2007 Kilkenny senior football final replay

[kilkennycat2004]

MULLINAVAT 3-07 GLENMORE 0-11

It's six days later, 300 supporters instead of 82,127, the six o clock bells at Mooncoin church as background music rather than the Artane boys band, but for Willie O'Dwyer, Michael Murphy and Richie Mullally it was another Final in the career of GAA players.
Yes it must have been as different as the Tramore Donkey Derby is to its Epsom horse racing equivalent as Mullinavat won a first ever Kilkenny County Senior Football Final with a 3-07 to 0-11 victory over a Glenmore side joint top of the football Roll of Honour with 19 titles.
Having lost last years Final Mullinavat had actually prepared well for the traditional Gaelic Football season in Kilkenny of January to April and still retained enough knowledge to beat the near neighbours in what was a very poor standard of football.
The game appeared to be continuosly stalled by fussy refereeing by Tyrone native referee Paul Devlin with technical fouls the order of the day. But then again maybe the Tyrone man would be more familiar with Gaelic rules than the couple of hundred natives still semi hangover from the hurling activities of the previous weekend!

Jamie Fennelly, son of dual All ireland hurling captain Liam, put Mullinavat ahead before Paul Phelan equalised from a free for the Glens men.
A point from a midfielder put the Glen boys ahead as even in Kilkenny football the roving trend of Dublin's seventies star Bobby Doyle has finally caught on in the county.
Mullinavat hurling underdog of TG4 fame Andrew McGovern put the Vat men level from a free.
Two Glenmore scores from the multi coloured Paul Phelan from a free and full forward Michael Phelan put Glenmore four-two ahead. I say multi coloured as casual dress applied to Glenmore in contrast to Mullinavat who sported new jerseys and socks for the occasion.
Jamie Fennelly reduced the margin to one for Mullinavat before Paul Phelan, a New Ross Celtic soccer player of ability apparently, chipped over another Glenmore free. It was now 0-05 to 0-03 for Glenmore but shortly afterwards, probably against the run of play Mullinavat got a goal.
Nicholas Anthony was the goal scorer finishing off a well worked move.
If Glenmore had a colourful free taker Mullinavat had a Johnny Wilkinson type in McGovern who looks at the post and ball five or six times before contact. Most of the time it worked however and again did shortly afterwards with his second pointed free.
The game slid more towards Mullinavat with a second goal within a further couple of minutes.
A ball came down off the post and Tony Duggan was on hand to slot home, now 2-04 to 0-05.
Before the break Paul Phelan has two more pointed frees leaving the interval score, Mullinavat 2-04 Glenmore 0-07.

A thriller this was not and just six points were recorded in the first 25 minutes of the new half.
Three points from frees by Phelan for Glenmore countered by three further frees by McGovern for Mullinavat.
There was always a chance of an equalising goal although at this stage the man from the football board passed the stand with a torn brown paper bag containing the county trophy so at least he must have expected Mullinavat to hold out.
A further free by Phelan on 28 minutes reduced the margin to two, Glenmore behind 0-11 to 3-07 but before the finish the man who got the games first score also got its last.
Jamie Fennelly was fouled in the square and he converted the penalty himself to seal a Mullinavat victory 3-07 to 0-11 .
It mattereed to Mullinavat, manager Paul Whelan having already led Kilkenny girls to a junior football All ireland Final in a forthnight, has again shown the way in Kilkenny football.
No time to celebrate though as the Mullinavat clubs hard won senior hurling status can be retained with a victory over Dunnamagin next weekend.
Although this was important, a first senior football title for the club, well given a choice of this or that I think I know which would be deemed more important to the club when they look back on 2007? I think!

[behind the wire]

are there many of the kilkenny hurlers that play club football?

[kilkennycat2004]

are there many of the kilkenny hurlers that play club football?

Yes, almost all would play gaelic & generally the better hurlers tend to be the better club footballers also.
A couple of years back Peter Barry & Brian McEvoy skipped a Railway Cup weekend in Italy to compete in the KK county Final.
Shock horror in other counties if they didn't maybe but in KK thi was a statement of intent for the James Stephens football side.

[mannix]

WHY ARE KILKENNY AS GOOD AS THEY ARE AT HURLING?WOULD THEY BE ANY GOOD AT FOOTBALL IF THEY TRIED?

[The Real Laoislad]

WHY ARE KILKENNY AS GOOD AS THEY ARE AT HURLING?WOULD THEY BE ANY GOOD AT FOOTBALL IF THEY TRIED?

Yeah i'd say they could play at a half decent level if they tried..

[BallyhaiseMan]

They beat Louth in a minor championship game a few years ago,
a fair few of them were also on the Minor Hurling team which took precedant.
a fella scored 1-2 that day that ye might know of,
Not a bad hurler indeed,Henry Shefflin

[behind the wire]

i no in a lot of predominantly football counties there are always people shouting about the lack of time/money/interest given to hurling. just wondering does any of this happen as far as football is concerned in kilkenny? if what is written here is true then they probably wouldnt be that bad at the big ball game. i heard that when they went to play antrim this year in the tommy murphy they only had one sub, thats a bit of a joke. however i was also told that the county board gives them no support and they were more or less just a bunch of lads who had got togeather themselves to fulfill the fixture. is there any will to develop football within the county?

[kilkennycat2004]

i no in a lot of predominantly football counties there are always people shouting about the lack of time/money/interest given to hurling. just wondering does any of this happen as far as football is concerned in kilkenny? if what is written here is true then they probably wouldnt be that bad at the big ball game. i heard that when they went to play antrim this year in the tommy murphy they only had one sub, thats a bit of a joke. however i was also told that the county board gives them no support and they were more or less just a bunch of lads who had got togeather themselves to fulfill the fixture. is there any will to develop football within the county?

Here's something I posted in areply to a sinilar question here after the drawn game back in June which still more or less stands despite dates....

The actual under age part of KK football does actually take place.

By way of example tomorrow night(Thursday) at 7pm the under-14 football squad meet again at St James Park in the city.

To cater for Southern players a bus is provided to collect Southern based players at places like Piltown - Mullinavat - Ballyhale and Thomastown.

The better players tend to be hurlers also, at least with their clubs and in hurling we always cast the net as wide as possible to make sure no one slips through.

Therefore the South & Northern hurling squads at under 14,15,16 and 17 will have a look at 50 or so players in each area. Invariably these would also have dabbled with football.

Bring under age club hurling into the equation and fellas hoping to make club minor hurling teams from 16 and under 21 and adult hurling teams from 18 tend to focus on the club and prospect of wearing an adult club & later a KK jersey in hurling. The clubs play a main part as they want to see them at training for the adult hurling team and I'm afraid I can't see this attitude changing any time soon.

Each club would have maybe one or two personal half interested in the big ball code but in the main Gaelic is looked at as part of what must be endured to prepare for the club hurling season which is massive in KK at al grades.

[we are blue... etc]

WHY ARE KILKENNY AS GOOD AS THEY ARE AT HURLING?WOULD THEY BE ANY GOOD AT FOOTBALL IF THEY TRIED?

Yeah i'd say they could play at a half decent level if they tried..

In my part of the world there's very little hurling played but when a team was set up in mid-90s all the good footballers naturally were v. good hurlers.

I'd say if you forced Kilkenny to field a football team instead of a hurling team next year they'd give it a good shot in Leinster. Sure they have a Laois man doing their physical training. Curious that their senior team is hard as nails and ours...... well I won't go there.