Rahoon’s hopes dashed

Date Published: 27-Oct-2009

SYLANE claimed the Woodford Nurseries U21 C hurling title in Ballindereen on Sunday afternoon, beating Rahoon-Newcastle in an illtempered final that saw the winners overcome a late sending off to register a sevenpoint win.

Paul Burke was the hero for Sylane as his accuracy from placed balls ensured Sean Costello’s side held a five-point lead at the interval having played with strong wind advantage. In fact, Burke was, incredibly, the victors’ only scorer until Bernard Power and Ciaran Ludden struck late on to seal the deal.

A scrappy first half was understandably, given the conditions, littered with both errors and frees. Rahoon-Newcastle were faced with an uphill battle after 20 minutes of action, with only a Dermot Tarpey free to their name, while Paul Burke had clinically rifled in a goal as well as raising five white flags.

Rahoon-Newcastle’s hopes improved, though, on 25 minutes when they were awarded a 20 metre free after a move involving Ray Connelly and Eoghan O’Connor which looked to have yielded a point was brought back for an earlier Sylane infringement, and Dermot Tarpey took full advantage, blasting to the back of the net. Although Burke converted two late frees, a five point gap was hardly insurmountable for the city side.

Sylane, though, proved a dogged outfit in the difficult conditions, as a defence led by captain Michael Leonard harried and hassled and gave their opponents few opportunities for easy scores. It wasn’t pretty stuff, and it took Rahoon-Newcastle twelve minutes to register a score when Dermot Tarpey again tapped over a free.

Wides then blighted the Rahoon-Newcastle effort as they registered four on the trot, Enda Feeney’s errant 48th minute effort coming just before Sylane’s Ross Monaghan received his marching orders for a reckless foul on Dermot Tarpey. The incident, which occurred just in front of the dugouts, triggered ugly scenes involving subs and mentors of both clubs.

Order was restored following a four minute delay, but a simmering tension remained just below the surface both on and off the field. Enda Feeney refocused minds on the game with a sharp burst forward to make it 1-7 to 1-4, and with only a puck of the ball in it, a dramatic finish looked on.

Sylane, though, had other ideas and they won a 57th minute free on the left sideline that needed a mighty Paul Burke strike to send it over the bar. Buoyed by the score, Sylane surged forward once more and added another point from Bernard Power.

With five minutes of injury time expected, Rahoon-Newcastle still had time for the two goals that were now needed, but their attack was labouring badly and they were limited to a Dermot Tarpey free. Sylane then added gloss to the scoreline deep in injury time when Stephen Reilly’s goalbound effort stuck in the mud and was finished off by Ciaran Ludden.

Sylane now have an U21 title to celebrate in the club’s 25th anniversary year, and while Paul Burke led the scoring exploits, Bernard Power, Padraig Glynn, Michael Leonard, Alan Cullinane, and Eoin Cunningham were also deserving of praise for their efforts. Rahoon-Newcastle were best served on the day by Dermot Tarpey, Joseph Burke, James Ruffley, and Enda Feeney.