Senior Hurling Championship 2019
April 13: Rapparees 1-18, Ferns St. Aidans 1-11
Last year’s disappointing semi-final performance has been consigned to history if the commanding manner of this Rapparees victory over neighbours Ferns St. Aidans in Group A of the Pettit’s Senior Hurling Championship in O’Kennedy Park, New Ross, on Saturday is anything to go by.
A team primed to deliver a big display flopped against St. Martin’s last October, but the desire to make progress wasn’t dealt a fatal blow by the defeat as the Enniscorthy men marched to a decisive seven-point victory here.
Being able to welcome back Liam Ryan was obviously a huge plus, while they also gave senior debuts to two members of last year’s fine minor team, who are destined for long careers at this level – netminder Anthony Larkin and busy midfielder Oran Carty.
Indeed, the latter’s point in injury time was a fitting way for the Rapps to close their scoring, as not alone did it stem from a fine move featuring a Darragh Pepper catch and a subsequent Alan Tobin pass, it also rewarded the industrious teenager on the scoresheet for a fine debut.
On the down side, Ryan Mahon departed early in the second half with a shoulder or collarbone injury which is likely to keep him out of Saturday’s clash with Fethard.
However, another member of that clan, Tomás, was in flying form in spite of his veteran status and he finished with twelve points, including three from play and one sweet line ball.
Waterford’s Pat Bennett is a member of the Ferns backroom team, and what they lacked more than anything was an inventive forward or two like his sons, the inter-county duo Shane and Stephen, to supplement the work of Paul Morris.
All bar four points of the losers’ tally came from the Wexford attacker, with his first half goal the only thing that saved his team from a bigger defeat.
That arrived in the eighth minute, when Anthony Larkin hared off his line to challenge a forward. The ball broke to Eoin Murphy who fed Morris with a handpass, and the Ferns captain was able to walk the ball to an empty net (1-1 to 0-4).
Tomás Mahon (three, two frees) and Darragh Pepper had picked off the earlier Rapps points, and they went on to make wind advantage count by adding a substantial 1-8 without reply.
Kevin Foley and Alan Tobin joined the prolific Mahon on the scoresheet, with his line ball conversion from the right flank in the 24th minute being the highlight of his five point haul during that sequence.
And it got even better for the Rapps when a Ferns defender fluffed a basic pick-up, with Alan Tobin handpassing inside to the unmarked Eamonn Furlong, who drilled the sliothar to the net to extend his side’s lead to 1-12 to 1-1.
The only period when the victors allowed their standards to slip arrived on either side of half time.
Indeed, Ferns took a breather with renewed hope after Tommy Dwyer, Chris Turner and Paul Morris (free) hit the last three points before the break, to reduce the arrears to eight.
And then they followed with the first four on the re-start – three more Morris placed balls, plus his assist for a Gavin Bailey finish – there was a mere four points in it, and bear in mind that Ferns now had the wind (1-12 to 1-8).
That momentum stalled though, and the Rapps looked comfortable again for the remainder of the game as Mahon’s finishing outshone the losers, whose last three scores all arrived from Morris (two from play).
The game ended with James Lawlor making a fine save to deny Alan Tobin a second goal for the Rapps, but Ferns do have a chance to get up and running next Sunday as they meet a St. Anne’s crew at their lowest ebb for quite some time.
Ferns St. Aidans: James Lawlor; Patrick O’Hagan, John Breen, Rory Scallan; Ciarán Roberts, Conor Scallan, James Tonks; Niall Murphy, Gavin Bailey (0-1); Jonny Dwyer, Eoin Murphy, Tommy Dwyer (0-1); Paul Morris (capt., 1-7, 0-5 frees), Chris Turner (0-1), Ian Byrne (0-1).
Rapparees: Anthony Larkin; Dillon Redmond, Liam Ryan, Mel Doyle; Ben Edwards, Ricky Fox, James Peare; Oran Carty (0-1), Kevin Foley (capt., 0-1); Eamonn Furlong (1-0), Ryan Mahon, Jack Kelly; Darragh Pepper (0-2), Tomás Mahon (0-12, 8 frees, 1 line ball), Alan Tobin (0-2). Sub: Anthony Roche for R. Mahon (inj., 34)
Referee: David O’Leary (Rathnure)
April 21: Ferns St. Aidans 1-16, St. Anne’s 1-14
Trailing by three points with less than five minutes of normal time remaining, Ferns St. Aidans battled back to snatch a critical victory in Group A of the Pettitt’s Senior Hurling Championship in Bellefield on Sunday.
With four sides in this group looking fairly evenly matched, results against one another are of vital importance and these teams knew it. Despite the sticky temperature, neither side let up for a second in a game that was played at a frantic pace throughout.
There were 54 minutes on the clock and it was 1-14 to 1-11 after Liam Óg McGovern scored his third point of the contest, the first for his side in that period that wasn’t registered by Mark Furlong.
It was St. Anne’s third point in a row and they seemed to have weathered a ferocious Ferns St. Aidans storm.
That couldn’t have been further from the truth though, as the Gorey District side then went on a scoring rampage. Brendan Jordan started the revival with a long-range minor, and Jonny Dwyer then narrowed the gap to one as the clock hit 60 minutes.
Sensing blood, Ferns swarmed. Ian Byrne levelled the game with his eighth point, but it was his ninth score soon afterwards that gave his side their second lead, the first since they were ahead by 0-2 to 0-1 early on in the game.
They still didn’t ease off on the gas and Christopher O’Connor made the lead two, turning over the next puck-out to apply the dagger. As well as being frantic, it was a thoroughly entertaining game of hurling.
St. Anne’s welcomed Liam Óg McGovern back into the team but Diarmuid O’Keeffe was still absent. As trade-offs go, it was fairly even, as Ferns were also missing an inspirational score-getter in Paul Morris, meaning neither team was at full strength.
Ferns had that slender early lead by the twelfth minute but McGovern, Furlong and Liam Rochford were all on target as St. Anne’s finished the first quarter with a 0-4 to 0-2 lead.
They still led by two after Kevin Breen registered, but Peter O’Toole responded to make it 0-6 to 0-5 after 25 minutes.
Having played with the breeze, the Rathangan side needed something a little more substantial to take with them into the second half. They got it in the 26th minute when Páraic O’Keeffe’s long ball found its way to Liam Rochford, and he located the back of James Lawlor’s net.
Byrne had five points on the board by the interval as his side stayed within three (1-7 to 0-7). His counterpart, Furlong, then scored three frees early in the second half as the lead swelled out to five.
But Byrne had a big say in the 38th minute. He raced around the outside left of the St. Anne’s defence and sent a clinical finish past Paul Brennan, to make it 1-10 to 1-8.
Ferns were level by the 46th minute after Dwyer opened his account, but they quickly fell into arrears again.
Three points ahead, Brennan made a stunning save from Byrne, but it was all in vain as the five Ferns points in a row gave them the victory.
Ferns St. Aidans: James Lawlor; Patrick O’Hagan, John Breen, Rory Scallan; Niall Murphy, Conor Scallan, James Tonks; Declan Byrne, Gavin Bailey; Ciarán Roberts, Eoin Murphy, Brendan Jordan (0-2); Chris Turner, Ian Byrne (capt., 1-9, 8 frees), Peter O’Toole (0-2). Subs: Christopher O’Connor (0-1) for D. Byrne (39); Jonny Dwyer (0-2) for Turner (44).
St. Anne’s: Paul Brennan; Kenny Cloney, Tomás Cullen, Páraic O’Keeffe; Aaron Craig, Aidan Rochford, Finn O’Driscoll; Kevin Whelan, Mark Furlong (0-8, 5 frees); Mikey Fogarty, Liam Óg McGovern (0-3), Jonathan Fogarty (0-1); Liam Rochford (capt., 1-1), David O’Connor, Kevin Breen (0-1). Sub: Kevin White for O’Connor (60+2).
