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GazetteSPORT
Liam Rushe was the man-of-the-match as Dublin bested the Tribesmen at Tullamore last weekend
JUNE 23, 2011
Rushe speeds Dubs into Leinster final St Pat’s star man-of-the-match as Galway disposed of in semi-final by ruthlessly efficient hurlers RONAN MOYLES clondalkinsport@gazettegroup.com
A MAN-of-the-match performance from Liam Rushe helped see the Dublin hurlers through to this year’s Leinster Hurling Championship final last Saturday evening. The St Pat’s club man was in top form for the Dubliners as they saw off Galway 0-19 to 2-7 in the semi-final at O’Connor Park, Tullamore. Rushe was obviously delighted with the win when he spoke to GazetteSport, but is under no illusions when it comes to the challenges that lie ahead. “We knew it would be a massive challenge and it was. But we worked hard and we tackled well. We upped our game a level or two from the Offaly match and now we have to do the same again.” Rushe was outstanding when moved to centre back following an 11th-minute injury to Tomas Brady. His performance, on his 21st
birthday, was enough to earn him the RTE Man-of-the-Match award. He says that he was “happy enough” with his day’s work and that he wasn’t daunted by the positional switch. “I trained there in mid-week just in case. I have played there before and I’m comfortable with it.” Many felt that Galway were below par in the game, with the Tribesman shooting a large number of wides. Rushe feels that it was more a case of a good Dublin defensive performance. “They are far from being poor, they have quality players. Maybe they didn’t have the greatest of performances on the day but we put a lot of pressure on them. Maybe that contributed to the wides they had.” Galway dangerman Joe Canning seemed particularly quiet but the St. Patrick’s man is quick to defend his performance. “He’s just back from injury and was maybe affected by his move out the field. His general play was good and he did get a cracking goal.”
The work isn’t done yet though: “It’s not the be-all and end-all; we played well enough to win a Leinster semi-final but that wouldn’t win you a Leinster final. We have plenty of work to do.” They face a daunting challenge in Kilkenny in the July 3 decider. Rushe is acutely aware of magnitude of the task ahead: “It’s a massive challenge, every single one of their players is top-class. “We will have to set out our defence, mark them man-to-man and work hard. They’ve brought in some new lads this year like Cathal Kenny and Richie Hogan. And obviously Henry (Shefflin) is back.” Nonetheless, Rushe is looking forward to the game and is hopeful that Dublin can win the Leinster title. It won’t be easy, but if Dublin can avenge last year’s final defeat they will bring the Bob O’Keeffe Cup back to the capital for the first time since 1938.