SARSFIELDS ARE THROUGH to the AIB All-Ireland club SHC final, not a sentence you might have expected to read a couple of months ago.
The Cork side were well beaten in the county final by Imokilly in October but have bounced back remarkably since and are now the first Rebel team in 18 years to reach the national final.
Feakle and Ballygunner fell in Munster whilst Ulster champions Slaughtneil were edged out here, Cathal McCarthy’s late wonder point for Sarsfields ultimately separating the sides.
It wasn’t a classic — far from it — but Sarsfields won’t care given everything they have been through in the last year or so.
It’s only 14 months ago that their club grounds were left submerged following the Storm Babet floods but they are riding the crest of a different sort of wave now.
Trailing by three points following a difficult third quarter, Johnny Crowley’s side dominated the last 15 minutes or so with a powerful performance.
Aaron Myers came strongly into the game, scoring five points in all, while county man Jack O’Connor’s four points from play overall were crucial too.
Sarsfields will return to action on Sunday, 19 January at Croke Park against the winners of today’s second All-Ireland semi-final between Na Fianna and Loughrea.
But it’s desolation for Slaughtneil who have now lost five All-Ireland semi-finals in the last decade.
With big hitters like Ballygunner and Ballyhale Shamrocks out of the picture, both sides could hear opportunity knocking approaching Newbridge.
But it was more a tense arm wrestle than a free-flowing encounter despite the favourable conditions and new sod at the redeveloped Kildare venue.
Sarsfields hit the interval with a narrow 0-8 to 0-7 lead but only six of those combined 15 points came from open play.
Cormac O’Doherty slotted five from placed balls for Slaughtneil but was off target with three more while Daniel Hogan nailed four first-half points from frees but fired two wide.
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Hogan’s second wide came just before the half-time break when he struck the post from a relatively easy position, prompting the management to put Myers on the frees after the break.
Bryan Murphy did snipe a cracking point for Sarsfields from the right wing in a period when they scored five in a row between the 17th and 24th minutes.
Shane McGuigan’s score for Slaughtneil just before half-time was the Derry men’s best of the half but there was more perspiration than inspiration overall.
Sarsfields were living dangerously at the back and three of their defenders were on yellow cards by early in the second-half.
It was that sort of game with referee James Owens also showing Slaughtneil and Derry football star Brendan Rogers yellow for a tussle with his marker at one stage.
Slaughtneil dug deepest in the third quarter and reeled off four points in a row at one stage to lead by 0-12 to 0-9.
Meehaul McGrath hit the fourth of those scores, a fine effort from distance, and with 16 minutes to go Slaughtneil were in pole position. A famous win beckoned.
But they couldn’t hold on and supporters who had made the marathon journey from south Derry winced as Sarsfield finished strongly.
From the 44th minute onwards, they outscored Slaughtneil by 0-9 to 0-5 and grabbed back control of the game with five unanswered points.
McCarthy’s second point of the game left Sars 0-18 to 0-16 clear three minutes into stoppage time but Slaughtneil still almost rescued a famous win.
They forged a terrific goal opportunity when O’Doherty passed across to Mark McGuigan but his shot went over the bar instead of under.
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Sarsfields reach first ever All-Ireland final with dramatic victory over Slaughtneil
Sarsfields (Cork) 0-18
Slaughtneil (Derry) 0-17
Paul Keane reports from St Conleth’s Park
SARSFIELDS ARE THROUGH to the AIB All-Ireland club SHC final, not a sentence you might have expected to read a couple of months ago.
The Cork side were well beaten in the county final by Imokilly in October but have bounced back remarkably since and are now the first Rebel team in 18 years to reach the national final.
Feakle and Ballygunner fell in Munster whilst Ulster champions Slaughtneil were edged out here, Cathal McCarthy’s late wonder point for Sarsfields ultimately separating the sides.
It wasn’t a classic — far from it — but Sarsfields won’t care given everything they have been through in the last year or so.
It’s only 14 months ago that their club grounds were left submerged following the Storm Babet floods but they are riding the crest of a different sort of wave now.
Trailing by three points following a difficult third quarter, Johnny Crowley’s side dominated the last 15 minutes or so with a powerful performance.