Referee: Pat Kehoe (Rathgarogue/Cushinstown).
August 10: Ferns St. Aidans 0-18, Fethard 2-9
Ian Byrne underlined his quality in the second-half in O'Kennedy Park, New Ross, on Saturday as Ferns St. Aidans considerably enhanced their prospects of booking a place in the Pettitt's Senior hurling championship quarter-finals with a hard-fought three-point Group A win over Fethard.
The Gorey District side had left themselves in a relatively strong position when they only trailed by 1-7 to 0-8 at half-time after playing against the wind, and Byrne landed eight of their ten points after the break to drive them on to victory.
He was a regular outlet for his colleagues as he floated around the midfield area and, as well as converting six placed balls, his two successive strikes from play in the 40th and 42nd minutes powered his side into a 0-13 to 1-8 lead that was never relinquished.
With Gavin Bailey mopping up on a constant basis behind him, Ferns ultimately had too much in reserve for the Senior newcomers, although they were dealt a blow with eight minutes left when Daire Barden and John Tubritt combined to put Fethard substitute Bryan Power through for a goal (0-16 to 2-9).
Significantly, Ferns captain Paul Morris won James Lawlor's puck-out and landed a settling point, and Fethard had Garrett Foley sent-off on a second yellow card before Ian Byrne picked off the last score after a foul on Morris in the 60th minute.
The constant off-the-ball niggling, coupled with a degree of play-acting, led to some flashpoints, with the most serious in added time resulting in dismissals for recently-introduced Fethard substitute Darren Foley, along with Jonny Dwyer of Ferns.
This was the first-ever meeting of these clubs in the Senior hurling championship, and the opening half was notable for the seasiders' total reliance on centre-forward Mark Wallace for scores.
He contributed their entire tally of 1-7 in that spell, with all of the points from frees as Ferns found Mikie Dwyer, in particular, a difficult customer to deal with.
The Wallace goal arrived in the 22nd minute and gave his side a 1-3 to 0-4 lead, collecting a Ciarán Dwyer cross before selling a neat dummy and firing low to James Lawlor's net.
The fact that Ferns managed four points from play against the wind - from Niall Murphy, Paul Morris, Christopher O'Connor and Tommy Dwyer - suggested they had a better spread of scorers, while Jonny Dwyer chipped in with a sweet line ball from the left wing in the sixth minute.
Ian Byrne made it a one-point game from a free on the re-start, but the puck-out was caught by Fethard wing-back Richard Waters whose determined solo ended in a fine score.
Remarkably, though, that was the south county side's only point from play in the entire game, and that told its own story.
Byrne converted a '65 before Eoin Murphy levelled despite having a hurl thrown at him from behind as he struck the ball in the 36th minute (0-11 to 1-8).
Byrne then added two beauties from play, with the last free that Wallace converted being followed by a trio at the other end from the on-form county panel member.
Although Bryan Power's goal gave the leaders a jolt, their response was strong as they made it two wins from three, with games against St. Martin's and Faythe Harriers to come.
Fethard, meanwhile, have yet to meet last year's runners-up and St. Anne's, and it looks like their next contest against the Rathangan men - on Saturday in Innovate Wexford Park - will be a real six-pointer in terms of both clubs easing any potential relegation worries.
Ferns St. Aidans: James Lawlor; Declan Byrne, John Breen, Rory Scallan; James Tonks, Conor Scallan, Niall Murphy (0-1); Gavin Bailey, Eoin Murphy (0-1); Brendan Jordan, Ian Byrne (0-11, 8 frees, 1 '65), Paul Morris (capt., 0-2); Christopher O'Connor (0-1), Jonny Dwyer (0-1 line ball), Tommy Dwyer (0-1). Subs: Patrick O'Hagan for D. Byrne, inj. (15), Ryan Nolan for R. Scallan (HT), Brian O'Neill for O'Connor, inj. (34).
Fethard: Seán Foley; Martin Power, Rúairí Tubrid, Daniel Mullan; Richard Waters (0-1), Daire Barden, Graham O'Grady (joint capt.); Garrett Foley (joint capt.), John Tubritt; Jimmy Sutton, Mark Wallace (1-8, 0-8 frees), Eddie Power; Mikie Dwyer, Joe Sutton, Ciarán Dwyer. Subs: Bryan Power (1-0) for Jimmy Sutton (30+3), Darren Foley for Wallace (54).
Referee: David O'Leary (Rathnure).
August 16: Ferns St. Aidans 0-17, St. Martin’s 1-14
A draw was enough to ensure safe passage to the Pettitt's Senior Hurling Championship quarter-finals for Ferns, but they probably should have had more in Bellefield on Friday evening.
The Gorey district side came into the game in a pretty strong position after back-to-back victories over St Anne's and Fethard so, in a way, they were free to have a good crack at this St Martin's team.
But the game wasn't without pressure, because a loss would have likely left them with a winner-takes-all clash against Faythe Harriers but they played with an impressive cohesion and a real hunger and were the better team for most of this game.
Everyone knows St Martin's have class performers around the field and their quality was just enough to grab the Piercestown side a share of the spoils.
However, they played like a team that had already qualified, there wasn't a great deal of quality to their play and it was all very clumpy.
Both sides flooded the middle third of the field, generally leaving two inside forwards with three defenders but clearing a lot of space in front of them. Both were happy to play the small ball game, plod along and pick away for openings and one might expect that to suit St Martin's.
They just weren't sharp enough and Ferns nipped around them and almost outdone them at their own game. They dared St Martin's to go long, look for a quiet Rory O'Connor but the Wexford district side rarely did.
The boys in Maroon and White started on the front foot with the breeze, Conor Firman nipped in to steal a short Ferns puck-out, feed Harry O'Connor and he just about found enough power in his shot to beat Jason Lawlor.
Rory O'Connor and Mikey Coleman both missed decent goal chances as the opening quarter came to an end but Ferns were able to tighten things up and rarely looked like conceding a major again.
After three Ian Byrne points and a Johnny Dwyer over, Paul Morris opened his account to level the scores at the midpoint of the first half.
It was nip and though for the rest of the period, Joe Coleman and Byrne both found their range from frees while Jake Firman and Eoin Murphy registered for their sides as St Martin's took a 1-8 to 0-10 lead at the break.
Playing against the breeze probably doesn't phase the 2017 County Champions but they struck seven wides and just a solitary Rory O'Connor point in the first fourteen minutes of the second half.
Ferns weren't exactly lighting it up either, with six wides of their own, but Benny Jordan and Byrne did notch to give their team a 0-13 to 1-9 lead. They stayed in front and even increased that advantage as the half wore on, going two up with Byrne's twelfth point in the 53rd minute.
However, they didn't score again. Instead St Martin's did just enough to nab the draw, Coleman pulled his side within one and it was Aaron Maddock who collected Harry O'Connor's hand-pass to point and salvage a draw in the final minute.
Ferns St. Aidans: James Lawlor; Patrick O'Hagan, John Breen, Rory Scallan; Niall Murphy, Conor Scallan, James Tonks; Eoin Murphy (0-1), Gavin Bailey; Benny Jordan (0-1), Paul Morris (capt., 0-2), Ian Byrne (0-12, 9 frees); Johnny Dwyer (0-1), Tommy Dwyer, Ryan Nolan. Sub: Brian O'Neill for O'Hagan (55).
St Martin’s: Luke White; Aaron Maddock (0-1), Joe O'Connor, Ben Maddock; Daithi Waters, Conor Firman, Patrick O'Connor; Harry O'Connor (1-0), Michael Codd; Jake Firman (0-2), Jack O'Connor (capt.), Paidi Kelly; Joe Coleman (0-10 frees), Rory O'Connor (0-1), Mikey Coleman. Sub: Darren Codd for M. Coleman (44).
