LEINSTER MFC FINAL REPLAY
DUBLIN 1-15 KILDARE 1-10 (AET)
THEY carried the cup to the podium like it was an ornament hardly worthy of a mantelpiece.
In the stands the last thing they expected was a repeat of the drawn game and for most of the first half the only difference was the venue. Kildare dominated and then they were decimated before a brief flurry at the end of the first half offered them some hope of a second half recovery.
This time those hopes were much slimmer and it was hard to argue that Kildare had any momentum at the interval.
They trailed by six points, Dublin had repeated their total of 1-6 from the drawn game and Kildare were one goal worse off though they had enough chances to be at least three points better again.
Seven first half wides told of Kildare’s misery in front of the target and they had scored just once in 25 minutes.
Dublin were coasting at that stage, six points to the good and a goal added in the 22nd minute when Paul Hudson bravely flicked the ball to the net when he got to it ahead of Kildare keeper Mark Donnellan. The collision left Hudson bruised on the ground but the green flag eased his pain.
For the second time in six days Bryan Murphy’s Kildare minor side would have to believe his mantra that games aren’t won after 30 minutes.
But not even Murphy could have predicted that some games take 140 minutes to elicit a winner.
Maybe that was why the Leinster council officials were late with the winners’ prize. Though there was only ten minutes to throw-in as the blue and white ribbons trailed across the Dr Cullen pitch, it would be 90 minutes at least before the chairman would have to unleash his best Irish on the 1,000 plus crowd gathered in the Carlow venue.
While Michael Delaney’s assertion that it was the best minor decider in an age sounded genuine rather than rehearsed, it was little reward for the red-eyed Kildare teenagers that had been flattened by a five point defeat.
The best team had won and though many of these young Lilies will be back again next year they were quickly learning something old men know only too well: the best is the enemy of the good.
And while they won’t realise it much now, time is very much on their side.
They have two weeks to prepare for the All-Ireland series and though the challenge will be no less than that faced in this exhilarating Leinster finale their learning has been accelerated in the last week.
“Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want.”
This was the phrase they abided by beforehand. Little did they know that ‘expect the unexpected’ would have been just as appropriate. Paul Cribbin was sick during the week and on the morning of the game wing back Eoin Doyle had to see the doctor when he came down with the flu. He battled on despite his weakened body and his teammates showed the same courage after half-time, battling back from six points down to take the lead with seven minutes remaining.
Despite an improvement in Kildare’s scoring at the start of the second half when Cribbin, Seán Hurley and Cian Reynolds reduced the margin to four Dublin were still taking their scores closer to goal and with much more ease. All of a sudden the white hordes began a charge, a second Hurley effort and then two beauties from Cribbin took them within stirking distance.
A long ball into the full forward line from Jojn Comerford put Darroch Mulhall through on goal. His right-footed bullet almost burst the net and Kildare led for the first and only time.
Within a minute Paul Hudson equalised from a difficult free and for the second time an hour of football would prove insufficient to separate these two sides.
Kildare finished the stronger but when extra-time arrived it was clear that Dublin were in a position of strength. While Mulhall had another glorious goal chance well saved by David Downey, Dublin coolly went about the business of winning with points from Feargal Duffy, Paul Hudson and Gary Sweeney.
Only another wonderful score from Mulhall kept Kildare in the hunt before the end of that first period, swivelling neatly 40 metres from goal to kick a point.
The Lilies might have precipitated another Dublin collapse at the start of the second period but their bodies were unwilling to execute those intentions and three more wides gave Dublin a hint of blood. Their response was to offer a point for each Kildare opportunity sacrificed and that ornament they came here to play for finally had a place to call home.
KILDARE: Mark Donnellan; Donnchadh McDonnell, Thomas Barron, Padraic Cullen; Colin O’Shea, Kevin Corrigan, Eoin Doyle; Tomás Moolick, John Comerford; Philip Cocoman, Paul Cribbin (.-.), Seán Hurley (.-.); Darroch Mulhall (.-.), Padraig Fogarty, Cian Reynolds (.-.). Subs: Kevin Fitzpatrick for Cocoman, ..; Cian Bolton for Fogarty, ..; Bernard Daey for Reynolds, ..; Des Holton for Barron, ..; Jonathon Byrne for O’Shea, ..; Thomas Barron for McDonnell, ..; Willie Burke for Corrigan, ..
DUBLIN: David Downey; Kevin O’Brien, Fionn Carney, Alan Carr; Daithi " Murchu, John Kelly, Gerry Seaver (.-.); Eoghan Keogh, Ciarán Reddin; Feargal Breathnach (.-.), Gary Sweeney (.-.), Colm Carr (.-.); Fergal Duffy (.-.), Darragh Stapleton ( Paul Hudson (.-., .-.fs). Subs: Mark Schutte for Stapleton, ..; Daniel Byrne for " Múrchú, ..; Sean Swords for A Carr, ..; Philip Ryan for Hudson, ..
REFEREE: Paul Kneel, Louth