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2021 / 2022 AIB GAA Hurling All-Ireland Junior Club Final – Mooncoin (Kilkenny) 0-22 Ballygiblin (Cork) 1-18

February 5, 2022 @ 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Mooncoin (Kilkenny) defeated Ballygiblin (Cork) by 0-22 to 1-18 in the 2021 / 2022 AIB GAA Hurling All-Ireland Junior Club Championship Final on Saturday February 5th at Croke Park.

Match Highlights

Mooncoin break Ballygiblin hearts in traditional Kilkenny-Cork tussle

Report by Therese O’Callaghan for the Irish Examiner newspaper

All-Ireland Club JHC Final: Mooncoin (Kilkenny) 0-22 Ballygiblin (Cork) 1-18

Five years after losing to Mayfield by a single point, there was glorious redemption for Mooncoin as they claimed AIB All-Ireland junior club championship glory in Croke Park this afternoon. A first title too for the Kilkenny side after an exhilarating game of hurling played in traditional Cork/Kilkenny style. They had four survivors from 2017 who lined out – Eoin Purcell, Cormac Daly, John Fitzgerald and Kevin Crowley.

As well, what turned out to be the winning point was befitting of the occasion, wing-back Martin O’Neill showing fantastic skill cutting the sliotar over the bar in the 64th minute.

It was heart-breaking for Ballygiblin who contributed to such a tremendous game of hurling.

Ballygiblin led 0-10 to 0-9 at the break.

As the interval score suggests, there was little between them throughout that opening half, the match tied four four times. It was deadlock, 0-2 apiece, after five minutes before Mooncoin hit a good patch and had points through man-of-the-match Patrick Walsh (2), Martin O’Neill and Kevin Crowley.

Ballygiblin responded, Kieran Duggan fouled en route to goal, free-taker Joseph O’Sullivan happy to tap over and get the scoreboard moving again. O’Sullivan struck his second free and when Michael Walsh landed an excellent score, the deficit was reduced to one, 0-6 to 0-5 after a busy 13 minutes.

The Kilkenny side edged in front again, courtesy of a Patrick Walsh free and an outrageous point from Adam Croke out on the sideline.

Ballygiblin dominated the next few minutes. Mark Keane set up Darragh Flynn for a fine point, and there were two from play from Sean O’Sullivan and a superb solo effort from Colin English.

In between, Ballygiblin goalkeeper Christopher Noonan pulled off a tremendous one-on-one save from Adam Croke.

Martin O’Neill and Sean O’Sullivan exchanged points to leave it nine each entering stoppage.

Sean O’Sullivan almost goaled for Ballygiblin in injury time but his shot was cleared off the line for a ’65 – Joseph O’Sullivan rifled over the dead ball to give his side a one-point interval advantage.

A significant statistic from the opening half was the wide count of eight to Mooncoin, Ballygiblin three.

The men in green and white restarted with three unanswered points and they also denied Colin English a shot at goal when defender Mark Kearns got in with a block. However, they were unable to prevent Dean Barry’s ground shot finding the net in the 38th minute after he latched on to a long delivery from Mark Keane, 1-10 to 0-12.

Mooncoin took over once more, and by the 50th minute they had outscored the red and white nine points to 1-2. As well, Noonan and captain Fionn Herlihy came to Ballygiblin’s rescue.

At this juncture, Mark Keane moved up to attack and was in the thick of the action winning two important frees. Joseph O’Sullivan reduced the margin to the minimum five minutes from the end, 0-19 to 1-15.

It made for a frenetic finish, as another magnificent white flag from Adam Croke pushed Mooncoin two clear at the end of regulation.

With three minutes of added time, Ballygiblin couldn’t gain parity. A fabulous sideline cut by wing-back Martin O’Neill (his fourth point) the highlight of the closing stages. It left his team 0-22 to 1-17 ahead.

Darragh Flynn pegged one back. But the day belonged to Willie Coogan’s youthful Mooncoin.

The result marked three-in-a-row titles for Kilkenny – a county that dominates this club championship – following the success of Conahy Shamrocks and Dunamaggin in the last two deciders.

Scorers for Mooncoin: P Walsh (0-7, 0-4 frees), M O’Neill (0-1 free, 0-1 65, 0-1 sl) and J Fitzgerald (0-4 each), K Hogan (0-3), A Croke (0-2), C Quilty and K Crowley (0-1 each).

Scorers for Ballygiblin: J O’Sullivan (0-9, 0-8 frees, 0-1 65), D Barry (1-0), S O’Sullivan and D Flynn (0-3 each), R Donegan, C English and M Walsh (0-1 each).

MOONCOIN: E Purcell; A Doyle, C Daly (Capt), M Kearns; M O’Neill, P Henebery, J Delahunty; M Gannon, S Gannon; C Quilty, J Fitzgerald, K Crowley; A Croke, P Walsh, K Hogan.
Subs: S O’Dwyer for K Crowley (41).
Captain Niall Madden injured.

BALLYGIBLIN: C Noonan; B O’Gorman, F Herlihy (Capt), J Mullins; B Coffey, M Keane, M Lewis; R Donegan, D Flynn; J O’Sullivan, C English, M Walsh; K Duggan, S O’Sullivan, D Barry.
Subs: D Sheehan for K Duggan (47), A Donegan for D Barry (57).

Referee: Brian Keon (Galway).

Match Coverage

Details

Date:
February 5, 2022
Time:
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Venue

Croke Park

GAA Units

Clare GAA
Cork GAA
Kerry GAA
Limerick GAA
Tipperary GAA
Waterford GAA
US GAA