The GAA All-Stars Tour in Kuala Lumpur threw up a fascinating clash as the 2009 All-Stars team overcame their 2010 counterparts after a penalty shootout.
The game itself was a free-flowing affair, and an incredible 19 goals were scored over the course of the 70 minutes as the main focus of both sides was on the attacking department.
Dublin’s Bernard Brogan, who was the 2010 Championship top-scorer, continued the fine form he showed throughout the summer as he kicked an impressive individual tally of 2-3. However, it was team-mate Cathal Cregg of Roscommon who deservedly grabbed all the headlines after finishing the exhibition match with 4-2 to his name.
Cregg, was only introduced as a substitute in the first half for the 2010 All-Stars team but proved to have a very influential role on the final result. Despite his attacking prowess, the 2009 outfit were never likely to concede without a fight, and led by ace Cork attacker Daniel Goulding and Meath’s Joe Sheridan, they forced the tie to penalties. The 2009 side clinched the shootout on a score-line of 4-1, but early on in the game it looked as if they would be blown out of the water by the opposition.
Led by manager, Conor Counihan, the 2010 side burst out of the traps, and eased them into an early 3-8 to 1-4 lead. However, the 2009 team came back strong and by half-time had cut the deficit to just three points, after Goulding and Sheridan rattled the back of the net.
The break came at a bad time for James McCartan’s charges, as they lost the momentum they had worked so hard to gather in the latter stages of the first half. In similar fashion to the opening period, Counihan’s troops again managed the better start thanks to the first of Cregg’s goals. He then went on to add three more in an action packed 35-minute spell, which provided the crowd with a gift in the form of 13 goals.
With nothing separating the teams at the final whistle, the match went straight to penalties and it was the ‘09 outfit that held their nerve to claim the bragging rights in Kuala Lumpur.