Quality Kilskyre/Moylagh take place at top table

Kilskyre/Moylagh....................2-19

Dunderry................................1-13

It’s hard to get the better of quality or class. Hard to defeat a team who have skilful, strong players all over the pitch and who are well coached and prepared for the fray.

Dunderry discovered that again at Boardsmill on Saturday when they lost out to strong favourites Kilskrye/Moylagh who lived up to pre-match expectations and won this SHC B final with plenty to spare.

The ‘again’ part of the above statement derives from the fact that earlier in the campaign when two teams also met Kilskyre/Moylagh not only won they did so at a stroll, 2-24 to 0-11.

Granted Dunderry were without a host of regulars for that game but they were back to full strength on Saturday and still found Kilskyre/Moylagh’s power, craft and commitment and, that word again, quality very difficult, if not impossible, to deal with. Dunderry, who themselves had shown some very decent form recently, weren’t the only ones to suffer at their hands this year.

Under the guidance of manager Tom Gilsenan, his selectors Pa Baugh, Neil McNeilis, Pat Clancy, James Reilly and coach Nicky Kenny, the Kilskrye/Moylagh combination were really up for this showdown.

They uncharacteristically spurned a number of early opportunities but then conjured up the kind of form that ensured they marched to victory.

Dunderry raced into an early two-point lead with Evan Nolan converting a free while Jamie Leavy also pointed soon after. It looked at that stage that the big crowd could be served up a close encounter.

Then in the seventh minute former Dublin hurler James Cooke lofted over a point. The boys in the multi-coloured jerseys were on their way. All-Ireland MFC winning goalkeeper Oisin McDermott and county senior hurler Tom Shine added another point soon after and suddenly the favourites were in front, 0-3 to 0-2, with nine minutes played.

Their fourth score of the game underlined the kind of class in this team. The ball was worked out to the left wing where Willie McGrath won the ball.

McGrath had an awkward angle to deal with but that didn’t deter him from going for a point. He did so and watched as the ball flew between the post. The cheers from the spectators behind him as the sliotar flew through the air told the story of how he had got his calculations spot on. Quality.

The same player showed a similar kind level of accomplishment on 17 minutes. He took a long pass from Fergal Flynn out on the left before cutting inside, side-stepping a tackle on his way, before shooting neatly to the corner of the net.

By then the scoreboard read 1-7 to 0-3 and Kilskyre/Moylagh were well and truly on their way. By the interval they led 1-9 to 0-4 and while Dunderry mounted something of a spirited, mini-comeback to trail by ‘only’ 0-8 to 1-10 after 36 minutes Kilskyre/Moylagh upped their game to run out comfortable winners.

Their second goal on 37 minutes really confirmed to spectators what they already expected – a victory for the north Meath combo.

It was a product of another of those high-tempo, sharp-paced attacks Kilskrye/Moylagh were capable of mounting. Flynn and McDermott were again involved in working the ball to Darren O’Higgins who showed formidable tenacity and skill before slotting the ball home. Class.

Throughout the evening, Kilskrye/Moylagh showed they had big performers in pivotal positions. Goalkeeper Charlie Usher, who was sharp and alert throughout, had Sean Geraghty and Daire Shine playing in front of him. Both were excellent.

Geraghty really distinguished himself in the second-half when he saved a stinging drive from Nolan when the sliotar looked destined to end up in the net.

Flynn and Cooke anchored the midfield very effectively while Michael Geraghty won and distributed a lot of ball. Then there was the highly productive full-forward line of O’Higgins, McGrath and Tom Shine.

They clocked up a massive 2-16 between them as they made the most of the chances that came their way.

Tom Shine, in particular, stepped into the limelight in the second-half, slotting over a series of fine scores. On the left wing or the right it didn’t matter he was able to make the necessary calculations involving angles and distance before diverting the ball between the posts.

The Dunderry attack got little joy from the sturdy Kilskrye/Moylagh defence and while the hard-grafting Cathal Barron, Luke Martyn, Ciaran O’Brien and Jamie Leavy all notched points from play they were hard-earned scores and all too infrequent.

The team in black resorted to lobbing the ball high and hopeful into the Kilskrye/Moylagh goalmouth but invariably the end product of such a strategy was a defender surging out with ball in hand, or on stick.

Nolan finished up with 1-6, his points deriving from five frees and one '65'. His goal was also scored from a free, the Dunderry marksman finding the net from a 20-metre free. The only problem for Nolan and his colleagues was that the goal arrived in the 59th minute when their opponents already had 2-17 in the bag.

Kilskyre/Moylagh were never going to be caught in the few minutes of added time allowed. They had too much saavy, guile and yes, quality for that.

Instead they deservedly clamed the SHC B title to add to the IHC they won last year, two triumphs that underlined, again, how the north Meath outfit are very much a rising force. Dunderry have to reset as assuredly they will.

Kilskrye/Moylagh: Charlie Usher; Podge Muldoon, Sean Geraghty, Jack Connell; Paul Hennessy, Daire Shine (0-1), Eoin Briody; Fergal Flynn, James Cooke (0-1); Connor Rennick, Michael Geraghty, Oisin McDermott (0-1); Darren O’Higgins (1-2), Willie McGrath (1-6 five frees), Tom Shine (0-8 one free). Subs – Luke Harte for Rennick 54m, Killian McCaffrey for McDermott 58m, Sean Tunney for McGrath 62m.

Dunderry: Jack Fagan; Darragh Fay, Conor Leavy, TJ Loughran; Niall Ó Laoire, Fionn McHale, Rian Fay; Adam Kelly, Jamie Duffy; Cathal Barron (0-1), Luke Martyn (0-2), Ciaran O’Brien (0-2); Evan Nolan (1-6 1-5 frees, one '65'), Jamie Leavy (0-2), Mark Leavy. Subs – William Treacy for D Fay 41m, Harry Crinion for J Leavy 45m, Ronan Brady for McHale 47m, Padraic Sheridan for M Leavy 57m, Niall Darcy for O’Brien 61m.

Refere: Ciaran Flynn (Kilmessan).