GAA: Greyhound Eoin’s pedigree Tipps the scales as Carlow slump

3/14/2007 - By: Leo McGough

NHL Division 2A

Meath 1-18 Carlow 2-14


A GREYHOUND proved Meath’s ‘dark horse’ in this hurling match at Éire Óg’s football field on Saturday as a marriage of convenience was consummated!

A mixed metaphor to beat all mixed metaphors! And to add fuel to the fire Carlow were also burnt by a glowing coal!

The greyhound in question is Eoin Brislane of Tipperary’s famed Toomevara Greyhounds who, surplus to requirements in his native Premier County and availing of hurling’s version of the ‘great-granny’ rule, has Tipp Meath though continuing to play his club hurling back home.

Though his Meath debut had been signposted it was not expected to be so soon and Brislane, vital to Toomevara’s Munster Club Championship victory, was not even listed on the programme (printed for the original fixture that fell foul to the weather the previous Sunday) though reporters were informed the Tipp man would be wearing number 30 and primed for action.

Primed for action he most certainly was, chomping at the bit in the trap and when released for the start of the second half the Greyhound, a big, tall and strong dark horse, raced through for a rousing point with his very first slice of action.

Two more superb points were to follow from the stick of Brislane, who made three championship appearances with Tipperary in 2003 and who scored a magnificent goal for Toomevara in last month’s gripping All-Ireland Club semi-final against Ballyhale Shamrocks in Portlaoise.

So, a man who was mixing it with Henry Shefflin and Cha Fitzpatrick four or five weeks ago was now deciding the fate of a ‘Christy Ring’ county and his enormous contribution on Saturday may well have scuppered Carlow’s NHL ambitions. Make no mistake, without Brislane Meath would have lost.

Dressing room news that the Royal County visitors would be without their Railway Cup hurler, Nickey Horan, due to injury, gave us false hopes. We had speculated that Meath would miss his radar-like accuracy but we reckoned without one Mickey Cole, the Meath number 12, who assumed the free-taking responsibilities and gave an absolutely marvellous display of placed ball marksman-ship.

Seven points Cole piloted over from long range frees, nailed another from a narrow angle, powered home a goal from a penalty and, for good measure, the Rathmoylon raider arrowed over three sweet points from play.

That all comes to 1-11, some shooting, his hat-trick of points in a two minute period midway through the second half (one from a free, two intercepts from play) crucial to the Meath cause while his last two free, one to equalise, the other to win the match proved Cole had nerves of steel.

That Cole was afforded the opportunity to rack up 1-8 from placed balls was down to a lack of discipline in the Carlow ranks, many of the frees needlessly or carelessly conceded and the fact that three of those points came after fouls that earned Carlow players yellow cards meant a case of ‘double trouble’ for the home side.

Mind you, Meath too, conceded 1-8 by way of frees, the exact same total as Carlow, though the construction of those tallies varied considerably. The home goal came via a long range free, a fortunate effort when a point shot by Shane Kavanagh eluded the ‘keeper, the Carlow Railway Cup hurler having earlier converted a free from a similar distance into a point.

Brendan Lawler accumulated seven points from placed balls, all of which would have to be considered ‘bread-and-butter’ to an inter-county free-taker but nearly all Mickey Cole’s strikes came from outside the 70m mark.

1-8 apiece, then, in the scoring stakes from frees, the tallies from play read 0-10 to 1-6 in Meath’s favour, the three points from the Tipperary substitute thhe decisive factor when totaling this column.

However, probably the most telling statistic of all from this dour NHL fixture was the fact that Meath, backed by the strong wind that appeared to gain in strength during the break, outscored Carlow to the tune of 0-14 to 0-5 over the course of the second half.

Carlow had twice led by seven points, 1-6 to 0-2 after 23 minutes and 2-9 to 1-4 at half-time, but once Meath, buoyed by Brislane, shot three rat-tat-tat points early in the second half, the North Leinster men sensed victory was a distinct possibility.

Seamus Murphy had had a chance of a Carlow goal in first half injury time, shooting narrowly wide with a ground ball and a three-pointer at that juncture would have opened up a ten point gap.

As it was Carlow stayed in front until the 27th minute of the half when, like the old Mission Impossible tape, they self destructed, those Cole intercept points on sloppy Carlow attempts at short puck-outs gifting Meath the lead though Carlow briefly regained the advantage with a brace of points from Lawler and John Coady.

Fittingly, though, Mickey Cole had the final say and he immaculately stroked over the leveller (a free brought forward for dissent), then the winner.

Carlow, poor in Armagh, were not much better on this occasion, their hurling lacking the fluency and, dare one say it, the passion required to make any worthwhile progress in inter-county hurling.

Our striking, first touch and decision making was far from promotion candidate requirements, too many unforced errors, best illustrated by the concession of frees and while the work-rate was good, that bullishness needed to defend a lead was again absent.

It almost proved fatal in Keady when losing a ten point advantage, eight ahead here, Carlow were unable to ‘close the deal’ and paid the price.

With high-flying Wicklow (conquerors of Laois), Derry (away, who saw off Armagh comfortably) and Laois (smarting after the shock Wicklow setback) on Carlow’s fixture list over the next three Sunday’s we could, conceivably, but for that Armagh win, have had the spectre of Division 3 hurling hanging over us.

A far cry from Croke Park and the Christy Ring final.

CARLOW: Frank Foley (Mount Leinster Rangers); Andrew Gaule (Ballinkillen), Dessie Shaw (Naomh Bríd), Hugh Paddy O’Byrne (Mount Leinster Rangers); Edward Coady (Mount Leinster Rangers, capt.), Shane Kavanagh (Naomh Eoin, 1-1f), Richard Coady (Mount Leinster Rangers, 0-1); John Rogers (Erin’s Own), Damien Roberts (Naomh Eoin); Rory Dunbar (Carlow Town, 0-1), Robbie Foley (Naomh Eoin, 0-2), John Coady (Mount Leinster Rangers, 0-1); Brendan Lawler (Naomh Bríd, 0-7f), Seamus Murphy (St Mullins, 1-1), Craig Doyle (Erin’s Own).

Subs: Seán Watchorn (Naomh Bríd) for Shaw (half-time); Mark Brennan (Naomh Bríd) for R Coady; Alan Brennan (Naomh Bríd) for Murphy.

MEATH: Mark Brennan; Martin Horan, Enda Keogh, Tony Fox; Pat Ryan, David Donnelly, Stephen Donoghue; John Meyler, David Crimmins; Steven Clynch (0-2), Clayton Keegan, Mick Cole (1-11, 1-0 pen, 8f); Joey Keena, Peter Durnin (0-1), Ger O’Neill (0-1).

Subs: Eoin Brislane (0-3) for Keegan, Pauric Coone for Durnin.

REF: Johnny Ryan (Tipperary).