). Conor Quinn for Gorman (FT), Killian Leonard for Peter Geraghty (81m).

LUSMAGH: Alan Kelly; Niall Duffy, Andy Flynn, Patrick Byrne;Shane Lanigan, Eimhin Kelly, Daire Temple; Eoin Quinlan, Graham Lynch; Aaron Kelly, Darren Healy, James Kelly; Eibheann Kelly, Rory Quinlan, Paul Kinsella. Subs – Luke Bowe for Lanigan (44m), Shane Healy for Quinlan (72m),

Referee – Matthew Farrell (Tullamore).

REFEREE WATCH

Matthew Farrell had a good game. He spotted most things and his decision to award Lusmagh a first half penalty was correct, even though he had second thoughts after blowing his whistle and went to the umpires for confirmation. Lusmagh did appear to win frees a small bit easier in the closing quarter of normal but these probably balanced out overall. The scoreboard had Lusmagh leading by 2-8 to 0-10 at half time but it was incorrect and was rightly changed at the break – the mistake was made after Lusmagh's second goal.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

The five points in a row that Kilcormac-Killoughey got in a great six minute spell to level it up just before the half way point in the second half gave them a momentum that they never really lost, even though Lusnagh brought it right down to the wire.

VENUE WATCH

The Birr pitch was in good shape and Birr were perfect hosts. The County Board need to re-examine their policy of only allowing a 10-15 minute gap between games in a double bill when extra time is a possibility. It is the second time in a couple of weeks extra time has emerged and even if the teams in the following game know it could be delayed, it is still not fair on them and it would be better to allow a longer gap.

WHAT'S NEXT

Kilcormac-Killoughey play Clodiagh Gaels in the final.

STATISTICS

Wides: Kilcormac-Killoughey – 16 (3 in first half, 9 in 2^nd half, 2 in 1^st period extra time, 2 in 2^nd period); Lusmagh - (9 in first half, 4 in 2^nd half, 1 in 1^st period extra time, 0 in 2^nd period).

Yellow cards: Kilcormac-Killoughey – 4 (Shane Melia, Alan Spain, Cathal Kilmartin, James Gorman); Lusmagh – 0.

Red cards: 0