In some ways Sixmilebridge will wonder how they won this by only six points. But with less than 13 minutes left, the margin was just a point, 0-14 to 2-7, despite the 'Bridge having been plainly a better side up to that point. So the winners were happy enough with the comfortable win which keeps the Munster club hurling title in Clare for a sixth successive year.
Yet the most striking aspect of yesterday's AIB Munster final was the dismal challenge from Mount Sion. Despite their spread of intercounty talent, the Waterford champions never looked like doing themselves justice. Tony Browne's performance summed it up. The 1998 Hurler of the Year struggled to come to terms with his marker, Alan Mulready (whom he at one stage gifted a point). Subsequent switches failed to alleviate the condition.
Lacking conviction, Mount Sion nonetheless held on to Sixmilebridge's coat-tails for a lot longer than their play merited. In the end, a late scoring burst proved decisive but all afternoon, the winners laboured a little to make their supremacy around the field count.
Their efforts were spearheaded by Niall Gilligan at full forward. After a week of speculation about his likely participation, there was an acute awareness amongst the winners after the match that they might be perceived to have been pulling a fast one.
"Niall Gilligan was under intensive treatment all week," said manager Paddy Meehan. "He was with Ger Hartmann (the Limerick athlete and sports physiotherapist) three times this week. People think all the talk about his injury was a smokescreen. It was not. He only had his first run this morning and we didn't pass him fit until after the warm-up."
Whatever. Within 50 seconds, Gilligan had settled any nerves by taking his first point from a haul of 1-8. Doubts that John Reddan could emulate his five-point broadside from the previous week were also stilled when he swept over his first after two minutes. Although he had to be content with a final tally of two, the centre forward had five further chances to point and created space off Roy McGrath with disturbing ease.
After seven minutes, the 'Bridge led by five points with Mount Sion not having scored. The first reprieve came from a free by Ken McGrath a minute later. McGrath did his best to keep the Waterford challenge afloat throughout. Nonetheless his strike was far from unstoppable, a low shot finding the net from 20 metres.
There then followed the losers' best phase which ended with them hitting the front, 1-3 to 0-5, for the only time in the match. Sixmilebridge weren't too concerned because as well as incrementally pushing ahead by four points at the break - 0-11 to 1-4 - they also had been creating great goal chances. Philly Flynn made a couple of excellent saves, but Mount Sion had equal reason to be grateful to the woodwork.
Gilligan said that the creation of so many chances had given the team sufficient encouragement. "I felt we were going very well. In the first half, I had a goal chance, John O'Meara hit the post and Brian Colbert hit the crossbar. If we could keep taking them on, I thought it would come right."
So it did. After the third quarter had nearly passed with little change in the margin, Eoin Kelly followed up after David Fitzgerald spilled a shot from Eoin McGrath and the goal renewed the contest.
But Mount Sion couldn't sustain it. On 48 minutes in the space of 60 seconds, the lively Brian Colbert and Gilligan scored the goals which finished the match.
McGrath scored another goal from a free with time nearly up, but by then the margin of victory was the only question still open.
Sixmilebridge: D Fitzgerald; K McInerney, J O'Connell, W Kennedy; A Mulready (0-1), P Hayes, D Murphy; C Chaplin (capt; 0-2), S Fitzpatrick; R Conlon, J Reddan (0-2), M Conlon; B Colbert (1-4), N Gilligan (1-8, three frees, three 65s), J O'Meara. Subs: B Kennedy for R Conlon (44 mins); P Fitzpatrick for M Conlon (57 mins); A Chaplin for W Kennedy (59 mins).
Mount Sion: P Flynn; S Twomey, G Gater, K O'Connor; B Flannery, R McGrath, K O'Neill; E Kelly (1-1), P Fanning; M O'Regan, K McGrath (capt; 2-3, 2-1 from frees), T Browne (0-1, a free); B Browne (0-1), M White (0-1), E McGrath. Subs: A Kirwan for O'Regan (half-time); J O'Meara (0-1, a 65) for Fanning (43 mins); P Meaney for Kelly (50 mins); J Meaney for E McGrath (55 mins).
Referee: G Harrington (Cork).
