Agony for Ballygiblin in thrilling All-Ireland junior hurling final
Mark Keane of Ballygiblin is fouled by Cormac Daly of Mooncoin, who was shown a yellow card, at Croke Park. Picture: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Mooncoin 0-22 Ballygiblin 1-18
IT was not to be for Ballygiblin in the AIB All-Ireland Junior final at Croke Park despite a magnificent display from the Cork side.
But despite their loss, the north Cork club can look back on the season with pride on what they achieved and can look forward to playing in the higher ranks in the championship in the coming months. Coming into the final there were considered underdogs by most but they gave it everything and certainly can't be faulted for their efforts.
It was always going to be a tough, physical encounter and from the start it certainly was. Ballygiblin won possession from the throw-in with Mooncoin keeper Eoin Purcell picking up a long ball in. However, the Ballygiblin forwards surrounded him with Darragh Flynn picking up the breaking ball to score after just 35 seconds.
Mooncoin were back on level terms from the restart with John Fitzgerald raising a white flag and he put them in front four minutes in. Ryan Donegan had the sides level again before Mooncoin took a grip on matters.
Four points in two minutes put them 0-6 to 0-2 up, with nine minutes gone. Martin O'Neill got the first from a free, with Patrick Walsh hitting the next two, and Kevin Crowley rounded off the four-point spree. But Ballygiblin hit back with two frees from Joseph O'Sullivan and one from Michael Walsh putting only one between them.
Colin English had them level for the third time before O'Neill raised a white flag for Mooncoin to make it 0-9 to 0-8. Two late points for Ballygiblin, the first from Seán O'Sullivan and a 65 from Joseph O'Sullivan saw the Cork side go in at half-time a point to the good, 0-10 to 0-9.
Mooncoin were out early for the second half, no doubt with a few choice words in their ears from their management, and it showed.
Two early points from Ciaran Quility and Patrick Walsh put them back in front before Ballygiblin were unlucky not to goal. A superb block from Mark Kearns denied Colin English what looked like a certain goal. Crowley extended their lead to two before the Cork champions retook the lead.
A sublime ball from Mark Keane found Dean Barry and he gave Purcell no chance of saving, to make it 1-10 to 0-12, with 38 minutes played.
Credit to Mooncoin they hit back, with two from Hogan and a free from Walsh making it 0-15 to 1-10.
This time it was Ballygiblin who had to respond and that they did, with Joseph O'Sullivan and Flynn raising white flags to tie it up again.
Fitzgerald put his side back in front and they could have been in for a goal, only for a magnificent interception by Fionn Herlihy to deny Mooncoin.
White flags from Martin O'Neill and Walsh made it 0-18 to 1-12, with 48 minutes gone.
Joseph O'Sullivan and Fitzgerald exchanged points before two more from the Ballygiblin man-made it 1-15 to 0-19. Walsh extended Mooncoin's lead before O'Sullivan pointed another free to trim the gap again. A brilliant point from Adam Croke, from the tightest of angles, put two between them, but in injury time O'Sullivan pointed another free to make it a one-point game.
O'Neill scored a magnificent point from a sideline and even though Flynn replied Mooncoin hung on to win, despite the valiant efforts of the Cork side.
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