Harps hit new heights as historic triumph ends 42-year wait
Bobby Murphy (Harps) gets his hurley to this driven sliotar by Zane Keenan to deny him a goal in the Laois Shopping Centre Senior Hurling Championship final win over Camross Photo: Denis Byrne
THE Harps got their hands on the Bob O’Keeffe Cup for the first time since their inception in 1984 after a triumphant win over Laois’s most successful club, Camross, on Sunday afternoon in the Laois Shopping Centre SHC final.
The sides had met three times this year across the league and championship in the lead up to this one, with Camross winning two and one finishing a draw but that was turned on its head Sunday as The Harps controlled the contest from start to finish, winning it at their leisure down the final stretch, eventually winning out by sixteen points.
Podge Delaney is their eldest starting player at just 26 and once again he stood to the fore for his side with an impervious display at centre back.
Captain Padraic Dunne was incredible in midfield and the new kids on the block didn't show an ounce of nerves with Justin Duggan, Eoin Delaney, Hugh Whelan and Ross Deegan causing untold damage in the forwards.
The question of when will The Harps make the breakthrough has been asked countless times in recent years and today, under the tutelage of the enigmatic Ken Hogan they have done so and based of that performance and their age profile, they are going nowhere any time soon.
First blood was drawn by James Cuddy with a point after a frantic opening two minutes where the sliotar pinballed from one end of O'Moore Park to the other and Camross led.
The lead was short-lived when Ciaran Comerford levelled after Darragh Duggan fouled James Duggan for a free and James's brother Justin put The Harps in front after Ross Deegan won the resulting puckout.
Despite this being their first final in 28 years The Harps looked the more settled of the teams in the early stages and Comerford won and pointed a free to double their lead.
Eoin Gaughan fired his first from midfield, though his opposite number Rian Edwards immediately replied after gathering a wayward handpass from Camross captain Cathal Cuddy.
The next score came in reply from Tom Cuddy before Camross were dealt a massive hit when Hugh Whelan's attempt at a point was blocked down and the ball landed in front of Ross Deegan on the 21 and he blasted it home for a goal, bringing a thunderous roar from the huge supporting contingent from The Harps.
Their cheers loudened when captain Padraic Dunne pucked over an excellent point and he was followed by Eoghan Murphy and James Duggan to put seven between the sides at the midway stage of the half.
Cathal Cuddy made amends for his earlier error, and the unexpected starter Mark Dowling showed a turn of pace to break away and score, despite suffering an ACL injury just over a month ago.
The Harps were almost in for a second goal when Dunne made an incredible run from midfield but was denied by Tadhg Doran and the Camross stopped did very well to recover and stop the rebound from James Duggan.
Momentum was firmly with the men from the southwest of the county as Eoin Delaney notched a brace of points from play either side of another Murphy free.
Camross didn't wait any longer before introducing their talisman Zane Keenan and he forced a save from Bobby Murphy from a 21-metre free, a big mental victory for The Harps.
Centre forwards Comerford and Collier traded two scores from play before late scores from Gaughan and Keenan from placed balls cut the gap back to six at the break, The Harps led 1-11 to 0-8.
Eoghan Murphy added to his first half frees with an excellent effort from play to open the second half and Justin Duggan added another before replies came from Keenan and Mossy Keyes at the other end.
Those scores were rare for Camross in a second half that was totally dominated by The Harps, starting with points from Comerford and Hugh Whelan before Justin Duggan latched onto a breaking ball from Ross Deegan and fleeced it into the net for their second goal.
Whelan and Comerford added further scores again as The Harps kept Camross pinned inside their own half.
Camross were resigned to a couple of scores from Keenan frees and a point from Ciaran Collier that appeared to bounce off his helmet and over the bar as he stood deep inside the square.
The Laois SHC record holders wouldn't score again as The Harps paraded their way to victory in the latter stages, with the introduction of John "Boggy" Brophy late in the game.
They tagged on further points from Eoin Delaney, Comerford, Murphy and a brace from James Duggan to run out sixteen-point victors after a truly incredible final performance from a team with a mentality well beyond their youth.
The Harps have finally made the breakthrough and they did it in some style.
The Harps: Justin Duggan 1-3, Ciaran Comerford 0-6 (0-5fs), Ross Deegan 1-0, Eoghan Murphy 0-4 (0-3fs), James Duggan and Eoin Delaney 0-3 each, Hugh Whelan 0-2, Rian Edwards and Padraic Dunne 0-1 each.
Camross: Zane Keenan 0-4 (fs), Eoin Gaughan 0-2 (0-1 65), Ciaran Collier 0-2, James Cuddy, Cathal Cuddy, Tom Cuddy, Mark Dowling and Mossy Keyes 0-1 each.
Bobby Murphy; Eoghan Doheny, Cody Comerford, Jack Kennedy; Ciaran Flynn, Podge Delaney, Eoghan Murphy; Rian Edwards, Padraic Dunne; Ross Deegan, Ciaran Comerford, Eoin Delaney; Justin Duggan, Hugh Whelan, James Duggan.
Subs: Tiarnach Doheny for Delaney (43-46m, blood), Tiarnach Doheny for Edwards (51m), Mark Downey for Whelan (52m), John Brophy for Delaney (59m), Mikey Monahan for Deegan (60m), Tony Mahony for Justin Duggan (60m).
Tadhg Doran; Conor Mortimer, Darragh Duggan, Aaron Carroll; Eoghan Cuddy, Cathal Cuddy, Tom Cuddy; Eoin Gaughan, Liam Delaney; Tomas Keyes, Ciaran Collier, Odhran Phelan; Darren Drennan, Mark Dowling, James Cuddy.
Subs: Zane Keenan for Phelan (28m), Gearoid Burke for Delaney (ht), Oisin Bennett for Drennan (46m), Dan Delaney for J Cuddy (52m).
John Lalor (Shanahoe)
