AHL 1 – Ballyboden St Endas 1 21 St. Oliver Plunkett’s ER 1 21

Long Fella Reports from PUM

This was our last AHL 1 game before championship. A highlight of our home games has been the half-time mini games from our Juvenile hurlers. On Saturday last it was the turn of our Under 12s and they did not disappoint. The Senior Hurlers even had the honour of having their photograph taken with them. After all, they are the Stars of the Future. Well done to them and to all the Juvenile players and we look forward to seeing them at our Championship games.

The visitors for Saturday evening’s AHL1 league fixture laid it out straight and clear in advance of the Dublin Senior Hurling championship due to commence in July. Plunkett’s are going after Boden in the first round, not just turning up and earning “moral points”, no! Plunkett’s will test Boden to the limit, no half measures. Conditions were perfect, even after some afternoon light rain, wind only slightly helping the side playing into Greenacres.

The competitive nature of the evening opened with the arrival of the Tipperary Emancipator. Unaware as he was, that he was being recorded….secretly….. his guard came down… and in a style similar to that of the uncrowned king, he opined ”Jazz, we have a novel pairing down in Munster tomorrow, the “weaker” counties fighting it out”. AW now, ye must have a preference of who you’d like to see as Munster champions!.”Jazz, Nather of em”!

Back to the business of the evening.

The pattern of the game reflected the evenly-balanced qualities of the sides. Plunkett’s hit the turf with real purpose and maintained their fluency right through the first half, but only with a two point lead at the break. Prominent for the Navan Road men were Ronan O’Broin with a good goal, Ger Ryan from frees and play, and Mogarel Popa with the best of their points. Boden were hugely dependent on Timmy Hammersley who hit five frees and a single from play. John McGuire pointed beautifully, as well as setting Timmy in position for his point. Another who impressed was Simon Lambert with a brace, the second which had Rob Leddy and Timmy at the build-up stage. Sean McDonnell also scored after Eoin Behan laid on the pass. The remaining Boden point came off Fergal Ryan’s camaan. H/T 1.10 to 0.11.

Boden opened well on resumption with a neat point from Shane Durkin (McGuire and Ryan in the build-up) and yet again Timmy from a brace of frees and a Behan assisted point. Plunketts hit back through Ryan and Irinel Popa (the bro). Timmy stepped up again with a free from surely 110 metres, and he followed up by laying on the pass to Luke McDwyer for the score of the game. Score 1.13 to Boden’s nineteen points. The visitors did not lie down and responded with four unanswered points from Popa, Fionn Boland and goalman Dean Farrell with a brace from frees. Timmy hit a beauty to level matters again, but again the visitors came back with a brace from Popa and Neil Clerkin. Timmy and Ryan each scored from frees to keep the score to a two point difference in favour of Plunkett’s. The next move did not appear to have a huge threat to it, well not until Boden’s Luke Mulligan-lynch worked the ball down the wing into the twenty metre zone. He got the lay-off to Simo who walloped the ball past Deano. The final play got bogged down in the ruck of all rucks involving about twenty players. The late great Moss Keane would have been proud to have been a part of it. The inevitable throw-in fed to Plunketts Sean Clerkin who found the posts to tie the game. Puck-out, final whistle and hand-shakes.

Timmy finished on a game total of fourteen points, twelve from frees and a brace from play. Superb by any standard. Simo bagged a goal and two points, as well as covering well on the forty. Conal Keaney returned to action with a solid showing, despite the tight-touch marking on him. For Plunketts, the Romanian born Popa brothers had solid games and Ryan did well from play and frees. Clerkin led the defence well, as well as hitting crucial scores.

Squad; Conor O’Donoghue, Rob Leddy, Barry McGuire, Luke Mulligan-Lynch, Jack Lambert, Dean Curran, Simon Lambert, Sean McDonnell, John McGuire, Shane Durkin, Timmy Hammersley, Eoin Behan, Fergal Ryan, Conal Keaney, Darragh Kenny, Malachy Codd, Adam Kelleher, Luke McDwyer, Paddy Dunleavy, Luke Corcoran, Daniel Glynn, Cillian Kirwan.