Sunday, September 6, 2009

NACB Junior Football Final: Aiden McAnespies v Wolfe Tones (Chi)

Aiden McAnespies 4-16 Wolfe Tones (Chicago) 0-8

The junior A football championship came to Boston for the first time in eight years, Cork were the last Boston junior team to bring the trophy to Beantown in 2001. The game was close for the first 20 minutes, and once Rory Maguire goaled late in the first half, McAnespies began to pull away. McAnespies ran out easy winners as the second half was not much of a contest.

Stephen McGettigan and Jamie Kelly put McAnespies into a two point lead, which the Tones soon cancelled out as the Chicago side kept pace in the early going. Rory Mone and Anthony Corcoran pointed for the Tones. Jamie Kelly and Mone then exchanged scores, and it was tit for tat. Things got a little testy early on with a few off the ball episodes, and the referee felt the need to issue warnings to players on each side. After Peadar Nugent put a lovely point over the bar, McAnespies began to pull away. McGettigan and Kelly pointed, and Maguire netted to put the home team in command. Colm Donnelly pointed before the half time whistle to put McAnespies ahead by 1-7 to 0-4 at the break.

From a Wolfe Tones viewpoint things degenerated in the second half. McAnespies dominated the game and kept the Tones scoreless until the final five minutes. All the while the home sided piled up the scores. The Tones were unable to keep up in the middle of the field as McAnespies strolled through the Tones defence. Kelly, Nugent and Mike Allen pointed, and Donnelly goaled to put the game beyond the visiting side. The Tones put some respectability on the scoreboard with a flurry of late points, but it was all too easy for McAnespies in the end. Corkman Mike Allen collected the MVP (Man of the Match for the folks at home) as Eugene McKenna lived up to his promise made in the Sly Fox pub 5 short months ago.

Macs: N. Duffy, N. Clancy, S. Magill, G. Hennessey, K. Hudson, P. McCusker, C. Donnelly, S. Lynn, M. Allen, R. Maguire, S. McGettigan, J. Kelly, P. Nugent. Tones: M. Campbell, M. Gallagher, D. Mone, C. Delargy, S. Folan, L. Elliott, M. O’Brien, J. Kerley, R. Mone, S. Meehan, S. Keenan, A. Corcoran, P. O’Brien.
By Rory O'Donnell

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