Emmet Moloney writes for the 'Farmers Journal' and is a former sports columnist with 'The Kerryman'.

While Croke Park gets decommissioned for GAA activities for eight or nine months, our local fields have never been busier. The county championships are taking centre stage. Emmet Moloney writes...

Returning to the club scene after a long season of inter-county activity can be tough on the current county hurler but it’s a great platform for the former county star. Class is eternal and I saw a wonderful example of such in Cusack Park on Sunday last from Seanie McMahon. The custodian of the number six Clare jersey for much of the Nineties and Noughties, Seanie is without doubt the finest centre-back I have ever seen. Now in his mid-30s, the St Joseph’s man has made the oft-trodden journey to the edge of the square to live out his hurling days as a “cute” full-forward. And that he most certainly is.

St Joseph’s are a side that captured All-Ireland club honours back in the ’90s with stalwarts like Seanie, Ollie Baker and Jamesie O’Connor backboning their effort. The man who has occupied this space for the duration of the summer, Christy O’Connor (Jamesie’s brother), also played on that team and was in action between the posts on Sunday last. Yet another clean sheet for Christy!

But back to Seanie. While he may not possess the pace of former years, his brain has not slowed up. And the communication line from that brain to his hands is still as active as ever. Towards the end of Sunday’s senior hurling championship quarter-final, Seanie combined all this class to score the best goal I have seen this year. Leading by a couple of points at the time, that green flag put St Jospeh’s into a county semi-final.

The ball was flighted towards the 14-yard line and Seanie used his shoulder and experience to make sure he was in front and stuck out his left hand to gather.

In the same movement the ball was caught and thrown up again for the strike. Seanie turned his body towards goal and the ball was hardly seen on its flight to the top right-hand corner of the Inagh-Kilnamona net. There isn’t a goalie alive who could have seen it, never mind saved it. Worth the price of admission alone.

Seanie’s display reminded me of Christy Ring. And not in the way you think. When Christy was finished with Cork in the late ’50s/early ’60s, he was still some hurler. Legend has it he should still have been on the Cork team that won the 1966 All-Ireland. Although 46 by then, he was still drawing and wowing huge crowds on the Cork club scene. With Ring in their ranks, Glen Rovers were a big draw. Readers of a certain generation will remember tournament games, when clubs would be invited to another county to play and the winning team would often get a watch each or, in one case I know of, a suit of clothes was provided for every member of the victorious team. How times have changed.

Anyway, legend has it that Glen Rovers were brought to Kerry to open a pitch and of course Christy was the big draw. For many in Kerry (mostly North Kerry, it must be said), the name Ring was magical but rarely sighted. Only the wireless conveyed his genius. Now here was their chance to see him in the flesh, even if he was in his late 40s by then. Thousands turned up. And all to see Ring. The local Kerry side had never played before such an audience and the “best hurler in the Parish” was detailed to shadow Christy Ring. Half his age, the youngster probably fancied his chances of being able to boast to his grandchildren that he had held the legend Ring.

The first ball came into the full-forward line and, sure enough, the youngster was out in front. He plucked it, looked behind, saw Ring wasn’t even chasing him and drove it up the field to a huge roar. He came back into Christy, who wasn’t too pleased.

With the ball out of play at the other end of the field, Ring came up with a solution. He proposed that his young opponent let him win the next ball and go past him towards goal; Christy would then step back for the following ball and make him look good with a solid clearance. The crowd would see a bit of the Christy magic and the young fella’s reputation could be enhanced as well. Naturally, the Kerry man went for this plan straight away. Immortality beckoned.

The next ball came in and Christy duly won it, rounded his marker and fired a great goal. The crowd went mad. This is what they had come to see. Five minutes passed and the sliotar again came flying towards them. This was to be the young fella’s ball. So he casually made for it. As he put up his hand he felt a cool breeze pass him. Christy. The ball was caught by the Glen man and in the same movement buried in the roof of the net. This time the pitch was nearly invaded with the excitement. It was two minutes before the cheering died down. When it did Christy Ring sidled over to his shocked opponent. “You see all these people here?” asked Ringy, pointing at the vast crowd, “they didn’t come here to see you!”

I thought of that story when I watched Seanie’s marvellous goal. I doubt he had made a deal with the Inagh-Kilnamona full-back, but the style of the score suggested he could have!

(Before many of our Cork readers lose the run of themselves and issue fatwas or anything, I am not comparing anyone to Christy Ring. That would be pure foolishness. Maybe in Clare Seanie is our version of Ringy. Let us have that much, Rebels. Please!)

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