OVER THE MOON

St Thomas' down favourites in clash for ages

WHEN St. Thomas’ Evan Duggan found out the news that he was dropped for the All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship semi-final with Ballygunner, it is safe to say he wasn’t best please.

“I was absolutely cracked, I won’t lie,” Duggan told Herald Sport immediately after an epic game, where he scored a late point from play and hammered home the match-winning penalty in the shootout past Ballygunner netminder Stephen O’Keeffe, a player rated as one of the best custodians in the land.

“Over the moon!” was how he described his emotions. “I’m absolutely delighted. It was some game. They pushed us and we pushed them. It was tit for tat, really.

I didn’t know what to think when your man [Billy O’Keeffe] stuck it over in extra-time to draw it for penalties. It could have gone either way. Thanks be to God we’re in an All-Ireland final.

“I found out on Wednesday that I wasn’t starting. They [the management] decided that this was the best way to go about it. I said the boys know what they’re doing. I said this is what they want to do, this is the best way to go about. Just take it on the chin and when you get your chance to come on, you’re going to have way more energy than everyone else. That was it.”

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