THE first priority for Birr was to make no slip ups and collect the points but they did much more than that as they made an impressive start to the Senior Hurling Championship with a very easy win over Seir Kieran in Clareen on Friday evening.
Molloy Precast and Environmental Systems Senior Hurling Championship Group 1 Round 1
Birr 0-31
Seir Kieran 0-16
Ace forward Eoghan Cahill was in red hot form on a scorching evening as he fired over a sensational ten points from play in a fourteen point haul but there was much more for manager Barry Whelahan and his selectors to enthuse about.
As a unit, Birr were impressive. They controlled all sectors, had players at or close to top form down the spine of their team and their victory was never in the remotest of doubts.
They were assisted by Seir Kieran, who gave too much ball away in the first half against the wind in particular. Too many passes or short deliveries went straight to Birr players who returned them over the bar and this meant that the game was more or less over at half time when the winners led by 0-18 to 0-9.
A nine point deficit was not irretrievable with the wind but no one in Clareen expected a comeback. As you would expect Seir Kieran did get a burst of enthusiasm at the start of the second half, getting three points in two minutes to get it back to six points. There was the slightest of glimmers for them but we knew that they wouldn’t be able to sustain that intensity. Eoghan Cahill settled his team mates with Birr’s 19th point in the 33rd minute as Birr got four without reply to lead by 0-22 to 0-12 with 40 minutes gone.
They got another run of three without reply after a Luke Carey free to lead by 0-25 to 0-13 after 45 minutes and the fight went out of Seir Kieran in the closing quarter. They stopped working hard and it all ended up very routine for Birr, who only introduced one sub, protecting their intermediate side.
It was a dispiriting evening for Seir Kieran on home turf but it would be pointless to be hard on them – though manager Enda Mulhare will have plenty of deficiencies to highlight when he sits them down in the next few days.
At the moment, the glory days are a distant memory for Seir Kieran and they now are swimming against the tide with a gale force wind blowing into their face. This game confirmed what we suspected: That staying up is their only realistic target this year, though there will be a kick in them in the coming weeks.
Seir Kieran did work very hard in the first half and made life difficult for Birr. However, they never got tight enough on Cahill, who got five points from play and would have killed the game off early but for a few uncharacteristic misses from frees – a couple of them were way out the field but were the types he has slotted over in the past.
Apart from Cahill, Birr’s attack was wonderfully sharp. They were 0-6 to 0-2 up after 12 minutes and their first eight points came from play. Cahill’s 18th minute free put them 0-9 to 0-4 ahead, after Luke Carey had converted a Seir Kieran free and Eanna Murphy got a fine score from play.
Seir Kieran did their best to hang in there. They were 0-11 to 0-6 behind after 22 minutes, 0-16 to 0-9 after 30 but the concession of super injury time points from the excellent Sean Ryan and the lively Luke Nolan was a disaster for them and meant they were chasing their tails for the second half.
The only negative for Birr was their failure to score a goal but they didn’t really try to, content to float over points from close range. Their best chance fell to Cahill in the 55th minute and Joseph Connors saved well, though the shot was not clinical.
MATCH ANALYSIS
MAN OF THE MATCH
Eoghan Cahill (Birr): Eoghan Cahill’s scoring statistics speak for themselves, 14 points, 10 from play. He was so sharp and lethal and some of his skill took the breath away as he created space where none seemed to exist. He had a few assists as well, though Birr will be very conscious of the fact that the top teams won’t allow him to influence a game like that in open play.
You couldn’t look beyond Cahill for man of the match but Birr had a good few other players who put their hands up. Sean Ryan turned the clock back with a sterling defensive display while Eoin Hayes and Cormac Kenny also excelled in a very good defence.
Joe Ryan put in a terrific shift at midfield and Barry Harding did a mountain of good work in attack. Ben Miller had good moments in a new role at wing forward while Luke Nolan and impressive sub Lochlann Quinn were impressively sharp.
Kevin Dunne got a very good haul of four points from play from midfield for Seir Kieran and they had other players who had good spells but overall, they were out played by a vastly superior force.
THE SCORERS
Birr: Eoghan Cahill 0-14 (4f), Luke Nolan and Lochlann Quinn 0-3 each, Sean Thompson (2f), Cormac Kenny, Ben Miller and Barry Harding 0-2 each, Sean Ryan, Brendan Murphy, Ailbe Watkins 0-1 each.
Seir Kieran: Luke Carey 0-7 (6f), Kevin Dunne 0-4, Darragh Guinan 0-2, Michael Gilligan, Eanna Murphy, Adrian Hynes 0-1 each.
THE TEAMS
BIRR: Sean Thompson; Campbell Boyd, Eoin Hayes, Cormac Kenny; Sean Ryan, Brendan Murphy, Colm Mulrooney; Ailbe Watkins, Joe Ryan; Barry Harding, Luke Nolan, Ben Miller; Niall Lyons, Morgan Watkins, Eoghan Cahill. Subs – Lochlann Quinn for Lyons (HT).
SEIR KIERAN: Joseph Connors; Sean Coughlan, Pat Gilligan, Stephen Gilligan; Conor Dooley, John Coughlan, Tom Dooley; Kevin Dunne, Michael Gilligan; Darragh Guinan, Eanna Murphy, Oisin Guinan; Luke Carey, Adrian Hynes, Declan Purcell. Subs – Sean Dooley for Purcell (37m), Billy Connors for Oisin Guinan (42m), Oisin Guinan for Stephen Gilligan, inj. (58m).
Referee – Kieran Dooley (Drumcullen).
REFEREE WATCH
Kieran Dooley was consistently lenient, letting a good bit go. Birr did seem to get more frees and some Seir Kieran supporters complained that they were getting them easier but that could simply have been because the home side were fouling more.
The main quibble with Dooley’s display was that he let a few carelessly sloppy slap downs on hands go without cards. These can hurt a player and both sides committed their share. He didn’t show a card until flashing a yellow at Birr selector, the legendary Brian Whelahan, who informed him ten minutes into the second half that he wasn’t refereeing the match – he showed him a red straight away after this when Whelahan confirmed his opinion of the standard of refereeing.
He eventually sanctioned a player for a slap with the hurl, Luke Carey in the 43rd minute but Dooley had absolutely no bearing on the outcome.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH
Almost from the start, Birr were superior and we knew they would win. There was no big defining moment but Lochlann Quinn’s 41st minute point was memorable. Birr had a sideline well out the field and Ben Miller barely moved the ball with his hurl, walking on. Seir Kieran didn’t react but Quinn did, firing over a quality point.
VENUE WATCH
The decision to have home or away games for competitors in the early rounds is a good one. It was a big occasion for Seir Kieran to host a rare senior hurling fixture with their own hurlers in Clareen. They responded as you’d expect with loads of stewards and their grounds meticulously prepared. They looked splendid in the warm evening sun and Seir Kieran hosted it all with great efficiency.
WHAT’S NEXT
Seir Kieran make the short journey to Coolderry in round 2 while Birr have a bye.
STATISTICS
Wides: Birr – 12 (7 in first half); Seir Kieran – 3 (3 in first half).
Yellow cards: Birr – 1 (Eoghan Cahill); Seir Kieran – 1 (Luke Carey).
Red cards: 0.