Referee: Philip Murphy (Faythe Harriers)
September 8: Ferns St. Aidans 2-18, Faythe Harriers 1-16
A consummate second half display saw Ferns St. Aidans turn around a five-point deficit to see off Faythe Harriers in this entertaining Pettit’s Senior Hurling Championship Group A tie at Bellefield on Sunday.
The win sets Ferns up with a quarter-final date against Naomh Eanna, and leaves Faythe Harriers facing into a relegation battle with Oylegate-Glenbrien.
The Harriers enjoyed the greater share of the spoils for the majority of proceedings, but Ferns were always building momentum and the Wexford town side slowly began to struggle and just couldn’t hold them any longer.
Faythe Harriers showed their intent early on with points from Jim Berry, Fionn O Crualaoich, John Bridges and Lee Chin, outdoing efforts from Paul Morris and Ian Byrne, before they ran up a five-point lead midway through the half thanks to an Eoin Roche goal, kicked home from close range.
Wayne Mallon and Jim Berry were running the show in midfield and the latter, along with Bridges and Chin, increased the lead to eight with five minutes remaining in the half.
However, county player Ian Byrne pulled Ferns back into it with a goal from a 20-metre free just before the break, to make things a lot closer.
It always seemed that there was more in the eventual winners, and they proved that immediately when Jonny Dwyer hit the net within 30 seconds of the restart.
There was really nothing in it now and both side’s free-takers, Byrne and Chin, began a shoot-out that would go on for the remainder of the half with neither one faltering.
The big difference was that the Wexford town side was almost wholly reliant on Chin for scores, with a point for John Bridges being the only other score they could muster in the half.
Ferns, on the other hand, could call on Paul Morris, Benny Jordan, Patrick O’Hagan and Peter O’Toole for scores as they built momentum throughout the half, taking the lead with nine minutes remaining.
Harriers’ plight wasn’t helped when Wayne Mallon received his marching orders for a wild pull, as their opponents finished out the half with Byrne and Morris to the fore in particular.
Ferns St. Aidans: James Lawlor; Patrick O’Hagan (0-1), John Breen, Brian O’Neill; Niall Murphy, Conor Scallan, James Tonks (0-1); Eoin Murphy (0-2), Gavin Bailey; Paul Morris (0-4), Benny Jordan (0-1), Ian Byrne (1-8 frees); Jonny Dwyer (1-0), Tommy Dwyer, Ciarán Roberts. Subs: Christopher O’Connor for O’Neill (half time), Peter O’Toole (0-1) for T. Dwyer (49).
Faythe Harriers: James Hennebry; Alex Lynch, Brendan Mulligan, Sean Banville; Cormac Byrne, Cormac O Crualaoich, Fionn O Crualaoich (0-1); Wayne Mallon (0-1), Jim Berry (0-2); Paul Murphy (0-1), Lee Chin (0-9, 8 frees), John Bridges (0-2); Conall Clancy, Eoin Roche (1-0), Glen Murphy-Butler. Sub: Pádraig Farrell for Murphy-Butler (48).
Referee: John Carton (Monageer-Boolavogue).
Sept. 21, quarter-final: Ferns St. Aidans 1-21, Naomh Eanna 0-12
Irresistible St. Aidan's blew defending champions Naomh Eanna away to advance to the Pettitt's Senior hurling championship semi-finals in Innovate Wexford Park on Saturday.
It's probably safe to say that Ferns weren't too many neutral's ideas of serious title contender coming into the weekend.
They manoeuvred their way, almost unnoticed, through the group stages.
At times they did it with classy hurling, and sometimes their grit was the vitally important component, but they displayed both and more in this complete destruction of Naomh Eanna. This wasn't a win, this was a mauling of a strong favourite.
Now they have to be right up there with the fancied teams. Has any side in the championship put in a performance this good in 2019?
One could surmise that two more displays like this would likely be enough for Ferns to claim that elusive title.
The big thing to take away from this game is that everyone is buying into it.
The older lads look like they believe that something magical is in the offing, as the Dwyers, Paul Morris, James Tonks and John Breen all were exceptional, while Benny Jordan was masterly, untouched throughout a majestic performance.
They looked like a team reborn, and they played like a group of lads that believe in their youth movement.
The confidence was there, the energy was there, and this was where the young guys in this side came of age.
The gameplan worked to perfection, as Ferns wanted to spread play left and right, always looking for the switch. It worked because they were constantly out in front, and they made Gorey look leggy and slow.
And that just about sums Naomh Eanna up. They didn't have that zip that brought them to the county summit last autumn. They were flat, lagging behind constantly, and they just looked like a tired team.
Their hunger was swallowed up and spat out by Ferns, who out Gorey-ed Gorey.
They'll kick on and finish up the football, they might win it but probably aren't favourties, and then they look like a side that needs a bit of a break.
They actually led by 0-5 to 0-3 after 16 minutes, but there was already evidence that they weren't getting on much of a run. Pádraig Doyle scored a couple of those points and Jack Cullen got a nice score, but soon Ferns were marching.
They were level when Ian Byrne notched his second of the afternoon, and took the lead through Jordan in the 25th minute.
From there they went on a tear to the break, with Byrne (three), Morris and Eoin Murphy all on target as they went in 0-11 to 0-8 ahead.
Gorey responded after the break. Doyle converted his sixth free and Conor McDonald scooped up and flashed over to pull his side within one.
From 0-11 to 0-10 ahead, Ferns went on to outscore their opponents by 1-10 to 0-2 in the remaining 26 minutes.
It was about as close as the score suggests in that spell. It felt like Ferns were toying with Naomh Eanna at times, flinging the ball around and picking off a range of superb scores.
It started with five in a row in less than six minutes. Byrne got another two, Jonny Dywer pointed, Jordan added another, and Tommy Dwyer also registered as the lead stretched out (0-16 to 0-10).
After Doyle pulled one back, Ferns finished it.
Gorey got caught trying to play the ball out, and Tommy Dwyer nipped in, fed Jonny, and from a tight angle on the right he drilled in off goalkeeper Barry Kinsella.
From there it was a procession. Jordan brought his tally to four, Byrne to nine, and substitute Peter O'Toole also pointed as Ferns moved into the last four with a double-scores win.
Ferns St. Aidan's: Jason Lawlor; John Breen, James Tonks, Rory Scallan; Niall Murphy (0-1), Conor Scallan, Ciarán Roberts; Gavin Bailey, Brendan Jordan (0-4); Ian Byrne (0-9, 4 frees, 3 '65s), Paul Morris (0-3), Jonny Dwyer (1-1); Christopher O'Connor, Eoin Murphy (0-1), Tommy Dwyer (0-1). Sub. - Peter O'Toole (0-1) for T. Dwyer (56).
Naomh Eanna: Barry Kinsella; Peter Travers, Brendan Travers (capt.), Eoin Molloy; Eoin Conroy, Jack Cullen (0-1), Seán Doyle; Aodhán Doyle, Gary Molloy; Charlie McGuckin, Pádraig Doyle (0-7, 6 frees), Cathal Dunbar (0-1); David O'Brien (0-1), Darragh Hughes, Conor McDonald (0-2). Subs. - Jack Cushe for Hughes (31), Conor Hughes for O'Brien (45).
Referee: Dan Crosby (Kilmore).
Oct. 12, semi-final: St. Martin’s 2-16, Ferns St. Aidans 1-15
The opportunism of substitute Darren Codd put the seal on another St. Martin’s victoryin the Pettit’s Senior Hurling Championship semi-final in Innovate Wexford Park on Saturday, but only after a late burst of 1-2 from Ferns St. Aidans had left a share of the spoils very much on the cards.
