Passage emptied everything. They hassled and hounded down another unlikely victory in a final quarter push that really rattled Na Piarsaigh. A bossy Sky Blue half back line led by David Breen, a couple of curious refereeing calls and the sustained excellence of Kevin Downes stopped them.
Their suffocating tactics up front and the hooking and blocking in defence showed that their hunger remained even after the four week break. Peter Queally told the Irish Examiner of how they hit their pre-match targets. “If you go into the dressing room, we have signs up, three things we covered – three subjects. We have Passage up on a sign, hunger up on a sign and pride up on a sign. We’re happy with how we did under those headings.” Five star goalkeeper Eddie Lynch kept them afloat and that show of defiance inspired a trademark late rally. “Peter has been telling us all year to believe and focus on the next ball. He has instilled that throughout the team and there was a great belief to go to the bitter end. We showed that there today as the lads kept plugging away with a few points and a few goals. It was nip and tuck until the last two or three minutes and Na Piarsaigh managed to pull away from us.”
These two teams defied the conditions to produce 32 scores in a clean and fair tussle driven by hard work but also economical use of possession. Conor Lane only blew his whistle for fourteen frees in an uncharacteristically expansive November match. Sean Stack’s side were frustrated by Lynch but still managed to establish a five point hold (0-15 to 2-4) entering the final quarter. Kevin Downes continued to enjoy the freedom of his centre forward role. Passage may wonder if Noel Connors might have inhibited that confidence. Although wearing number fourteen, Pat Gleeson wandered out to midfield to pillage three points. Adrian Breen also beamed brightly in the corner with another three. David Breen left the Passage forwards feeding off scraps. They were starved of a score for 23 minutes.
Passage didn’t buckle even after corner forward Kevin Ryan stopped Eoin Kelly’s second penalty. They continued to press Na Piarsaigh and John Whitty’s goal revived them after Thomas Connors made a dash that attracted five defenders. That made it 20 goals in championship 2013. 1-4 in the space of six minutes (the points provided by Owen Connors (2), Killian Fitzgerald and immediate impact sub Joseph McClean) turned a five point deficit into a one point advantage. Shane Dowling finally settled down after a patchy shooting display overall and Na Piarsaigh clutched a slender lead. Killian Fitzgerald’s sidestep and strike tied the scores for the seventh time (0-18 to 3-9).
A Munster final spot rested on the last three and a bit minutes. The fine margins favoured the 2011 provincial winners. That extra layer of inter county class lowered their error count. Passage continued to rely on a drip, drip supply compared to their opponents. Na Piarsaigh generated 33 scoring chances as opposed to 17. Conor Lane handled the game sensibly but a pair of decisions towards the finish are up for debate. With less than three minutes left on the clock, Michael Casey was deemed to be fouled when Passage appeared to hold their discipline in surrounding the corner back. Peter Queally was livid along the line. They survived the initial delivery from the free but Na Piarsaigh quickly earned a turnover and Shane Dowling spotted wing back Alan Dempsey who delivered from distance. Shortly afterwards, Lane blew up Thomas Connors for overcarrying when no clear offence was committed. Passage also lost possession over the sideline in the short spell leading up to that decisive Downes point. There will be a few nagging doubts in the away ranks but that still can’t take away from how the number eleven crowned his six point showing. With two Passage players exerting pressure and hassled towards the sideline, Downes somehow shaped and shot over his shoulder straight between the sticks for the insurance single.
The newly crowned Waterford champions were out and yet had no reason to get down over it. A two point defeat couldn’t spoil the time of their lives. The noise and colour of the red and white fans even outdid the home following among the 1,350 on Sunday. They exceeded all expectations in climbing from a mid table 25/1 team to county champions after an unexpected endgame never witnessed before and unlikely to see again. The 2013 journey will be revisited over and over during the shortest of winters down Passage way.
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