IHC Final Preview... Dunderry’s firepower can take them all the way

IHC Final Preview... Dunderry’s firepower can take them all the way

JIMMY GEOGHEGAN

Finding a path out of the IHC and taking the step up to the senior grade can be a precarious business indeed. There are so many pitfalls, so many ways the wheels can come off along the journey that reaching the final itself can be considered something of an achievement; a notable achievement too.

Not that the two protagonists in this year's IHC decider at Pairc Tailteann will be merely satisfied with walk-on parts on the big day. For both Dunderry and Rathmolyon the opportunity is now there to take centerstage and do their stuff; to earn a ticket to the senior ranks and they will be going all out to do just that - and Dunderry look like they have what it takes to regain their place in the top flight.

Why? Well, for starters they looked sharp, alert, focused and hungry in overcoming Drumree in the last four. They looked like a team confident in their own ability with the fitness, craft and skill to back up their ambitions. They also looked like a group of players on a mission using formidable assets such as their physical prowess to get a foothold in the game before marching on to victory, albeit only by only three points, 3-11 to 1-14.

Dunderry defeated Rathmolyon in the group stages too, clocking up a nine-point victory. That was then, this is now and no doubt there were mitigating factors why Rathmolyon fell down so significantly that day. It also gives them another motivation to win this game; to put the record straight as it were. Yet that result can't be dismissed either. It has to say something significant about the relative strengths of both teams.

Rathmolyon finished second in Group A of the IHC behind table toppers Drumree thus earning themselves a place in the last four. Dunderry finished fourth with one point less than Rathmolyon but interestingly they had a better scoring difference than Gary Cole's side (plus six compared to minus one).

Dunderry too have had the advantage of an extra game in the quarter-finals to iron out any difficulties and work on strategies and hone their game. There is a belief in the game that teams who DON'T earn a direct ticket into the semi-finals; those who have to scrap and scrape to get through a quarter-final tie are at an advantage going into a semi-final and final - and there is something in that.

Certainly Dunderry looked a lot sharper against Drumree in the last four then they did when they lost to the same opposition in their final group fixture. Not that they were terrible in that game either. They were, in fact, excellent in the first-half and led 0-13 to 0-8 at the break but failed to fire in the second moiety.

In the quarter-final and the semi-final Dunderry also chalked up significant scores. They hit 3-13 in their win over Gaeil Colmcille before registering 3-11 against Drumree. All that indicates a cutting edge in attack, the six goals netted coming from different players - Luke Martyn, David Gilkeson, Aaron Feeney and Jamie Leavy with Adam Kelly hitting the target in both matches. Six goals in two games it's a formidable feat.

Rathmolyon too have reasons to be cheerful going into Sunday's final. It was significant that in their 1-16 to 1-13 semi-final victory over Kildalkey the Boys in Green garnered the majority of their scores from six players.

Gary Doherty showed the way with seven points, six frees, while John Farrell, Simon Ennis, Jarlath Ennis, Ciaran Regan and Stephen Mulligan were others to fire over. It was an impressive spread of scores and compared favouraby to Kildalkey who only had three scorers.

That statistic hints at one of the strengths of this Rathmolyon team - their ability to turn chances into something tangible on the scoreboard. They will also take comfort from the fact they kept a lively Kildalkey side to 1-13. They are an organised, formidable unit at this level with the capability to carve out victories from difficult assignments.

John Harnan is a netminder difficult to beat while David Morgan, Sean Mulligan, Jarlath Ennis, Gary Doherty, Ciaran Regan, the highly experienced John Farrell and Meath player Simon Ennis are just some of the serious outfield operators they have in their ranks. Cole's troops will travel to Pairc Tailteann eager to prove a point; that they are good enough to step back up into the senior grade after a 12-year absence.

So there is a lot going for Rathmolyon and yet the crystal ball tells us Dunderry could shade it. Luke Martyn is the kind of marksman who can make opponents suffer. He invariably clocks up big scores because he his capable of firing over points from all sorts of distances and angles. Conor Dempsey, Conor O'Shea, Kelly, Leavy and Aaron Feeney are just some some of his colleagues who make up a hard-working team who look poised to claim the cup named after a legend of Meath hurling - Trim man Mick Leonard, who by all accounts was a thoughtful kindly man who loved the ancient game.

Rathmolyon have all sorts of reasons for believing they can get across the line named in his honour but Dunderry look poised to take home the precious piece of silverware.