GAA: ALLIANZ NATIONAL HURLING LEAGUE DIVISION 2B – ROUND 5
Lilies Bloom In The West To Take Division 2B Title And Win Promotion
KILDARE 2-24
MAYO 1-19
By Daire Walsh
IT may have required a remarkable turnaround in fortune, but Kildare got their hands on the National Hurling League Division 2B crown at MacHale Park in Castlebar last Saturday.
Trailing their opponents Mayo by eight points approaching half-time in a winners-takes-all affair, David Herity’s Lilywhites rallied before ultimately triumphing on the same margin. Following three relatively straightforward victories over Donegal, Derry and Roscommon on the road to this game, this was the first real test of Kildare’s resolve in 2021.
The westerners had threatened to spoil the party for large spells, but a David Slattery goal prior to the interval had a galvanising effect for the visitors. The Lilies rattled off seven points without reply on the resumption and never looked back from that point onwards.
Division 2A of next year’s NHL is expected to be a significant step-up in quality, but it is the kind of challenge that this motivated group will crave.
Whereas in years gone by the Lilywhites’ vastly-superior scoring average would have made a Mayo ambush almost impossible, the head-to-head system of the Allianz Leagues ensured Mayo were in the frame for the third-tier title.
The Lilies appeared to be on the right track towards success when Slattery and Paul Divilly fired over well-worked points during the early exchanges. Mayo did manage to settle, however, with former inter-county footballer Keith Higgins pulling the strings effectively in a withdrawn role.
Introduced to the starting line-up at the 11th hour, Corey Scahill and Sean Regan posted points to get Mayo up and running.
Regan posed a real danger to the Kildare defence and after getting on the end of a pass from Tooreen club-mate Oisin Greally on eight minutes, he slotted the sliotar beyond the reach of Clane’s Paddy McKenna.
The Lilywhites issued an immediate response through the in-form Jack Sheridan, but Mayo were in no mood to let Kildare dictate the flow of the game. In the space of seven minutes, the hosts registered five points without reply courtesy of Higgins (two), Shane Boland, John Cassidy and Adrian Phillips.
Herity’s men were encountering a resistance that was absent throughout their previous games in this campaign and it took a Johnny Byrne point just to settle their nerves again. This score left Kildare six points in arrears (1-7 to 0-4) at the first half water break.
While this potentially offered them a chance to realign, the fact that Mayo had a substantial wind advantage at their disposal made life difficult for the league leaders. Whereas Brian Byrne hit a brace of wayward frees, Higgins converted place-ball efforts either side of a Cathal Freeman score on the turn.
A sublime Sheridan sideline cut on the left-hand touchline also featured in this juncture and the Naas man dissected the uprights off a long-range free on 27 minutes to keep Kildare in the hunt.
As well known for their proficiency with a big ball as a small one, Higgins and Johnny Byrne traded points just shy of the half-hour mark. Kildare then looked set to receive a lifeline when James Burke was hauled down by Mayo defender David Kenny just outside the large square.
This led to both a penalty and a sin-binning for Kenny, but Bobby Douglas was equal to Sheridan’s 20-metre strike. The Mayo team were given an enormous lift as a consequence, with Regan (two) and Higgins finding the target in ruthless style.
Although another Sheridan sideline and a Slattery point were squeezed into this sequence, Kildare’s most important score of the opening period arrived in the final minute of stoppage-time. Following a superb fetch off a Divilly delivery, Byrne released Slattery on goal and the Confey ace drilled to the net.
This reduced the deficit to five points for the start of the second half, when the elements and a renewed sense of confidence propelled Kildare onto greater heights. After being a link man in the opening 35 minutes, Burke took it upon himself to carry the scoring burden.
Supplementing a Sheridan free, he amassed four points from play in as many minutes to spectacularly cancel out the Mayo lead. Kildare went on to have a couple of near misses, but finally edged themselves back into the ascendancy with a brace of Sheridan frees.
Team captain Brian Byrne was fouled for both of these scores and he was certainly making the most of his roving commission. Kildare had anticipated that Mayo would produce some form of response to this blitz and Higgins split the posts off a 51st-minute free to keep the tie delicately poised.
However, there was a sense of destiny about the Lilywhites now and five more points on the bounce – Kevin Whelan, Sheridan (two), Conor Dowling and Burke – left Mayo with considerable ground to cover late on.
To their credit, it wasn’t for the lack of trying and they outscored Kildare 0-4 to 0-2 to move four behind at the end of normal time. Higgins (two), Freeman and Pearse McCrann found the range for Mayo, while Shane Ryan (introduced for Slattery on the hour) scored both of the Lilywhites’ points.
Though this might have been enough of a buffer to see Kildare through, Dowling made sure of their win by angling a low shot past Douglas on 71 minutes. Sheridan’s 10th point of the day preceded this strike as Kildare rounded out their league season in style.
In spite of a mooted trophy presentation in the stands, it was a post-match to savour for the Kildare players. The majority of the squad had their parents in attendance, with a small crowd permitted to attend following the recent relaxation of gatherings for outdoor sporting events.
With the Lilies set to embark on their Joe McDonagh Cup odyssey in the coming weeks, they will hope there is more reason to be cheerful as the summer progresses.
KILDARE: Paddy McKenna; Cathal Derivan, Rian Boran, Simon Leacy; Kevin Whelan 0-1, Declan Flaherty, Sean Christanseen; Kevin Aherne, Paul Divilly 0-1; Cathal McCabe, James Burke 0-5, Johnny Byrne 0-2; Brian Byrne, Jack Sheridan 0-10, 6 frees, 2 sidelines, David Slattery 1-2. Subs: Jack Travers for Christanseen (27), Conor Dowling 1-1 for McCabe (half-time), Shane Ryan 0-2 for Slattery, Tadhg Forde for Aherne (both 60), Cathal Dowling for Divilly (66), Mark Delaney for J Byrne (66-68, blood sub), Delaney for Burke (74).
MAYO: Bobby Douglas; Daniel Huane, Conor Daly, Corey Scahill 0-1; Gary Nolan, Pearse McCrann 0-1, David Kenny; John Cassidy 0-1, Sean Kenny; Adrian Phillips 0-1, Cathal Freeman 0-3, 1 free, Sean Regan 1-3; Oisin Greally, Keith Higgins 0-8, 8 frees, Shane Boland 0-1. Subs: Conor Henry for Daly (7), Brian Hunt for Scahill, Kieran Kiely for Phillips (both 46), Brian Morley for Boland (59), Conor Murray for Kenny (66).
REFEREE: Kevin Jordan (Tipperary).