At the opposite end of the 2012 calendar, White’s Cross had wins in the MacSwiney Cup competition against St. Finbarr’s and Passage to exceed over 30 consecutive wins in this straight knock-out competition, and qualify for yet another final. While it was not something that was given any public airing in training or team-talks, the significance of this match-up with Delanys was not lost on any of the lads – ten-in-a-row certainly has a ring about it!
Unfortunately this was another final that did not get played in its proper calendar year and rolled over to February 2013. It proved a nip-and-tuck encounter against an opposition boosted by the fact that they game was on their home-turf. Scoring proved to be at a real premium in this encounter with both sets of defenders on top of their opponents throughout. However White’s Cross, buoyed by a fine score from Conor Buckley five minutes from time to put them one up, put down the shutters in defence with Eoin Murnane, James Cooney and Seanie Gorman all resilient in battle to win out 0-9 to 0-8.
Thus over ten years on from the giant-killing 2003 win, White’s Cross have proven great custodians of this historic cup, and I guess make their own little bit of history… 10 in a row! For the record, the following was the White’s Cross panel that was part of this final success, under the instruction of Finbarr Kiely, TC Buckley, Paudie Curtin and Con Kelleher:
Team: Billy Sheahan (Captain), Sean Murnane, James Cooney, Sean Gorman, Cormac Manning, Eoin Murnane, Brian Murphy, Kevin Buckley, Brendáin Murnane, Dylan Burke, Bryan O Sullivan, Donnacha Murnane, Edwin Buckley, Michael Osborne, John McElhinney. Subs: Conor Kelleher for K Buckley (35 mins. – injured), Denis O Regan for B O Sullivan (50 mins. – injured), Ruairí Murnane, Kevin Fennessy, Richard Sherlock, Niall Twomey, Seamas O Reilly.