Young Ireland's 3-11 Rathnure - 0-11 For about 15 minutes of yesterday's Leinster club hurling semi-final the Rathnure team played gloriously to the memory of former parish priest Fr Paddy McDonald, who was buried in the Wexford town last Tuesday.
Fr McDonald had helped instil hurling into each of them since their youngest days.
Wexford Park was alive and it seemed Young Irelands were facing a higher mountain than they could have realised.
Certainly during that opening quarter every ball Rathnure touched seemed to be blessed. Shots from Trevor Hogan and Brendan O'Leary sailed between the posts and Paul Codd accurately converted the first two of his placed balls. So after 15 minutes Rathnure were leading the Kilkenny champions by 0-6 to 0-1.
At the same time there were signs Young Irelands' big play-maker DJ Carey was hitting an off -day. Since Kilkenny won the All-Ireland he hasn't looked back and his tallies for the Gowran club had all gone into double figures, yet when his first two placed balls drifted wide questions were asked.
The pace of the game, too, was unrelenting and only Rathnure seemed able to handle it. The pitch looked dry, and yet Carey and his old county cohort Charlie Carter appeared to be the ones struggling.
In defence as well the Young Irelands players were under pressure. The first clear-cut goal chance fell to the home team but O'Leary's shot was well saved by Martin Carey, and then Hogan shot wide.
So where did it all go wrong for Rathnure? Quite simply, spirit alone wasn't going to hold Carey, Carter and company for the full hour, and when Carey's first free split the posts just after that 15 minute mark, the tide was about to turn.
For the rest of the first half, the high waters were rising - and too quick for Rathnure to escape the deluge. On 23 minutes Carey was knocked to the ground as he rushed out of a goalmouth scramble with the ball, and the penalty was awarded. And when Carey hits a penalty with full force, as was the case yesterday, there is no stopping it.
Young Irelands would then outscore Rathnure 0-3 to 0-1 in the closing minutes of the half and take their break with an unexpected one-point lead: Jack Carey had hit the most powerful of points, David Carter the most imaginative, and Charlie Carter combined both attributes for the third.
It all went rapidly and much further downhill for Rathnure in the second half. Within seconds Dick Carroll hit the sweetest of points on the run to extend Young Irelands' advantage, and for the rest of the afternoon their defence was faultless.
Cathal Fitzgerald helped keep the seal on the full-back line, and Stephen Byrne worked so hard at half back he eventually earned the man-of-the-match award.
By now the Rathnure nerves were being tested beyond breaking point and on 38 minutes corner back Stephen Somers was found staring at a straight red card after some shoving about with Dick Carroll.
Unfortunately for Rathnure, the Young Irelands forwards went on to do far more extensive damage on the scoreboard. Carey's accuracy from placed balls was back to its peerless best, and midway through the half he played a role in two further goals that came within the space of a minute.
First Carey himself took a pass from Carroll and accelerated straight towards goal to deliver another unstoppable shot into the net. Seconds later he reversed the pass to Carroll, who then gave David Carter the simple task of hitting the net.
With 15 minutes left to play Young Irelands were 3-10 to 0-8 up. The game came to its end without much further tension, although Rathnure ended with 13 men after Robbie Codd saw a straight red card for some verbal interaction with the referee.
By that stage Young Irelands could afford to switch their thoughts to the Leinster final on December 1st when, as they would have expected to hear, they will face off with All-Ireland champions Birr.
YOUNG IRELANDS: M Carey; C Carroll, E Farrell, C Fitzgerald; S Byrne, T Drennan, C Phelan; O Carter, J McDermott; J Fitzgerald, J Carey (0-1), C Carter (0-2); D Carroll (0-3), DJ Carey (2-4, 3fs, 1 '65, 1 penalty), D Carter (1-1). Subs: P O'Neill for Fitzgerald (inj 48 mins), P Carroll for O Carter (59 mins), L Phelan for C Carter (62 mins).
RATHNURE: J Morrissey; A O'Connell, D Guiney, S Somers; J Mooney, M O'Leary, R Guiney; P Codd (0-4, 3fs, 1 sideline), J O'Connor; T Hogan (0-2), M Byrne (0-1), N Higgins (0-1); M Morrissey, R Codd, B O'Leary (0-3). Subs: S O'Neill for Morrissey (35 mins), M Redmond for Hogan (41 mins).
Referee: B Kelly (Westmeath)