Aaron Myers came strongly into the game, scoring five points in all, while county man Jack O’Connor’s four points from play overall were crucial too.
Sarsfields will return to action on Sunday, 19 January at Croke Park against the winners of today’s second All-Ireland semi-final between Na Fianna and Loughrea.
But it’s desolation for Slaughtneil who have now lost five All-Ireland semi-finals in the last decade.
With big hitters like Ballygunner and Ballyhale Shamrocks out of the picture, both sides could hear opportunity knocking approaching Newbridge.
But it was more a tense arm wrestle than a free-flowing encounter despite the favourable conditions and new sod at the redeveloped Kildare venue.
Sarsfields hit the interval with a narrow 0-8 to 0-7 lead but only six of those combined 15 points came from open play.
Cormac O’Doherty slotted five from placed balls for Slaughtneil but was off target with three more while Daniel Hogan nailed four first-half points from frees but fired two wide.
Hogan’s second wide came just before the half-time break when he struck the post from a relatively easy position, prompting the management to put Myers on the frees after the break.
Bryan Murphy did snipe a cracking point for Sarsfields from the right wing in a period when they scored five in a row between the 17th and 24th minutes.
Shane McGuigan’s score for Slaughtneil just before half-time was the Derry men’s best of the half but there was more perspiration than inspiration overall.
Sarsfields were living dangerously at the back and three of their defenders were on yellow cards by early in the second-half.
It was that sort of game with referee James Owens also showing Slaughtneil and Derry football star Brendan Rogers yellow for a tussle with his marker at one stage.
Slaughtneil dug deepest in the third quarter and reeled off four points in a row at one stage to lead by 0-12 to 0-9.
Meehaul McGrath hit the fourth of those scores, a fine effort from distance, and with 16 minutes to go Slaughtneil were in pole position. A famous win beckoned.
But they couldn’t hold on and supporters who had made the marathon journey from south Derry winced as Sarsfield finished strongly.
From the 44th minute onwards, they outscored Slaughtneil by 0-9 to 0-5 and grabbed back control of the game with five unanswered points.
McCarthy’s second point of the game left Sars 0-18 to 0-16 clear three minutes into stoppage time but Slaughtneil still almost rescued a famous win.
They forged a terrific goal opportunity when O’Doherty passed across to Mark McGuigan but his shot went over the bar instead of under.
Sarsfields scorers: Aaron Myers 0-5 (0-2f), Daniel Hogan 0-4 (0-4f), Jack O’Connor 0-4, Cathal McCarthy 0-2, Bryan Murphy 0-1, Shane O’Regan 0-1, Liam Healy 0-1.
Slaughtneil scorers: Cormac O’Doherty 0-9 (0-8f 0-1 65), Shane McGuigan 0-3, Shea Cassidy 0-1, Eamon Cassidy 0-1, Ruairi O Miainain 0-1, Meehaul McGrath 0-1, Mark McGuigan 0-1.
SARSFIELDS
1. Ben Graham
2. Paul Leopold
20. Cillian Roche
4. Conor O’Sullivan (Captain)
5. Bryan Murphy
6. Eoghan Murphy
7. Luke Elliott
14. Colm McCarthy
22. Cathal McCarthy
9. Daniel Kearney
11. Daniel Hogan
8. Cian Darcy
23. Aaron Myers
13. Jack O’Connor
10. James Sweeney
Subs:
15. Shane O’Regan for Sweeney (42)
3. Craig Leahy for Leopold (44)
24. Killian Murphy for Eoghan Murphy (50)
29. Liam Healy for Kearney (58)
SLAUGHTNEIL
1. Oisin O’Doherty
23. Sean Cassidy
2. Fionn McEldowney
4. Paul McNeill
7. Shane McGuigan
5. Ruairi O Mianain
3. Conor McAllister
8. Jack Cassidy
9. Meehaul McGrath
15. Cormac O’Doherty
14. Brendan Rogers
11. Mark McGuigan (Captain)
13. Shea Cassidy
10. Se McGuigan
12. Eamon Cassidy
Subs:
20. Cathal McKaigue for O Mianain (52)
21. Gerald Bradley for McGrath (56)
28. Peter McCullagh for Jack Cassidy (58)
Referee: James Owens (Wexford).
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All-Ireland SHC GAA