Nagle and Duggan illuminate night to remember for Blues

After a forgettable first half, the second hurling semi final burst into life on the resumption as Dungarvan upset Fourmilewater and advanced to the county final for the first time in 61 years.

When the chips were down their main men took charge. Jamie Nagle made 21 plays over the sixty minutes but really made his presence felt in the second half where he fired two glorious points, made some inspirational catches and covered around his half back line. Gavin Crotty was another to make amends for a quiet opening half hour as he fired over three second half points. Shane Kearney and Kenny Moore in the half back line kept Dungarvan on the straight and narrow even in the early stages where both sides showed nerves. The star of the show however was goalkeeper Darren Duggan who produced an extraordinary double save from Craig Guiry and Shane Walsh when the game was tied approaching injury time. From the resulting clearance, the Blues went down the field to earn a free and take the lead. With Michael Ryan watching on from the stand, Duggan may earn a county call-up sooner rather than later.

Fourmilewater will look back on five opportunities from placed balls that went awry. They also struggled to cope with the pace of Ryan Donnelly in the corner throughout. Their attack failed to scale the heights that got them to this stage of the championship. Too often Shane Walsh was left isolated and outnumbered as Fourmile withdrew Shane Ryan and Jamie Barron out the field. This tactic backfired on them as numerous deliveries inside were cut out by unmarked Dungarvan defenders. Three of their six starting forwards failed to register on the night. At the same time, entering the three minutes of injury time they were all square and closing in on what seemed like an almost certain goal. Determined displays from Maurice O’Gorman, Liam Lawlor and Seamus Lawlor (who finished with a personal tally of 1-2) put them in that position while Shane Walsh and Jamie Barron showed persistence up front even when things went against them. The little details like those missed frees and tactical tweaks ultimately derailed their double bid.

Dungarvan will go into the final as rank outsiders against De La Salle. Derek McGrath’s men were glad to see the back of Mount Sion on Saturday evening. They trailed at half time and found themselves in arrears again heading towards the final quarter when Anthony Kirwan made an immediate impact off the bench with a goal. Kevin Moran, Brian Phelan and John Mullane kept their heads in the heat of battle and De La Salle outscored their opponents by six points to one in the closing stages to quench any hopes of a surprise result. Dean Twomey again put forward his case as one of the top midfielders in the county by contributing four points from play. Like the Lismore game, this win didn’t come with the bells and whistles that some might have predicted. For the second game in succession, they didn’t register a goal and they appeared vulnerable at stages.

Fraher Field will be packed to the rafters on October 14 for a historic final. Dungarvan must take a step back from the tide of emotion that swept over them on Sunday night to come up with a plan to trouble a battle hardened De La Salle. The raging hot favourites also have issues of their own to address in the space of the next fortnight. It’s a fresh final pairing that presents a real contrast in style and experience. A team that always expected to reach the final against one that has exceeded expectations throughout the championship.