*Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
KILRUSH SHAMROCKS are Garry Cup champions for the third time after overcoming St Breckan’s in the Division 2 decider on Friday evening.
Kilrush Shamrocks 1-20
St Breckans 0-17
Venue: Cooraclare
An unbeaten season for the Dermot Coughlan managed Shams continued as they secured the first piece of silverware on offer for them this season and it was a display which cemented their status as leading contenders for intermediate glory this year when outclassing 2023 senior finalists St Breckan’s.
Playing with the aid of a cross-field breeze in the opening half, Kilrush led by four points at the interval. By the final quarter, St Breckans got on level terms with three scores on the bounce but the Shams hit back with the next seven efforts including a brace of two pointers.
Frequent supply of ball to their danger men in the opening half and a ferocity in the tackle were central to Kilrush’s success making it one that was fully merited. Of course their ability to land two pointers as has been evident throughout the willwego.com Garry Cup campaign was another influential factor while their strong finish underlined there is a bank of fitness to be called upon when the heat of championship arrives.
Promotion had been the primary objective for both sides in advance of the league, they succeeded in this objective but when it comes to a final it’s about winning and St Breckans will be slightly concerned at their showing and the manner in which they allowed Kilrush regain their dominance on proceedings.
Granted the North Clare side were without Jamie Stack, Joe McGann, Cian Burke, Tristan O’Callaghan, Conor Burke, Denis O’Callaghan and Liam Tierney but teams vying to win the Jack Daly need to showcase the strength of their entire panel which was not glaringly obvious from their perspective in Cooraclare.
It took eight minutes for the opening score of the game, Eoin Guerin splitting the posts to put St Breckans ahead but Kilrush came into life with a bang to kick 1-3 without reply.
Gearoid O’Brien caused problems and a headache for Clare senior Alan Sweney who was operating at full-back for the opening half, he had a hand to play in their first four scores, kicking the first two before teeing up Dean Neary for the next brace, Neary raiding for goal after running off the shoulder once O’Brien was fed with the ball on thirteen minutes.
Goalkeeper Stephen Ryan kicked four two pointers when the sides met in the round robin series at the end of March. He finished with a brace of two pointers in the Garry Cup final as did midfielder Seán Fennell, all scores providing a lift to the Shams’ support base. Ryan’s first two pointer of the evening was the final score of the first half to leave the interval score reading 1-7 0-6 in their favour.
Colm O’Brien narrowed the gap to three on the restart before Gearoid O’Brien and Eoin Byrne swapped scores. Fennell kicked the first of his two pointers on thirty four minutes.
St Breckans managed to get on level terms with two pointers from Eoin Byrne and Rowan Danaher along with a free from Byrne. Instead of kicking on from here, the North Clare side were met unable to match Kilrush’s strong finish.
Forty nine year old Jim Young was thrown into the fray for the Shams and he had an immediate impact when offloading to O’Brien who found Tadhg Lysaght for their twelfth point on forty seven minutes, it was a week of sporting highs for the experienced Young who also hit a hole in one at Shannon Golf Club.
Lysaght’s score was the first of six in a row for the winners, two pointers from Fennell and Ryan among their tally here as they went from level terms to a nine point advantage, the spell where they effectively sealed the win.
Dermot Coughlan’s side had strong performances from Tadhg Lysaght, Gearoid O’Brien, Sean Fennell and Darragh Bolton, they’ll hope a shoulder injury sustained by midfielder Bolton is not serious enough to keep him out of championship action.
John Hayes lifted the Garry Cup in 2010 when the Shams last won Division 2, this time round it was full-forward Gearoid O’Brien who accepted the trophy from Clare GAA Irish & Cultural Officer, Joe Garry.
For St Breckans they were shy plenty of key players but they’ll need a big improvement if they want to be in the business end of the Clare SFC.
Scorers Kilrush Shamrocks: S Fennell (0-5 2TP), D Neary (1-2), S Ryan (0-4 2TPf), G O’Brien (0-3 1f), C Fennell (0-3), M Bonfield (0-1), T Lysaght (0-1), R Phelan (0-1)
Scorers St Breckans: E Byrne (0-6 1TPf 3f), P Kelly (0-4 1TPf 2f), R Danaher (0-2 1TP) E Guerin (0-2), R O’Connell (0-1), C O’Brien (0-1), C Morgan (0-1)
Kilrush Shamrocks:
1: Stephen Ryan;
2: James Blunnie
3: Ross Cullinan
4: Evan Power;
5: Tadhg Lysaght
6: Ciaran Bermingham
7: Dylan O’Brien
8: Darragh Bolton
9: Seán Fennell
10: Dean Neary
11: Conor Fennell
12: Ben McKiernan
13: Mark Bonfield
14: Gearoid O’Brien
15: Ross Phelan.
Kilrush:
19: Jim Young for Bonfirld (42),
22: Keith Crowley for O’Brien (57)
23: Darragh Blunnienfor Bolton (58) (inj)
18: Sean Canny for McKiernan (64),
St Breckans:
1: Conor O’Neill
4: Ronan Fitzpatrick
3: Alan Sweeney
2: Patrick Doherty
7: Rowan Danaher
6: Maccon Byrne
5: Padraig O’Dwyer
8: Padraig Kelly
9: Micheál Flanagan
10: Colm O’Brien
11: Eoin Guerin
12: Mark O’Donnell
13: Conor Shannon
14: Eoin Byrne
15: Rob O’Connell
Subs:
17: Cathal Morgan for O’Donnell (HT)
31: Dara Howley for Shannon (40)
18: Eoin Garrihy for Flanagan (54)
Referee: John O’Connell (Cooraclare)
