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The Blackrock bench was crucial in the club claiming its first senior hurling title in the county in 18 years.
While Alan Connolly gave another display of his precocious talent, it was the 3-5 from the bench that helped tip the balance in his favor in this thriller in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
With the wind, Blackrock thundered in the first extra period, points from Connolly and Alan O’Callaghan gave them ascendancy before Shane O’Keeffe followed a Connolly ball to find the net. Two more points from Blackrock followed when Robbie Cotter shot home in the 67th minute and the margin was 10.
Two placed balls from Patrick Horgan closed the gap to eight on the changeover, 3-24 to 3-16, and another five of him followed successively the second half, three of them coming from a penalty he won. However, Cotter’s second goal sealed it for Blackrock and the 33rd senior county crown.
A pair of Simon Kennefick goals in the second half of normal time had brought Glen Rovers back into play and was expected given the elements. The first came a minute after the new half after a solo by Stephen McDonnell, the second triple four minutes later, as a result of his follow-up on his rebound shot.
That score tied them and a Horgan 65 put them ahead, but that lead was short-lived as substitute Tadhg Deasy produced a solo effort to find the net in the 39th minute. Blackrock, defying the wind, was four up in the minute 42, but found himself one behind six minutes later after a flurry of scores from Glen, including a goal from Mark Dooley.
As the teams were tied four times in the final 10 minutes of normal time, Dooley added another pair of points as did Cotter, Blackrock’s replacement. A point from Adam O’Donovan in the 59th minute sent Blackrock ahead in four minutes of additional time, but they were tied back by a powerful band cut from Deasy. And just when Horgan appeared to have won for Glen Rovers, he awarded Connolly a free and sent the game into overtime.
In the teeth of the elements, Glen Rovers started brilliantly and scored three points before Blackrock opened his account in the sixth minute. Glen’s forward midfielder looked particularly strong in winning the primary ball, but they could have done more with their loot.
Blackrock responded with six points on the rebound, three of them from Connolly, including two free ones, and he also threw the ball through the goal from an acute angle in the 11th minute. But there was no doubt about the threat from Connolly, as Blackrock should have had more to show before the breakup.
A beautiful turn, solo and shooting effort from Horgan brought Glen Rovers close to two at the water break and Dean Brosnan added another afterward, but Blackrock was four up in the 24th minute with another purple patch assisted by the wind.
They should have been five up, but for a flagrant foul on Connolly missed by the referee and the team traded a couple of points before the break before a fourth free Connolly sent Blackrock to five points for good, 0-12 to 0 -7.
A Connolly (0-13, 10 free); R Cotter (2-2); T Deasy (0-1 from the wing), S O’Keeffe (1-1 each); N Cashman, D Meaney, M O’Halloran, A O’Callaghan (0-2 each); J O’Sullivan (0-1).
P Horgan (1-11, 1-0 featherweight, 5 free, 2 65); S Kennefick (2-0); M Dooley (1-2); To O’Donovan (0-2); L Coughlan, D Brosnan (0-1 each).
G Connolly; R Laide, G Norberg, J Ryan; S Murphy, N. Cashman, Cathal Cormack; D. O’Farrell, D. Meaney; M O’Keeffe, Ciaran Cormack, John O’Sullivan; A Connolly, S O’Keeffe, M O’Halloran.
T Deasy for M O’Keeffe, J Cashman for R Laide (both 38); R Cotter by Ciaran Cormack, A O’Callaghan by J Ryan (both 52); K O’Keeffe by J O’Sullivan (60); E O’Farrell for A O’Farrell (69); M O’Halloran for M O’Keeffe (76).
C Hickey; S McDonnell, R Downey, D Dooling; A Lynch, B Moylan (c), D Noonan; D Cronin, A O’Donovan; D. Brosnan, P. Horgan, M. Dooley; C Dorris, S Kennefick, L Coughlan.
D Cunningham by C Dorris (42); C Healy for D Dooling, D Tynan for D Brosnan (both 55 years old); L Horgan for D Cronin (58); G Kennefick for L Coughlan, D Brosnan for D Tynan (et ht); D Morris for A O’Donovan (inj 75).
C McAllister.
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