WHEN DESSIE HUTCHINSON left a career in professional soccer behind him to resume his hurling career with Ballygunner and Waterford, he surely dreamed of days like yesterday.<\/p>\n
He fired over four points as Ballygunner advanced to their first ever All-Ireland club hurling decider, setting up a mouthwatering showdown with Ballyhale in three weeks\u2019 time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Having already appeared in an All-Ireland final with Waterford, to reach the showpiece game with his club represents another milestone on his remarkable journey.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a lot of sacrifices made and things like that,\u201d he remarked after the win over Slaughtneil.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you know you\u2019re going to Croke Park in three weeks, it\u2019s worth it every bit.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s brilliant,\u201d he said about reaching the final. \u201cIt gives such a buzz to the community. That\u2019s all we were thinking coming up the road, how happy we are making people in the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cEspecially, the kids, we\u2019re driving them on, the next generation. It was really important we gave a good account of ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
He found space at a premium against a physical and well-organised Slaughtneil defence, who used a plus one at the back in the form of Gerald Bradley. Hutchinson clipped two first-half points and a pair at the death when his team really needed it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the tight confines of Parnell Park, Slaughtneil brought a complete different challenge to the Munster final against Kilmallock, which Ballygunner won easily. The Derry and Ulster champions scored 1-5 after the 49th minute to launch a comeback and were relentless in their work-rate.<\/p>\n
Hutchinson was pleased with the manner of their battling victory.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the toughest game we\u2019ve played. We knew we had to win the dirty possession, the dirty rucks, 50-50 battles all over the pitch. Thankfully we did in the end.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019re bringing a lot more to our game. I think we\u2019ve had every type of game the last four games. We knew ourselves we were able to do that, maybe people on the outside didn\u2019t. Maybe we\u2019re starting to prove a few people wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n Ballygunner manager Darragh O’Sullivan.<\/p>\n
Source: Ryan Byrne\/INPHO<\/p>\n
After the Munster final, joint-captain Philip Mahony said the team were motivated by critics who said they weren\u2019t a winter team.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
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\u201cPeople said that about us, I never felt that,\u201d said \u2018Gunner boss Darragh O\u2019Sullivan.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re as hard a working team as any other in the country, in my opinion, and the reality of it is when you come to winter hurling that\u2019s what comes out. Some days, we didn\u2019t win matches and other teams bet us and were better than us in bad conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook at a day down in Dungarvan against Loughmore and a day like today, the surface today wasn\u2019t really winter but it was very bumpy and that\u2019s the reality of it. Whether it is Croke Park, Walsh Park or Fraher Field, we\u2019re just delighted to be in an All-Ireland final.\u201d<\/p>\n
Looking ahead to the final against Ballyhale Shamrocks, he added: \u201cYou only get out of sport what you deserve and maybe we didn\u2019t deserve to win one so far.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we win an All-Ireland final in two weeks the reality of it is we deserve to win. We try to take lessons from the past and try and get better and improve and that\u2019s what we\u2019ll try and get from today.\u201d<\/p>\n
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