The Wexford District’s 1-15 to 0-12 lead in the 57th minute was an accurate reflection of play up to that stage, but their generally disappointing rivals finally got their act together for a sustained period to reel off 1-2 without reply when it was needed most.
Ferns got the goal they hadn’t really threatened beforehand after Ian Byrne played a pass into substitute Chris Turner. The county Under-20 player was faced by Patrick O’Connor, but he jinked onto his favoured leftside and delivered a shot that wasn’t particularly venomous but still found Luke White’s net.
The 2013 runners-up sensed that all wasn’t lost yet, and the momentum garnered from that score was put to good use as fouls on Christopher O’Connor and Paul Morris respectively led to pointed frees for Ian Byrne.
That made it 1-15 to 1-14 with just under one minute of the additional four played, and fixtures committee members must have been bracing themselves for another unwanted draw.
However, the width of a goalpost intervened to ensure St. Martin’s will be contesting a third final on the trot on October 27.
Wing-back Daithí Waters sent in a high, hanging point attempt in the third minute, that came back off the woodwork on the right.
Darren Codd was on to the break first, and he made room for himself before planting the ball beyond James Lawlor to the net.
It was the decisive moment, with Ian Byrne and Jack O’Connor going to swap late points from frees, to leave a margin of four at the finish.
Now St. Martin’s may well be preparing to fight a boardroom battle as well as working hard on the training ground in the run up to the final, because they lost Rory O’Connor to a straight red card early in the second half.
He was one of two players given their marching orders for separate incidents that occurred at roughly the same time, with Tommy Dwyer of Ferns also dismissed.
St. Martin’s were ahead by 1-12 to 0-9 at that point, and in truth, the game was in need of some sort of lift because it had been fairly pedestrian up to that juncture.
It certainly lacked the normal cut and thrust of a county semi-final, large because Ferns were unable to come close to the fine form that had led to the stylish dismissal of Naomh Eanna in their last encounter.
Christopher O’Connor had just intercepted a St. Martin’s clearance to narrow the gap to six points when the temperature finally did rise in the 35th minute.
The play had been close to the leaders’ right half-forward berth when Aaron Maddock was struck off the ball, but before dealing with that issue, referee Justin Heffernan was called in for a chat by his umpires at the Clonard goal.
This was in relation to an off-the-ball incident that left Niall Murphy of Ferns on the ground, and Rory O’Connor was shown a straight red card before the man in the middle ran back to the scene of the other disagreement and brandished a card of the same colour to Tommy Dwyer.
I expect that St. Martin’s will be doing all in their power to free their star attacker to play in the final, and adding to the intrigue is the fact that the same referee sent off Cathal Dunbar of Naomh Eanna in last year’s penultimate round.
The young forward’s appeal was successful of course, and he went on to score four points from play as Gorey won their first title on a 2-11 to 0-13 scoreline.
It was an unusual game because none of the three inter-county regulars on view showed the type of form that one would expect at this time of year.
O’Connor had been picked up by Wexford Under-20 Niall Murphy from the off and had just one point to his name when dismissed, while his big brother Jack also struggled to make an impact on another young gun, Conor Scallan, although he was one of three players to split the posts in a first half exhibition of line ball taking.
On the plus side for the victors, Joe Coleman can be very pleased with his policing job on Paul Morris, as the Ferns captain was also restricted to just one point.
While Benny Jordan and Gavin Bailey formed the Ferns midfield for both throw-ins, the latter dropped back as usual into a sweeping role while Ian Byrne drifted out to the centre on Aaron Maddock.
The free role at the opposite end of the field was taken by Martin’s captain Willie Devereux, and he was the stand-out performer in a generally disjoined and disappointing game, reading the play expertly and repeatedly spraying the ball intelligently to better-placed colleagues.
Ciarán Lyng had given last year’s runners-up the lead before a goal chance for Paul Morris came and went in an instant as he was swiftly bottled up.
Johnny Dwyer was the first man to plant a line ball between the posts, doing so in the fifth minute, after Jack O’Connor had sent an early attempt wide.
The wind-aided Martin’s followed up with three of their nine opening half wides before the on-form Joe Coleman restored their lead with a long-range free.
The short Ferns puck-out that followed was turned over, with Lyng bearing down on goal before opting to pick out Mikey Coleman to his right when Rory O’Connor was also free on his left.
Netminder James Lawlor redeemed himself with a smart advance to smother the shot, while his defence stood tall near the end of the opening quarter when further efforts from Lyng and Mikey Coleman were blocked.
It was 0-4 to 0-2 at that stage, with sweetly-struck line balls from Joe Coleman and Jack O’Connor – the first from the right and the second from the left – coming on either side of a Christopher O’Connor point at the other end.
The wides were mounting for a wasteful St. Martin’s, and Ferns had the gap down to one by the 20th minute after another Coleman score was bettered by Jonny Dwyer and Ian Byrne (free).
The leaders should have chalked up a couple of goals by that stage, but Jake Firman showed how it’s done when a long delivery hopped up invitingly for him to slam it first time to the net and establish a 1-5 to 0-4 lead.
The score was the catalyst as St. Martin’s moved 1-11 to 0-6 clear by the break, with Rory O’Connor striking his sole point before a brace of wides apiece.
Joe Coleman pointed twice from play, after passes from Rory O’Connor and Mark Maloney, but Ian Byrne stopped the rot from a free before James Tonks was left unmarked to narrow the gap to 1-8 to 0-6.
However, St. Martin’s hammed home their advantage in a fruitful 80-second spell just before the break, with Harry O’Connor, Joe Coleman (free) and Mikey Coleman all on target – the latter ensuring that all six forwards were on the scoresheet by half-time.
Two successful Ian Byrne frees on the re-start heightened hopes of a Ferns comeback, with Jake Firman and Christopher O’Connor then exchanging points before both sides were reduced to 14 men.
Byrne picked out Conor Scallan to make it 1-12 to 0-10, but the former missed a couple of long-range frees before Joe Coleman ended a barren spell lasting almost nine minutes for St. Martin’s.
Twice Ferns made it a five-point game, via Paul Morris and Byrne (free), only for Coleman to respond – the first time from a free, and the second from play.
That 1-15 to 0-12 advantage looked quite secure, but the game took off on a new tangent after Chris Turner’s goal, meaning that the alert reaction of Darren Codd was ultimately priceless in booking a local derby final date.
Ferns St. Aidan’s: James Lawlor; John Breen, Niall Murphy, Rory Scallan; James Tonks (0-1), Conor Scallan (0-1), Ciarán Roberts; Brendan Jordan, Gavin Bailey; Jonny Dwyer (0-2, 1 line ball), Eoin Murphy, Tommy Dwyer; Ian Byrne (0-8 frees), Paul Morris (capt., 0-1), Christopher O’Connor (0-2). Subs: Peter O’Toole for E. Murphy (46), Declan Byrne for R. Scallan (51), Chris Turner (1-0) for J. Dwyer (52), Patrick O’Hagan for Roberts (58).
St. Martin’s: Luke White; Mark Maloney, Joe O’Connor, Conor Firman; Daithí Waters, Willie Devereux (capt.), Patrick O’Connor; Aaron Maddock, Harry O’Connor (0-1); Jake Firman (1-1), Jack O’Connor (0-2, 1 line ball, 1 free), Joe Coleman (0-9, 4 frees, 1 line ball); Mikey Coleman (0-1), Rory O’Connor (0-1), Ciarán Lyng (0-1). Subs: Darren Codd (1-0) for M. Coleman (49), Eoin O’Leary for Maloney (57), Michael Codd for Maddock (57), Ben Maddock for J. Firman (58), Kyle Firman for J. Coleman (60+4).
