Hurling/Shinty International: Ireland 16 (2-1-8) Scotland 14 (2-4-0)
JOINT-MANAGER Jeffrey Lynskey described Ireland’s hurling/shinty international test win as a significant blow struck for hurling’s less successful counties.
Hurler of the Year TJ Reid may have been on board but, for the first time in five visits to GAA headquarters this year, the Kilkenny wizard failed to score.
Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher, from Tipperary, did shoot an important goal but generally it was left to players from less renowned hurling counties to dig Ireland out.
With the sides level on 14 points apiece for almost 20 minutes approaching full-time, Kerry’s Shane Nolan and Westmeath’s Eoin Price pointed in quick succession to earn a narrow win for Ireland.
In the process, they restored pride after a 10-point loss to Scotland in Inverness last month. Ironically, Scotland’s call for this year’s series to be played as two distinct tests, not linked for aggregate scoring purposes, cost them the title as the series was effectively drawn, one test win each.
Lynskey, who guided Ireland to victory along with Antrim’s Gregory O’Kane, praised his players and particularly those from weaker counties who rarely, if ever, get to play at Croke Park.
“That’s what makes the win,” he said. “The lads from the stronger counties – David McInerney, TJ Reid and ‘Bonner’ Maher – they have no problem committing because they want to wear an Irish jersey.
“They see it as the highest accolade they can get beyond winning an All-Ireland with their county. Those three boys have all done that but a lot of the other lads out there won’t get that.
“I think actually that for 11 of the players, that was their first time playing in Croke Park. There was one lad who said it was his first time in Croke Park in 10 years.
“As part of the overall association, what you’re trying to do is give these lads a chance to be seen.
“Obviously the Christy Ring, the Nicky Rackard and that, they are brilliant competitions but they don’t get the exposure. Tonight, those lads got to do a lap of Croke Park and the crowd cheered them on.”
In truth, it wasn’t a classic episode of the hybrid game. Scotland manager Ronald Ross had claimed that his team’s first-half performance in Inverness last month was the best they had ever given.
But there was no repeat, from either side. Ireland took a 13-12 half-time lead, thanks partly to an superb early point from Antrim’s Neal McAuley, but couldn’t kick on in the second 40 minutes.
Rather, for almost the entire second-half, there were just two scores, one of those from a free, until Nolan and Price struck.
The game is played under compromise rules with Ireland’s hurlers not allowed to handle the ball and allowed to either take a free normally, resulting in one point, or as a straight cut from the ground, resulting in two points.
Zane Keenan, Ireland’s most effective forward with eight points overall, including a goal, received two points for a 17th minute free taken with a cut. Lynskey would love to see that brought into hurling for side line cuts, something that was previously trialled.
“Bring that into our game, the two-pointer,” he said. “It would be huge. It was on trial in the league a few years ago and it worked quite well. The top exponents of it would be the likes of Joe Canning, TJ Reid and, as you saw, Zane Keenan.
“It is a difficult skill that takes a lot of practice and these skills need to be kept in the game so we should reward them accordingly if they are converted.”
The win adds another feather to the cap of Lynskey following his All-Ireland minor success with Galway in September. But he ruled himself out of the running for the senior vacancy in Galway following Anthony Cunningham’s recent high-profile departure.
Asked if he fancied managing Galway, Lynskey said: “No, not yet, no. No, I’m a long way off that yet. Look, some day in three or four years hopefully but not at this moment in time.”
