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Mooncoin Championship Review 2005
The league had been a total disaster. The club were now just one defeat away from a relegation final. Actions needed to speak louder than words. Many felt a first round tie against a James Stephens second string would be the perfect tonic. This was not the case. The game swayed to and fro on many occasions but in the end a goal by Michael Purcell and a point from Ray Wall was just about enough to help us squeeze through. However apart from these players it was left to Diarmuid Mackey to keep the ship afloat. Three players managed to register their names on the scoreboard that night. The performance of some of our forwards would not be good enough in the quarterfinals.
The win over the Stephens helped to ignite confidence in the players. The loss to Galmoy in high summer had been a bitter pill to swallow. Expectations were not high in the parish. People felt that this team had not improved from last season. They were in for a surprise. I believe that certain teams adjust better to certain situations. Mooncoin seem to get better when they play in Nowlan Park. The brand of hurling played on this day was vastly different to anything seen all year. It was as if the team had been transformed and the main stage of Kilkenny hurling had brought the best out of them. They gave Galmoy no respect and no room to hurl during the hour of play. The return of Michael Purcell for sixty minutes helped take to load off of Diarmuid Mackey’s shoulders. The defence had tightened up while the midfield and half forwards were delivering quick ball into our attacking line. All in all a performance that showed this team had returned to form and were ready for further challenges that lay ahead.
The semi final against Mullinavat would be a tough encounter.
A local derby is never easily won. This side had also beaten us in the
league. The self-belief of the players had grown since the last game.
Their confidence being high they threw everything into this encounter.
They would not leave Nowlan Park defeated on that day. The sight of an
U-16 A victory the previous day was a stepping stone for what lay ahead.
The whirlwind start to this game meant everyone was on edge. Early goals
by Michael Purcell and Diarmuid Mackey helped to settle nerves. The Vat
men were never out of sight though and a Paddy Raftice goal midway through
the half threatened to spoil the party. However before the half time whistle
Purcell struck again to give the Suirsiders a two-point lead at the break.
The pace of the second half never really matched the first. Mullinavat
pushed forward for the victory but were unable to raise a vital green
flag that would have enabled their victory. A never say die attitude had
brought Mooncoin from the verge of relegation to a county final.
Then there were two. The final pairing of Dicksboro and Mooncoin was an intriguing encounter. However this game never got going. The weekend of the match was horrific. People felt that the players, having put in such an effort to get this far, were let down by the weather conditions on the day. It never stopped raining from first whistle to last as a gusty wind blew towards the O’Loughlin’s End of Nowlan Park. The losing of the toss was a major blow. Forced to play with the elements in the first half the Mooncoin never really got into their stride. At half time the scoreboard read 0-5(M) to 0-2(D). The inability to take the goal scoring opportunities that fell was the ultimate reason for our demise. We started the second half well and it took all of twenty minutes into the second half for the Palmerstown men to claw their way back. Having got level Brian Barry and Eddie O’Donoghue sealed our fate. The previous year was seen as a mishap. This time we had given the county title to the opposition.