Hero Fogarty saves his best for
final
The All-Ireland hurling final is an occasion for the cream to rise to
the top but occasionally one of the lesser lights is inspired by the occasion
into producing a performance to live long in the memory.
Sunday’s final was such an occasion for Emeralds clubman Aidan Fogarty
— the man-of-the-match whose goal helped Kilkenny to another Liam
McCarthy triumph.
Aidan has taken several seasons to become an overnight success.
He first rose to prominence as part of Kilkenny’s All-Ireland under-21
winning team of 2003 and has been an ever present on the Cats senior panel
ever since.
Injuries slightly hampered his progress in the early years but this season
has seen his emergence among the front rank of Kilkenny hurlers.
A consistent performer with the Cats through the less spectacular fixtures
of the National League and the Walsh Cup he has been among the first names
on the team sheet for Championship Sundays since making the breakthrough
in 2003 and similarly is always one of the first to be overlooked when
plaudits are being handed out at the end.
The corner-forward’s excellent performance — in which he scored
1-3 while being marked by the vastly more experienced Pat Mulcahy —
set the Cats on their way to reclaiming the crown and drew praise from
his famously-reticent manager Brian Cody in the wake of Sunday’s
triumph.
The wily Kilkenny boss said: “He was outstanding in the league for
us, he’s never had a bad game really.
“He suffered a bit of injury which kept him off the scene early
on this year but he showed what he is capable of Sunday and it couldn’t
happen to a nicer fellow.”
Twenty-four-year-old Fogarty, — known universally as Taggy —
was an unknown quantity when playing in his first All-Ireland final but
when next he wears the Black-and-Amber, all eyes will be on the softy
spoken electrical engineer from Urlingford.
In a match between hurling’s last aristocrats it’s somehow
fitting that an underdog won the day.
|