Referee: Justin Heffernan (Blackwater).
Last year’s disappointing semi-final performance has been consigned to history if the commanding manner of this Rapparees victory over neighbours Ferns St. Aidans in Group A of the Pettit’s Senior Hurling Championship in O’Kennedy Park, New Ross, on Saturday is anything to go by.
A team primed to deliver a big display flopped against St. Martin’s last October, but the desire to make progress wasn’t dealt a fatal blow by the defeat as the Enniscorthy men marched to a decisive seven-point victory here.
Being able to welcome back Liam Ryan was obviously a huge plus, while they also gave senior debuts to two members of last year’s fine minor team, who are destined for long careers at this level – netminder Anthony Larkin and busy midfielder Oran Carty.
Indeed, the latter’s point in injury time was a fitting way for the Rapps to close their scoring, as not alone did it stem from a fine move featuring a Darragh Pepper catch and a subsequent Alan Tobin pass, it also rewarded the industrious teenager on the scoresheet for a fine debut.
On the down side, Ryan Mahon departed early in the second half with a shoulder or collarbone injury which is likely to keep him out of Saturday’s clash with Fethard.
However, another member of that clan, Tomás, was in flying form in spite of his veteran status and he finished with twelve points, including three from play and one sweet line ball.
Waterford’s Pat Bennett is a member of the Ferns backroom team, and what they lacked more than anything was an inventive forward or two like his sons, the inter-county duo Shane and Stephen, to supplement the work of Paul Morris.
All bar four points of the losers’ tally came from the Wexford attacker, with his first half goal the only thing that saved his team from a bigger defeat.
That arrived in the eighth minute, when Anthony Larkin hared off his line to challenge a forward. The ball broke to Eoin Murphy who fed Morris with a handpass, and the Ferns captain was able to walk the ball to an empty net (1-1 to 0-4).
Tomás Mahon (three, two frees) and Darragh Pepper had picked off the earlier Rapps points, and they went on to make wind advantage count by adding a substantial 1-8 without reply.
Kevin Foley and Alan Tobin joined the prolific Mahon on the scoresheet, with his line ball conversion from the right flank in the 24th minute being the highlight of his five point haul during that sequence.
And it got even better for the Rapps when a Ferns defender fluffed a basic pick-up, with Alan Tobin handpassing inside to the unmarked Eamonn Furlong, who drilled the sliothar to the net to extend his side’s lead to 1-12 to 1-1.
The only period when the victors allowed their standards to slip arrived on either side of half time.
Indeed, Ferns took a breather with renewed hope after Tommy Dwyer, Chris Turner and Paul Morris (free) hit the last three points before the break, to reduce the arrears to eight.
And then they followed with the first four on the re-start – three more Morris placed balls, plus his assist for a Gavin Bailey finish – there was a mere four points in it, and bear in mind that Ferns now had the wind (1-12 to 1-8).
That momentum stalled though, and the Rapps looked comfortable again for the remainder of the game as Mahon’s finishing outshone the losers, whose last three scores all arrived from Morris (two from play).
The game ended with James Lawlor making a fine save to deny Alan Tobin a second goal for the Rapps, but Ferns do have a chance to get up and running next Sunday as they meet a St. Anne’s crew at their lowest ebb for quite some time.
Ferns St. Aidans: James Lawlor; Patrick O’Hagan, John Breen, Rory Scallan; Ciarán Roberts, Conor Scallan, James Tonks; Niall Murphy, Gavin Bailey (0-1); Jonny Dwyer, Eoin Murphy, Tommy Dwyer (0-1); Paul Morris (capt., 1-7, 0-5 frees), Chris Turner (0-1), Ian Byrne (0-1).
Rapparees: Anthony Larkin; Dillon Redmond, Liam Ryan, Mel Doyle; Ben Edwards, Ricky Fox, James Peare; Oran Carty (0-1), Kevin Foley (capt., 0-1); Eamonn Furlong (1-0), Ryan Mahon, Jack Kelly; Darragh Pepper (0-2), Tomás Mahon (0-12, 8 frees, 1 line ball), Alan Tobin (0-2). Sub: Anthony Roche for R. Mahon (inj., 34)
Referee: David O’Leary (Rathnure)
April 21: Ferns St. Aidans 1-16, St. Anne’s 1-14
Trailing by three points with less than five minutes of normal time remaining, Ferns St. Aidans battled back to snatch a critical victory in Group A of the Pettitt’s Senior Hurling Championship in Bellefield on Sunday.
With four sides in this group looking fairly evenly matched, results against one another are of vital importance and these teams knew it. Despite the sticky temperature, neither side let up for a second in a game that was played at a frantic pace throughout.
There were 54 minutes on the clock and it was 1-14 to 1-11 after Liam Óg McGovern scored his third point of the contest, the first for his side in that period that wasn’t registered by Mark Furlong.
It was St. Anne’s third point in a row and they seemed to have weathered a ferocious Ferns St. Aidans storm.
That couldn’t have been further from the truth though, as the Gorey District side then went on a scoring rampage. Brendan Jordan started the revival with a long-range minor, and Jonny Dwyer then narrowed the gap to one as the clock hit 60 minutes.
Sensing blood, Ferns swarmed. Ian Byrne levelled the game with his eighth point, but it was his ninth score soon afterwards that gave his side their second lead, the first since they were ahead by 0-2 to 0-1 early on in the game.
They still didn’t ease off on the gas and Christopher O’Connor made the lead two, turning over the next puck-out to apply the dagger. As well as being frantic, it was a thoroughly entertaining game of hurling.
St. Anne’s welcomed Liam Óg McGovern back into the team but Diarmuid O’Keeffe was still absent. As trade-offs go, it was fairly even, as Ferns were also missing an inspirational score-getter in Paul Morris, meaning neither team was at full strength.
Ferns had that slender early lead by the twelfth minute but McGovern, Furlong and Liam Rochford were all on target as St. Anne’s finished the first quarter with a 0-4 to 0-2 lead.
They still led by two after Kevin Breen registered, but Peter O’Toole responded to make it 0-6 to 0-5 after 25 minutes.
Having played with the breeze, the Rathangan side needed something a little more substantial to take with them into the second half. They got it in the 26th minute when Páraic O’Keeffe’s long ball found its way to Liam Rochford, and he located the back of James Lawlor’s net.
Byrne had five points on the board by the interval as his side stayed within three (1-7 to 0-7). His counterpart, Furlong, then scored three frees early in the second half as the lead swelled out to five.
But Byrne had a big say in the 38th minute. He raced around the outside left of the St. Anne’s defence and sent a clinical finish past Paul Brennan, to make it 1-10 to 1-8.
Ferns were level by the 46th minute after Dwyer opened his account, but they quickly fell into arrears again.
Three points ahead, Brennan made a stunning save from Byrne, but it was all in vain as the five Ferns points in a row gave them the victory.
Ferns St. Aidans: James Lawlor; Patrick O’Hagan, John Breen, Rory Scallan; Niall Murphy, Conor Scallan, James Tonks; Declan Byrne, Gavin Bailey; Ciarán Roberts, Eoin Murphy, Brendan Jordan (0-2); Chris Turner, Ian Byrne (capt., 1-9, 8 frees), Peter O’Toole (0-2). Subs: Christopher O’Connor (0-1) for D. Byrne (39); Jonny Dwyer (0-2) for Turner (44).
St. Anne’s: Paul Brennan; Kenny Cloney, Tomás Cullen, Páraic O’Keeffe; Aaron Craig, Aidan Rochford, Finn O’Driscoll; Kevin Whelan, Mark Furlong (0-8, 5 frees); Mikey Fogarty, Liam Óg McGovern (0-3), Jonathan Fogarty (0-1); Liam Rochford (capt., 1-1), David O’Connor, Kevin Breen (0-1). Sub: Kevin White for O’Connor (60+2).
