The culmination of Feakle’s long-standing pursuit for the Clare Senior Hurling Championship came to fruition in Cusack Park, Ennis, on Monday. They towered over their rivals, Sixmilebridge, closing a 36-year gap to achieve their much-deserved victory.
Despite a one-week delay due to Storm Ashley, Feakle stormed to victory, leading from start to finish in front of 6,557 eager fans. They overcame a missed penalty kick and effectively dominated the game. They ousted Sixmilebridge; a team with five senior titles within the past eight years under their belt, it seemed as though Sixmilebridge, the far more seasoned team, were the novices.
Feakle’s star player, Shane McGrath, despite the close marking by Seadna Morey, managed to secure eight placed balls and assisted in garnering five points for his team. The only setback was a phenomenal penalty save by Sixmilebridge’s goalkeeper, Derek Fahy, in the 23rd minute. Still, despite this minor hiccup and thanks to six different scorers including McGrath, Ger Conway’s side extended their lead to 0-8 to 0-3 by the start of the second quarter.
Key contributers, Captain Oisín Donnellan, Ronan O’Connor, Adam Hogan, Conn Smyth, Eoin Tuohy and Steven Conway all showcased their exceptional skills, further propelling Feakle’s victory. Despite the commendable resistance by Sixmilebridge’s Shane Golden, Seadna Morey, Colm Flynn, Barry Fitzpatrick and goalkeeper Fahy, the Sixmilebridge team fell short. They found the difficult pitch conditions harder to manoeuvre compared to their competitors, squandering two goal opportunities from David Kennedy and Matthew O’Halloran.
A minor comeback was ignited by a saved penalty as Lorcan Fitzpatrick, Kennedy, and Alex Morey reduced their arrears to merely two points by the 30-minute point. However, Feakle managed to shatter an 11-minute dry spell in time added on, with Packie Daly and Steven Conway contributing to a 0-10 to 0-6 lead at half-time.
As the second half unfolded, Feakle’s self-assuredness increased, invigorated by favourable conditions. Three well-earned points by McGrath were punctuated by an excellent first touch goal from substitute Owen McGann, marking the sole netted goal of the 60-minute match after the 40 minutes mark ironed out the scoreline at 1-13 to 0-7.
However, the game wasn’t concluded just yet. Alex Morey, Golden, Brian Corry, and Jamie Shanahan retorted with unrequited points, lessening the adverse margin to a mere five ahead of the critical final quarter.
Seadna Morey – a dual recipient of the prestigious All-Ireland senior accolade – valiantly strove to redirect the course of action, only to witness his effort in the 56th minute astoundingly parried by his county level counterparty Eibhear Quilligan. Points secured by McGrath, Oisín Donnellan, and Eoin Tuohy bookended this strategic move, culminating the match on a high note.
In a moment of fitting appreciation, Oisín Donnellan collected the Canon Hamilton trophy, 36 years after his father Val’s 1988 triumphant win, marking Feakle’s seventh senior triumph but merely their second in the last eight decades. The team composed of influential core members and substitutes including E Quilligan, A Hogan, E Daly, K Bane, C Smyth, R O’Connor, E Noonan, S Conway, P Daly, M Daly and O O’Connor with O McGann, R Bane, E Madden and F Donnellan transitioning from the sidelines.
In SIXMILEBRIDGE, D Fahy was the main player, accompanied by C Flynn, B Fitzpatrick, and N Purcell. C Deasy, S Morey, and P Fitzpatrick also played major roles, whilst J Loughnane, M O’Halloran were pivotal to the team’s performance. Other players such as L Fitzpatrick, J Shanahan, S Golden, B Corry, A Morey, and D Kennedy contributed to the scores with scores of 0-1, 0-1, 0-2, 0-2, 0-5 and 0-1, respectively. Additionally, A Morey scored five times from free kicks.
In the 25th minute, C Morey replaced Deasy and later, at the 37th minute, B Carey and A Mulready came on for Loughnane and Kennedy respectively. Subsequently, F Ó Braoin substituted A Morey at the 60th minute mark and then L Kelly took over from Purcell in the 61st minute. J Mullins from Clonlara served as the referee for the game.