Superior first half gives Raharney the platform for victory

Raharney 1-17, Clonkill 1-15

Raharney edged out Clonkill in an absorbing encounter at TEG Cusack Park on Saturday evening to claim the All County Hurling League Division 1 title.

The victors held firm in a tense finale to claim a hard-earned two-point victory as intensity levels noticeably increased after the break. Raharney had set the tone early on and a penalty goal by Rory Keyes helped them open up a seven-point lead by the 12th minute, at which stage Clonkill looked to be struggling.

However, a couple of inspired catches by Niall Mitchell at full forward helped kickstart a revival and although his penalty was saved after 21 minutes, just five points separated the sides at half-time, 1-10 to 0-8.

Three unanswered points from substitute Joe Mulvaney (two, one a free) and Eoghan Ahearn between the 46th and 52nd minutes gave Raharney a decisive advantage late on before a stunning Luke Loughlin goal set up a grandstand finish. Ultimately Raharney had enough in the tank and the impact of Mulvaney was telling.

Manager John Shaw will be pleased with the victory considering a plethora of first choice players have to return for the championship, including county stars like Killian Doyle and Robbie Greville. His Clonkill counterpart Mickey Dan Murtagh will hope to have a stronger hand come championship time also, with Rian Holding among the absentees here, while the injured Darragh Egerton is a major loss.

From the outset, both sides displayed sharpness and intent, but it was Raharney who settled quickest. Clonkill opened the scoring after just 20 seconds through a fine point by full-forward Niall Mitchell. However, within 90 seconds Rory Keyes had levelled matters from a free, and moments later Raharney hit the front decisively.

In the third minute, Caolan Ready was hauled down by Clonkill full-back John Kenny, and referee James McGrath awarded the penalty. Rory Keyes stepped up and buried the sliotar beyond Anthony Price for the game’s opening goal. That strike laid the foundation for a dominant first quarter by Raharney.

Darragh Core then landed a superb score from near the sideline, around 65 metres, and further points followed from Carl McCormack for Clonkill, and Raharney duo Callum McKeogh and Joey Boyle. Robert Coyne also raised a white flag after excellent interplay involving Keyes, Pearse Weir Norris and Devin Hill, while corner forward Eoghan Ahearn chipped in with a sharp finish to put Raharney 1-6 to 0-2 ahead by the 11th minute.

Although Mitchell added two more frees and Oisín Murray found the target for Clonkill, Raharney responded each time - McKeogh hitting his second, and Keyes adding a brace of long-range frees, including one from inside his own half.

The half could have swung back in Clonkill's favour when they were awarded a penalty on 21 minutes, Mitchell dragged down after a great catch. However, Aaron McHugh produced a crucial save to deny Mitchell.

A point by wing-back David Hickey extended Raharney’s lead before Mitchell kept Clonkill in touch with two more frees. Just before the interval, the Clonkill talisman was narrowly wide with a goal effort following another excellent fetch, but he did add another free in stoppage time to leave the Loughegar men trailing by five at the interval.

Raharney again struck early in the second half, Eoghan Ahearn curling over a lovely score, but Clonkill responded impressively. Mitchell (free) and Conor Daly (two from play) narrowed the gap before Rory Keyes hit another placed ball for Raharney.

The second half proved more attritional, with frees exchanged and scoring chances harder to come by. Ahearn landed his third of the day with a neat effort that just crept inside the upright, and Mitchell added his only point from play. Raharney were wasteful with scoring chances and began to struggle with scoring frees. Joe Mulvaney, introduced off the bench, made an impact for the Deelsiders, though - first converting a free and then setting up Ahearn for a tidy finish before adding a spectacular effort of his own from play, close to the sideline, on 22 minutes. The lead was six at this stage, 1-16 to 0-13.

Clonkill refused to wilt and they were noticeably more physical, a crunching frontal tackle on Joey Boyle underlining their utter determination. The tackle was a throwback to a different era and Boyle had the battle scars to show afterwards.

On 24 minutes, Luke Loughlin burst through the Raharney defence and roofed a brilliant goal to leave just three between the teams.

The Raharney defence had chances to clear in the build-up, but McHugh’s attempted clearance fell short and Loughlin punished ruthlessly.

Crucially, Raharney responded. Joey Boyle broke from deep and set up Robert Coyne for a vital point. Though Mitchell (free) added two more - the second moved forward for dissent as tensions rose - Raharney saw out the final minutes with the kind of grit and composure that will be required to get their hands on the Examiner Cup later in the season, which is their ultimate target. Despite Clonkill’s pressure and Mitchell’s personal haul of 0-11 (8 frees), it was Raharney’s earlier dominance, strong spread of scorers (eight in total), and defensive resilience that saw them prevail.

Scorers – Raharney: R Keyes 1-4 (0-4f; 1-0 pen), E Ahearn 0-4, Callum McKeogh 0-2, R Coyne 0-2, J Mulvaney 0-2 (1f), J Boyle, D Core and D Hickey 0-1 each.

Clonkill: N Mitchell 0-11 (9f), L Loughlin 1-0, C Daly 0-2, C McCormack and O Murray 0-1 each.

Raharney: Aaron McHugh; Conor McKeogh, Jamie Mulkearns, Darren Finn; David Hickey, Pearse Weir Norris, Luke Darby; Rory Keyes, Callum McKeogh; Joey Boyle, Caolan Ready, Robbery Coyne; Darragh Core, Devin Hill, Eoghan Ahearn. Subs: Cormac Boyle for Hill (44), Joe Mulvaney for Ready (45).

Clonkill: Anthony Price; Jack Murtagh, John Kenny, Ciaran Egerton; Oisin Loughlin, Ciaran Nolan, Alan McGrath; Brian Gaffney, Carl McCormack; Conor Daly, Luke Loughlin, Matty Glynn; Oisin Murray, Niall Mitchell, Jordy Smyth. Subs: Mickey McGrath for Glynn (39), Shane Power for Egerton (50), Niall Dowdall for Murray (50), Oisin Murphy for Gaffney (52).

Referee: James McGrath (Turin).