Referee: Pat Kehoe (Rathgarogue/Cushinstown).
August 10: Ferns St. Aidans 0-18, Fethard 2-9
Ian Byrne underlined his quality in the second-half in O'Kennedy Park, New Ross, on Saturday as Ferns St. Aidans considerably enhanced their prospects of booking a place in the Pettitt's Senior hurling championship quarter-finals with a hard-fought three-point Group A win over Fethard.
The Gorey District side had left themselves in a relatively strong position when they only trailed by 1-7 to 0-8 at half-time after playing against the wind, and Byrne landed eight of their ten points after the break to drive them on to victory.
He was a regular outlet for his colleagues as he floated around the midfield area and, as well as converting six placed balls, his two successive strikes from play in the 40th and 42nd minutes powered his side into a 0-13 to 1-8 lead that was never relinquished.
With Gavin Bailey mopping up on a constant basis behind him, Ferns ultimately had too much in reserve for the Senior newcomers, although they were dealt a blow with eight minutes left when Daire Barden and John Tubritt combined to put Fethard substitute Bryan Power through for a goal (0-16 to 2-9).
Significantly, Ferns captain Paul Morris won James Lawlor's puck-out and landed a settling point, and Fethard had Garrett Foley sent-off on a second yellow card before Ian Byrne picked off the last score after a foul on Morris in the 60th minute.
The constant off-the-ball niggling, coupled with a degree of play-acting, led to some flashpoints, with the most serious in added time resulting in dismissals for recently-introduced Fethard substitute Darren Foley, along with Jonny Dwyer of Ferns.
This was the first-ever meeting of these clubs in the Senior hurling championship, and the opening half was notable for the seasiders' total reliance on centre-forward Mark Wallace for scores.
He contributed their entire tally of 1-7 in that spell, with all of the points from frees as Ferns found Mikie Dwyer, in particular, a difficult customer to deal with.
The Wallace goal arrived in the 22nd minute and gave his side a 1-3 to 0-4 lead, collecting a Ciarán Dwyer cross before selling a neat dummy and firing low to James Lawlor's net.
The fact that Ferns managed four points from play against the wind - from Niall Murphy, Paul Morris, Christopher O'Connor and Tommy Dwyer - suggested they had a better spread of scorers, while Jonny Dwyer chipped in with a sweet line ball from the left wing in the sixth minute.
Ian Byrne made it a one-point game from a free on the re-start, but the puck-out was caught by Fethard wing-back Richard Waters whose determined solo ended in a fine score.
Remarkably, though, that was the south county side's only point from play in the entire game, and that told its own story.
Byrne converted a '65 before Eoin Murphy levelled despite having a hurl thrown at him from behind as he struck the ball in the 36th minute (0-11 to 1-8).
Byrne then added two beauties from play, with the last free that Wallace converted being followed by a trio at the other end from the on-form county panel member.
Although Bryan Power's goal gave the leaders a jolt, their response was strong as they made it two wins from three, with games against St. Martin's and Faythe Harriers to come.
Fethard, meanwhile, have yet to meet last year's runners-up and St. Anne's, and it looks like their next contest against the Rathangan men - on Saturday in Innovate Wexford Park - will be a real six-pointer in terms of both clubs easing any potential relegation worries.
Ferns St. Aidans: James Lawlor; Declan Byrne, John Breen, Rory Scallan; James Tonks, Conor Scallan, Niall Murphy (0-1); Gavin Bailey, Eoin Murphy (0-1); Brendan Jordan, Ian Byrne (0-11, 8 frees, 1 '65), Paul Morris (capt., 0-2); Christopher O'Connor (0-1), Jonny Dwyer (0-1 line ball), Tommy Dwyer (0-1). Subs: Patrick O'Hagan for D. Byrne, inj. (15), Ryan Nolan for R. Scallan (HT), Brian O'Neill for O'Connor, inj. (34).
Fethard: Seán Foley; Martin Power, Rúairí Tubrid, Daniel Mullan; Richard Waters (0-1), Daire Barden, Graham O'Grady (joint capt.); Garrett Foley (joint capt.), John Tubritt; Jimmy Sutton, Mark Wallace (1-8, 0-8 frees), Eddie Power; Mikie Dwyer, Joe Sutton, Ciarán Dwyer. Subs: Bryan Power (1-0) for Jimmy Sutton (30+3), Darren Foley for Wallace (54).
Referee: David O'Leary (Rathnure).
August 16: Ferns St. Aidans 0-17, St. Martin’s 1-14
A draw was enough to ensure safe passage to the Pettitt's Senior Hurling Championship quarter-finals for Ferns, but they probably should have had more in Bellefield on Friday evening.
The Gorey district side came into the game in a pretty strong position after back-to-back victories over St Anne's and Fethard so, in a way, they were free to have a good crack at this St Martin's team.
But the game wasn't without pressure, because a loss would have likely left them with a winner-takes-all clash against Faythe Harriers but they played with an impressive cohesion and a real hunger and were the better team for most of this game.
Everyone knows St Martin's have class performers around the field and their quality was just enough to grab the Piercestown side a share of the spoils.
However, they played like a team that had already qualified, there wasn't a great deal of quality to their play and it was all very clumpy.
Both sides flooded the middle third of the field, generally leaving two inside forwards with three defenders but clearing a lot of space in front of them. Both were happy to play the small ball game, plod along and pick away for openings and one might expect that to suit St Martin's.
They just weren't sharp enough and Ferns nipped around them and almost outdone them at their own game. They dared St Martin's to go long, look for a quiet Rory O'Connor but the Wexford district side rarely did.
The boys in Maroon and White started on the front foot with the breeze, Conor Firman nipped in to steal a short Ferns puck-out, feed Harry O'Connor and he just about found enough power in his shot to beat Jason Lawlor.
Rory O'Connor and Mikey Coleman both missed decent goal chances as the opening quarter came to an end but Ferns were able to tighten things up and rarely looked like conceding a major again.
After three Ian Byrne points and a Johnny Dwyer over, Paul Morris opened his account to level the scores at the midpoint of the first half.
It was nip and though for the rest of the period, Joe Coleman and Byrne both found their range from frees while Jake Firman and Eoin Murphy registered for their sides as St Martin's took a 1-8 to 0-10 lead at the break.
Playing against the breeze probably doesn't phase the 2017 County Champions but they struck seven wides and just a solitary Rory O'Connor point in the first fourteen minutes of the second half.
Ferns weren't exactly lighting it up either, with six wides of their own, but Benny Jordan and Byrne did notch to give their team a 0-13 to 1-9 lead. They stayed in front and even increased that advantage as the half wore on, going two up with Byrne's twelfth point in the 53rd minute.
However, they didn't score again. Instead St Martin's did just enough to nab the draw, Coleman pulled his side within one and it was Aaron Maddock who collected Harry O'Connor's hand-pass to point and salvage a draw in the final minute.
Ferns St. Aidans: James Lawlor; Patrick O'Hagan, John Breen, Rory Scallan; Niall Murphy, Conor Scallan, James Tonks; Eoin Murphy (0-1), Gavin Bailey; Benny Jordan (0-1), Paul Morris (capt., 0-2), Ian Byrne (0-12, 9 frees); Johnny Dwyer (0-1), Tommy Dwyer, Ryan Nolan. Sub: Brian O'Neill for O'Hagan (55).
St Martin’s: Luke White; Aaron Maddock (0-1), Joe O'Connor, Ben Maddock; Daithi Waters, Conor Firman, Patrick O'Connor; Harry O'Connor (1-0), Michael Codd; Jake Firman (0-2), Jack O'Connor (capt.), Paidi Kelly; Joe Coleman (0-10 frees), Rory O'Connor (0-1), Mikey Coleman. Sub: Darren Codd for M. Coleman (44).
