Senior Football Final: Wolfe Tones v Shannon Blues

Wolfe Tones 0-12 Shannon Blues 1-13

Another Boston Championship for the Blues

Shannon Blues captured their second senior football championship in three years in a nail biting encounter with first time finalists, Wolfe Tones.  A large crowd enjoyed a superb final that could have gone either way until the final few minutes.  It was all square with ten minutes left, and Blues finished with four points on the trot to end up on the winning side.

It was an up and down battle in the first half with each side making forays into opposition territory with each kickout.  Marty Farrell and Sean O’Connor traded three points each to get things going, O’Connor’s left boot was working well as was Farrell’s accuracy from the frees.  The Tones then went on a run of four unanswered points.  Darragh McVeety put two tremendous efforts over the bar, and Michael Argue another.  In the meantime Charles McCarthy had to make way due to an injured leg, and on came Dan McCabe. 

Blues Captain Sean Moriarty presented with the trophy by
John Cunningham

The Blues started to threaten and worked an opening for Darragh Treacy who put the shot from the edge of the penalty area wide of the far post.  Sean Moriarty was then in for another goal chance but his shot was a little high and went over for a point.  Farrell put another great score over for the Tones, before O’Connor answered in kind with a fine point, this time off the right boot.  Darragh Walsh added another fine score for the Blues.  It was helter skelter up and down the field at this point and Cathal Hynes pulled off a fine save to deny the Blues a goal and preserve the Tones lead.  At the break it was an eight points to six Tones lead.

Before the second half was three minutes old the Blues had turned the deficit into a three point lead.  Two quick points from Treacy and Moriarty had the teams all square before Treacy finished a strong run with an uncompromising shot that billowed the net.  The Tones were not discouraged and their running game paid dividends as they ran at the Blues defence.  Frees were conceded by the Blues and Farrell took advantage on two occasions.  A Killian Clarke pointed a 45, along with a McCabe point had the Tones level, a Sean O’Connor point came in between for the Blues.

As the game entered the final stretch Hynes pulled off two fantastic saves to keep the Tones in it with the Blues ahead by a point.  O’Connor had put the Blues ahead with another excellently taken point before James Walsh had only Hynes between him and a goal.  The second chance fell to Darren Wallace as the Tones were hanging on to keep the game from getting away from them.  Hynes dived to his left and put the ball out for a 45 that was put over the bar by Niall Murphy.  With two points in it and the game still in reach Michael Brosnan and O’Connor each pointed to put two scores in it with time expired.  A great win for the Blues who will be looking to bring a North American Final to Boston next weekend once the celebrations die down sometime during the week!

Blues:  Conor Wallace, Trevor Wallace, Gareth Ryan, David Clifford, James Walsh, Denis McElligott, Ambrose O’Donovan. Kieran Byrnes, Sean Moriarty, Sean O’Connor, Darragh Treacy, Paul O’Connor, Niall Murphy.  Subs:  Darren Wallace, Shane Kavanagh.  Tones:  Cathal Hynes, Killian Clarke, Luke Flynn, Kevin Gorham, Kian Cleere, Mike O’Brien, Gary Brilly, Michael Argue, Darragh McVeety, Glenn O’Connell, Lee Carr, Marty Farrell, Charles McCarthy. Subs:  Sean McGuire, Dan McCabe, Cormac Joyce-Power, Darren McGuire.

By Rory O'Donnell