KILBRITTAIN 0-19

EASKEY 0-18

KIERAN McCARTHY REPORTS

THERE’S a poster on the wall of the press media lift that rises to the seventh floor of the Hogan Stand.

‘Put the ball over the bar, and the parish on the map,’ it reads.

With 61:30 on the clock in Croke Park on Saturday evening, that’s exactly what Mark Hickey did, striking a free over the ball for a famous winning score that has put Kilbrittain on the national map.

The team that didn’t get out of their group in the 2024 Cork premier junior championship is now All-Ireland champions. The best junior hurling team in the country. Local heroes, now legends.

‘I presume this is what elation feels like,’ manager Joe Ryan said afterwards – even the calmest man in GAA HQ felt the magnitude of what the Black and Amber warriors had just achieved. All-Ireland club junior hurling champions.

‘I am floating,’ he added, before noting this was the most chaotic game Kilbrittain have been in all year.

‘We played really well in parts, we played really poor in parts. It just took a life of its own.’

Kilbrittain's James Hurley holds off Eoghain-Rua McGowan of Easkey. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

Crucially, Kilbrittain found a way to win. There were periods when you felt the West Cork men were on the cusp of pulling away from Easkey, but there were stretches, too, when you feared it might just be one of those days.

Twenty-one minutes in, Kilbrittain trailed 0-10 to 0-5, and needed to stay in touch with the Connacht champs who, led by star attacker Andrew Kilcullen, had reeled off five points in five minutes to grab control.

Then we saw Kilbrittain’s resilience – from here to the break, they trimmed the Easkey lead from five points down to one, with eventual match-winner Mark Hickey hitting four in a row after Conor Hogan pointed when a goal looked on. Only trailing 0-11 to 0-10 at the break was a good position, considering they lacked a real clinical edge. Easkey, in contrast, went 26 minutes without a wide, scoring 11 in a row.

‘If you look at it factually, we had plenty of chances in the first 15 minutes,’ Joe Ryan explained.

‘We hit some bad wides and we had one goal chance and another half-goal chance,’ he added, a reference to a brilliant run from Conor Hogan whose goal effort was saved, and flicked away from the waiting Philip Wall. At that stage, Kilbrittain were leading 0-3 to 0-2 – Bertie Butler, man of the match Ronan Crowley and Seán Sexton all found their target inside the opening five minutes.

Kilbrittain manager Joe Ryan. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

But Easkey took charge, inspired by Sligo senior Kilcullen who was involved in some of the final’s biggest moments. First, the full forward had a disallowed goal in the opening half when Easkey were leading by three. Kilcullen booted the ball to the net, but had been fouled in the lead-up and the referee had blown for it. Luck smiled on Kilbrittain here.

‘That should have been a goal, so we were lucky with that,’ Joe Ryan admitted.

‘The five or six minutes before half time, we pegged it back – I think we scored four or five – so, there was a bit of momentum there, something to go on at half time.’

Forty-two seconds after the restart, Philip Wall levelled. Kilcullen nudged Easkey back in front, only for Ronan Crowley to reply. 0-12 apiece.

‘Bertie (Butler) coming out to mark Fionn Connolly (at midfield) made a difference,’ Joe Ryan noted, but the big talking point was Kilcullen’s red card in the 39th minute. It was a straight red after an awkward, high collision with Mark Hickey, knocked to the ground. Harsh, and costly. Easkey’s talisman was gone.

Charlie Kenny and Luke Griffin celebrate with the cup. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

It went from bad to worse for the Connacht men. Within two minutes of Kilcullen’s dismissal, Kilbrittain pushed 0-14 to 0-12 ahead, their biggest lead so far. Luke Griffin and Hickey, with his seventh score, were on target.

Instead of kicking on, Kilbrittain struggled to make use of the extra man, opting to deploy two sweepers. They didn’t grab their chance to grow the lead. Instead, Easkey rallied with three in a row to hit the front again.

‘We were in trouble when they went down to 14,’ Ryan admitted, ‘because we were playing a sweeper and then we were playing two at the back. Basically, we were just playing too much ball around the half-back line instead of just hitting direct over their half-back line.’

Enter Tomás Harrington – the veteran made a huge difference on his introduction after 48 minutes, almost instantly setting up a score for Philip Wall that levelled this frantic final.

‘That's Tom,’ Ryan admitted.

‘Communication-wise, he made positional switches there that I wouldn't see. Tom is probably the reason we won the game.’

The influential Crowley and sharp-shooting Hickey (free) nudged Kilbrittain back in front, 0-17 to 0-15, with five minutes left.

But a brilliant effort from Easkey corner back Oisín Moylan from the Hogan Stand side showed they weren’t going quietly into the night. Crowley stood up again, his fourth score, but extra-time looked on the cards after Thomas Cawley hit a late brace to level.

There was another twist to come. More drama on an evening of hurling theatre.

Kilbrittain sub Conor Ustianowski won a free in the second minute of injury time, dragged down as he bore down on goal – the Black and Ambers had legitimate calls for fouls ignored just beforehand. Up stepped hero Hickey to hold his nerve and fire the winning score.

Easkey’s Fionn Connolly received a second yellow for the free and his side was reduced to unlucky 13, as Kilbrittain held out to spark celebrations this team, club, village and community has never seen before.

Kilbrittain is on the map now. All-Ireland champions.

Scorers 

Kilbrittain: Mark Hickey 0-9 (5f); Ronan Crowley 0-4; Philip Wall 0-2; Bertie Butler, Sean Sexton, Conor Hogan, Luke Griffin 0-1 each.

Easkey: Andrew Kilcullen 0-6 (3f, 1 sl); Thomas Cawley 0-5 (2f); Finnian Cawley 0-2; Eanna Moylan, Daniel Rolston, Ronan Molloy, Rory McHugh, Oisín Moylan 0-1 each.

Kilbrittain: David Desmond; Darragh Considine, James Hurley, Eoin O’Neill; Aaron Holland, Tomás Sheehan, Colm Sheehan; Seán Sexton, Josh O’Donovan; Mark Hickey, Philip Wall, Ronan Crowley; Conor Hogan, Luke Griffin, Bertie Butler.

Subs: Tomás Harrington for O’Neill (48), Declan Harrington for Butler (54), Conor Ustianowski for Hogan (55), Eoghan Byrne for Considine (62).

Easkey: Adam Rolston; Oisín Moylan, James Weir, Shane Molloy; Donal Hanley, Rory McHugh, Eoghan-Rua McGowan; Ronan Molloy, Niall Kilcullen; Éanna Moylan, Finnian Cawley, Daniel Rolston; Thomas Cawley, Andrew Kilcullen, Fionn Connolly.

Subs: Fionn Moylan for É Moylan (ht), Cormac Vereker for Rolston (48), Patrick Walsh for Molloy (58).

Referee: Eamonn Furlong (Wexford).