Referee: Philip Murphy (Faythe Harriers)
September 8: Ferns St. Aidans 2-18, Faythe Harriers 1-16
A consummate second half display saw Ferns St. Aidans turn around a five-point deficit to see off Faythe Harriers in this entertaining Pettit’s Senior Hurling Championship Group A tie at Bellefield on Sunday.
The win sets Ferns up with a quarter-final date against Naomh Eanna, and leaves Faythe Harriers facing into a relegation battle with Oylegate-Glenbrien.
The Harriers enjoyed the greater share of the spoils for the majority of proceedings, but Ferns were always building momentum and the Wexford town side slowly began to struggle and just couldn’t hold them any longer.
Faythe Harriers showed their intent early on with points from Jim Berry, Fionn O Crualaoich, John Bridges and Lee Chin, outdoing efforts from Paul Morris and Ian Byrne, before they ran up a five-point lead midway through the half thanks to an Eoin Roche goal, kicked home from close range.
Wayne Mallon and Jim Berry were running the show in midfield and the latter, along with Bridges and Chin, increased the lead to eight with five minutes remaining in the half.
However, county player Ian Byrne pulled Ferns back into it with a goal from a 20-metre free just before the break, to make things a lot closer.
It always seemed that there was more in the eventual winners, and they proved that immediately when Jonny Dwyer hit the net within 30 seconds of the restart.
There was really nothing in it now and both side’s free-takers, Byrne and Chin, began a shoot-out that would go on for the remainder of the half with neither one faltering.
The big difference was that the Wexford town side was almost wholly reliant on Chin for scores, with a point for John Bridges being the only other score they could muster in the half.
Ferns, on the other hand, could call on Paul Morris, Benny Jordan, Patrick O’Hagan and Peter O’Toole for scores as they built momentum throughout the half, taking the lead with nine minutes remaining.
Harriers’ plight wasn’t helped when Wayne Mallon received his marching orders for a wild pull, as their opponents finished out the half with Byrne and Morris to the fore in particular.
Ferns St. Aidans: James Lawlor; Patrick O’Hagan (0-1), John Breen, Brian O’Neill; Niall Murphy, Conor Scallan, James Tonks (0-1); Eoin Murphy (0-2), Gavin Bailey; Paul Morris (0-4), Benny Jordan (0-1), Ian Byrne (1-8 frees); Jonny Dwyer (1-0), Tommy Dwyer, Ciarán Roberts. Subs: Christopher O’Connor for O’Neill (half time), Peter O’Toole (0-1) for T. Dwyer (49).
Faythe Harriers: James Hennebry; Alex Lynch, Brendan Mulligan, Sean Banville; Cormac Byrne, Cormac O Crualaoich, Fionn O Crualaoich (0-1); Wayne Mallon (0-1), Jim Berry (0-2); Paul Murphy (0-1), Lee Chin (0-9, 8 frees), John Bridges (0-2); Conall Clancy, Eoin Roche (1-0), Glen Murphy-Butler. Sub: Pádraig Farrell for Murphy-Butler (48).
Referee: John Carton (Monageer-Boolavogue).
Sept. 21, quarter-final: Ferns St. Aidans 1-21, Naomh Eanna 0-12
Irresistible St. Aidan's blew defending champions Naomh Eanna away to advance to the Pettitt's Senior hurling championship semi-finals in Innovate Wexford Park on Saturday.
It's probably safe to say that Ferns weren't too many neutral's ideas of serious title contender coming into the weekend.
They manoeuvred their way, almost unnoticed, through the group stages.
At times they did it with classy hurling, and sometimes their grit was the vitally important component, but they displayed both and more in this complete destruction of Naomh Eanna. This wasn't a win, this was a mauling of a strong favourite.
Now they have to be right up there with the fancied teams. Has any side in the championship put in a performance this good in 2019?
One could surmise that two more displays like this would likely be enough for Ferns to claim that elusive title.
The big thing to take away from this game is that everyone is buying into it.
The older lads look like they believe that something magical is in the offing, as the Dwyers, Paul Morris, James Tonks and John Breen all were exceptional, while Benny Jordan was masterly, untouched throughout a majestic performance.
They looked like a team reborn, and they played like a group of lads that believe in their youth movement.
The confidence was there, the energy was there, and this was where the young guys in this side came of age.
The gameplan worked to perfection, as Ferns wanted to spread play left and right, always looking for the switch. It worked because they were constantly out in front, and they made Gorey look leggy and slow.
And that just about sums Naomh Eanna up. They didn't have that zip that brought them to the county summit last autumn. They were flat, lagging behind constantly, and they just looked like a tired team.
Their hunger was swallowed up and spat out by Ferns, who out Gorey-ed Gorey.
They'll kick on and finish up the football, they might win it but probably aren't favourties, and then they look like a side that needs a bit of a break.
They actually led by 0-5 to 0-3 after 16 minutes, but there was already evidence that they weren't getting on much of a run. Pádraig Doyle scored a couple of those points and Jack Cullen got a nice score, but soon Ferns were marching.
They were level when Ian Byrne notched his second of the afternoon, and took the lead through Jordan in the 25th minute.
From there they went on a tear to the break, with Byrne (three), Morris and Eoin Murphy all on target as they went in 0-11 to 0-8 ahead.
Gorey responded after the break. Doyle converted his sixth free and Conor McDonald scooped up and flashed over to pull his side within one.
From 0-11 to 0-10 ahead, Ferns went on to outscore their opponents by 1-10 to 0-2 in the remaining 26 minutes.
It was about as close as the score suggests in that spell. It felt like Ferns were toying with Naomh Eanna at times, flinging the ball around and picking off a range of superb scores.
It started with five in a row in less than six minutes. Byrne got another two, Jonny Dywer pointed, Jordan added another, and Tommy Dwyer also registered as the lead stretched out (0-16 to 0-10).
After Doyle pulled one back, Ferns finished it.
Gorey got caught trying to play the ball out, and Tommy Dwyer nipped in, fed Jonny, and from a tight angle on the right he drilled in off goalkeeper Barry Kinsella.
From there it was a procession. Jordan brought his tally to four, Byrne to nine, and substitute Peter O'Toole also pointed as Ferns moved into the last four with a double-scores win.
Ferns St. Aidan's: Jason Lawlor; John Breen, James Tonks, Rory Scallan; Niall Murphy (0-1), Conor Scallan, Ciarán Roberts; Gavin Bailey, Brendan Jordan (0-4); Ian Byrne (0-9, 4 frees, 3 '65s), Paul Morris (0-3), Jonny Dwyer (1-1); Christopher O'Connor, Eoin Murphy (0-1), Tommy Dwyer (0-1). Sub. - Peter O'Toole (0-1) for T. Dwyer (56).
Naomh Eanna: Barry Kinsella; Peter Travers, Brendan Travers (capt.), Eoin Molloy; Eoin Conroy, Jack Cullen (0-1), Seán Doyle; Aodhán Doyle, Gary Molloy; Charlie McGuckin, Pádraig Doyle (0-7, 6 frees), Cathal Dunbar (0-1); David O'Brien (0-1), Darragh Hughes, Conor McDonald (0-2). Subs. - Jack Cushe for Hughes (31), Conor Hughes for O'Brien (45).
Referee: Dan Crosby (Kilmore).
Oct. 12, semi-final: St. Martin’s 2-16, Ferns St. Aidans 1-15
The opportunism of substitute Darren Codd put the seal on another St. Martin’s victoryin the Pettit’s Senior Hurling Championship semi-final in Innovate Wexford Park on Saturday, but only after a late burst of 1-2 from Ferns St. Aidans had left a share of the spoils very much on the cards.
