St Rynagh’s 2-18 Ballyhale Shamrocks 3-24 AET
AS Richie Reid floated in a 65 deep in injury time, Ballyhale Shamrocks manager James O’Connor was enduring what he described as “the worst 10 seconds of my life”.
His side were three points down having played more than half of the game with 14 men after a gutsy St Rynagh’s outfit obliterated an early nine-point deficit.
Defeat would have been Ballyhale’s first in the provincial and All-Ireland series since 2012 having won their previous 14 outings. Luckily for O’Connor, he didn’t have to contemplate that prospect for any more than those fleeting few seconds as Eoin Cody eventually swept the breaking ball from Reid’s delivery to the net to force extra time.
“I knew it was the last chance,” said O’Connor. “I told the lads inside afterwards that in that last 10 or 15 seconds I was picturing the team going home on the bus f**king beaten and that's one journey I never ever want to do again.
“I told them inside, that was the worst 10 seconds of my life nearly watching that ball carry in the air and thankfully one of the lads just got a touch on it.
“It was rough, it was rough but we came out in extra time and did the business, we played like we can play.”
The peculiar rule that allows teams that have incurred red cards to be restored to the full complement of 15 players for extra time worked in Ballyhale’s favour as they coasted home, outscoring Rynagh’s by 0-11 to 0-2 in the additional 20 minutes, but the Offaly champions were physically and mentally spent after Cody’s dramatic equaliser in any event.
Having won four Leinster titles previously, Rynagh’s have struggled in the province in recent years and a win here would have been their first outside of Offaly since 1993.
They were swamped early on as Cody and Colin Fennelly struck for goals and the reigning All-Ireland champions were 2-4 to 0-1 clear after 13 minutes. But a string of points followed by Luke O’Connor’s 23rd minute goal put them within four before Joe Cuddihy was red-carded for a high challenge on Matthew Maloney. It seemed a harsh call.
“He went awkwardly into the tackle, the player was low and he connected with his head as far as I could see, I don't think it was intentional being honest with you, it was just one of those things that happened,” said O’Connor.
Shamrocks led 2-9 to 1-9 at half-time but Rynagh’s, employing Stephen Wynne as the spare man, were level come the second water break before Ronan Hughes’s goal on the resumption put them in front. They maintained that three-point lead, albeit squandering some chances to extend it, into injury time, with Cody making the most of the chance to force extra time, in which there was always going to be only one winner.
A third weekend on the road for beckons for Ballyhale now, with Clough-Ballacolla to come in next Sunday’s Leinster final at Croke Park.
“I know this team and there’s a way more in the tank,” O’Connor insisted. “It’s just for them to release and just go for it, which they did in the extra time, you know.
“You just can’t be knocking on that door all the time because some day it just won’t open for you.”
ST RYNAGH’S: Conor Clancy; Conor Hernon, Pat Camon, Stephen Wynne; Matthew Moloney, Ben Conneely, Dermot Shortt; Joey O’Connor, Aidan Treacy (0-2, 0-1f); Paul Quirke (0-4), Simon Og Lyons (0-1), Garry Conneely; Luke O’Connor (1-8, 0-6f), Sean Dolan, Stephen Quirke (0-1).
Subs: Ronan Hughes (1-2) for Camon (4), Aaron Kenny for Garry Conneely (41), Ciaran Flannery for Stephen Quirke (60+2), Stephen Quirke for Flannery (60, ET), Flannery for Stephen Quirke (69), Niall Wynne for Kenny (69), Brian Rigney for Lyons (76).
BALLYHALE SHAMROCKS: Dean Mason; Kevin Mullen, Joey Holden, Brian Butler; Evan Shefflin (0-2), Richie Reid, Darragh Corcoran; Ronan Corcoran (0-2), Eoin Kenneally (0-1); Brian Cody (0-3), TJ Reid (0-7, 0-5f), Eoin Cody (2-3); Adrian Mullen (0-5), Colin Fennelly, Joe Cuddihy.
Subs: Patrick Mullen for Kenneally (50), Darren Mullen for Butler (52), Eoin Reid (0-1) introduced as 15th man in extra time, Kenneally for Fennelly (62), Conor Phelan for Shefflin (70+1).
REFEREE: Chris Mooney (Dublin).
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