The Wexford District’s 1-15 to 0-12 lead in the 57th minute was an accurate reflection of play up to that stage, but their generally disappointing rivals finally got their act together for a sustained period to reel off 1-2 without reply when it was needed most.
Ferns got the goal they hadn’t really threatened beforehand after Ian Byrne played a pass into substitute Chris Turner. The county Under-20 player was faced by Patrick O’Connor, but he jinked onto his favoured leftside and delivered a shot that wasn’t particularly venomous but still found Luke White’s net.
The 2013 runners-up sensed that all wasn’t lost yet, and the momentum garnered from that score was put to good use as fouls on Christopher O’Connor and Paul Morris respectively led to pointed frees for Ian Byrne.
That made it 1-15 to 1-14 with just under one minute of the additional four played, and fixtures committee members must have been bracing themselves for another unwanted draw.
However, the width of a goalpost intervened to ensure St. Martin’s will be contesting a third final on the trot on October 27.
Wing-back Daithí Waters sent in a high, hanging point attempt in the third minute, that came back off the woodwork on the right.
Darren Codd was on to the break first, and he made room for himself before planting the ball beyond James Lawlor to the net.
It was the decisive moment, with Ian Byrne and Jack O’Connor going to swap late points from frees, to leave a margin of four at the finish.
Now St. Martin’s may well be preparing to fight a boardroom battle as well as working hard on the training ground in the run up to the final, because they lost Rory O’Connor to a straight red card early in the second half.
He was one of two players given their marching orders for separate incidents that occurred at roughly the same time, with Tommy Dwyer of Ferns also dismissed.
St. Martin’s were ahead by 1-12 to 0-9 at that point, and in truth, the game was in need of some sort of lift because it had been fairly pedestrian up to that juncture.
It certainly lacked the normal cut and thrust of a county semi-final, large because Ferns were unable to come close to the fine form that had led to the stylish dismissal of Naomh Eanna in their last encounter.
Christopher O’Connor had just intercepted a St. Martin’s clearance to narrow the gap to six points when the temperature finally did rise in the 35th minute.
The play had been close to the leaders’ right half-forward berth when Aaron Maddock was struck off the ball, but before dealing with that issue, referee Justin Heffernan was called in for a chat by his umpires at the Clonard goal.
This was in relation to an off-the-ball incident that left Niall Murphy of Ferns on the ground, and Rory O’Connor was shown a straight red card before the man in the middle ran back to the scene of the other disagreement and brandished a card of the same colour to Tommy Dwyer.
I expect that St. Martin’s will be doing all in their power to free their star attacker to play in the final, and adding to the intrigue is the fact that the same referee sent off Cathal Dunbar of Naomh Eanna in last year’s penultimate round.
The young forward’s appeal was successful of course, and he went on to score four points from play as Gorey won their first title on a 2-11 to 0-13 scoreline.
It was an unusual game because none of the three inter-county regulars on view showed the type of form that one would expect at this time of year.
O’Connor had been picked up by Wexford Under-20 Niall Murphy from the off and had just one point to his name when dismissed, while his big brother Jack also struggled to make an impact on another young gun, Conor Scallan, although he was one of three players to split the posts in a first half exhibition of line ball taking.
On the plus side for the victors, Joe Coleman can be very pleased with his policing job on Paul Morris, as the Ferns captain was also restricted to just one point.
While Benny Jordan and Gavin Bailey formed the Ferns midfield for both throw-ins, the latter dropped back as usual into a sweeping role while Ian Byrne drifted out to the centre on Aaron Maddock.
The free role at the opposite end of the field was taken by Martin’s captain Willie Devereux, and he was the stand-out performer in a generally disjoined and disappointing game, reading the play expertly and repeatedly spraying the ball intelligently to better-placed colleagues.
Ciarán Lyng had given last year’s runners-up the lead before a goal chance for Paul Morris came and went in an instant as he was swiftly bottled up.
Johnny Dwyer was the first man to plant a line ball between the posts, doing so in the fifth minute, after Jack O’Connor had sent an early attempt wide.
The wind-aided Martin’s followed up with three of their nine opening half wides before the on-form Joe Coleman restored their lead with a long-range free.
The short Ferns puck-out that followed was turned over, with Lyng bearing down on goal before opting to pick out Mikey Coleman to his right when Rory O’Connor was also free on his left.
Netminder James Lawlor redeemed himself with a smart advance to smother the shot, while his defence stood tall near the end of the opening quarter when further efforts from Lyng and Mikey Coleman were blocked.
It was 0-4 to 0-2 at that stage, with sweetly-struck line balls from Joe Coleman and Jack O’Connor – the first from the right and the second from the left – coming on either side of a Christopher O’Connor point at the other end.
The wides were mounting for a wasteful St. Martin’s, and Ferns had the gap down to one by the 20th minute after another Coleman score was bettered by Jonny Dwyer and Ian Byrne (free).
The leaders should have chalked up a couple of goals by that stage, but Jake Firman showed how it’s done when a long delivery hopped up invitingly for him to slam it first time to the net and establish a 1-5 to 0-4 lead.
The score was the catalyst as St. Martin’s moved 1-11 to 0-6 clear by the break, with Rory O’Connor striking his sole point before a brace of wides apiece.
Joe Coleman pointed twice from play, after passes from Rory O’Connor and Mark Maloney, but Ian Byrne stopped the rot from a free before James Tonks was left unmarked to narrow the gap to 1-8 to 0-6.
However, St. Martin’s hammed home their advantage in a fruitful 80-second spell just before the break, with Harry O’Connor, Joe Coleman (free) and Mikey Coleman all on target – the latter ensuring that all six forwards were on the scoresheet by half-time.
Two successful Ian Byrne frees on the re-start heightened hopes of a Ferns comeback, with Jake Firman and Christopher O’Connor then exchanging points before both sides were reduced to 14 men.
Byrne picked out Conor Scallan to make it 1-12 to 0-10, but the former missed a couple of long-range frees before Joe Coleman ended a barren spell lasting almost nine minutes for St. Martin’s.
Twice Ferns made it a five-point game, via Paul Morris and Byrne (free), only for Coleman to respond – the first time from a free, and the second from play.
That 1-15 to 0-12 advantage looked quite secure, but the game took off on a new tangent after Chris Turner’s goal, meaning that the alert reaction of Darren Codd was ultimately priceless in booking a local derby final date.
Ferns St. Aidan’s: James Lawlor; John Breen, Niall Murphy, Rory Scallan; James Tonks (0-1), Conor Scallan (0-1), Ciarán Roberts; Brendan Jordan, Gavin Bailey; Jonny Dwyer (0-2, 1 line ball), Eoin Murphy, Tommy Dwyer; Ian Byrne (0-8 frees), Paul Morris (capt., 0-1), Christopher O’Connor (0-2). Subs: Peter O’Toole for E. Murphy (46), Declan Byrne for R. Scallan (51), Chris Turner (1-0) for J. Dwyer (52), Patrick O’Hagan for Roberts (58).
St. Martin’s: Luke White; Mark Maloney, Joe O’Connor, Conor Firman; Daithí Waters, Willie Devereux (capt.), Patrick O’Connor; Aaron Maddock, Harry O’Connor (0-1); Jake Firman (1-1), Jack O’Connor (0-2, 1 line ball, 1 free), Joe Coleman (0-9, 4 frees, 1 line ball); Mikey Coleman (0-1), Rory O’Connor (0-1), Ciarán Lyng (0-1). Subs: Darren Codd (1-0) for M. Coleman (49), Eoin O’Leary for Maloney (57), Michael Codd for Maddock (57), Ben Maddock for J. Firman (58), Kyle Firman for J. Coleman (60+4).
Referee: Justin Heffernan (Blackwater).
