Tones Juniors Impress

Donegal 1-6 Wolfe Tones 2-9

The junior senator from Massachusetts, Scott Brown, made an appearance at the Irish Cultural Center as the defending Junior A football champion Wolfe Tones took the field on Sunday and faced Donegal in a repeat of last year’s final.  It was a keenly contested game, and in spite of losing Mick Sammon to a red card in the second half, the Tones maintained their superiority to take the spoils.

John Cunningham, Mick Sammon, Emmet Doonan, Eddie Feeley,
John Farrell, and Peter Murray introduce senator Scott Brown
to the ins and outs of Gaelic Football before the game.

Though Donegal enjoyed an advantage on the scoreboard early on, neither side was able to impose themselves on the game.  Michael McGinty opened the scoring with a well taken point, and was followed by Kevin Curran and Brian Farrelly.  Play flowed back and forth as each back line mopped up, but neither forward line could breach their opposing defenders.  The Tones got themselves back into it on the scoreboard towards the end of the half as the points eventually began to flow.  Mick Sammon, Mike O’Brien, and two more Sammon frees brought the champions on level terms at the half, 0-4 to 0-4.

Donegal's Michael McGinty bursts past the tackle.

The Tones took the bull by the horns in the second half.  The middle of the field belonged to Thomas Murphy and Gavin Walsh as the champions enjoyed most of the possession and played the ball around nicely.  Christy Bell opened the scoring for Donegal but Sammon answered with two well taken points from play.  Sammon added two more points from frees, and then the Tones struck with a goal.  Darren Lowry fielded the ball well in the corner and combined with Fergal Conway who found Murphy on the 14 and the number 9 blasted home to give the Tones a five point lead.  Donegal quickly got the goal back thanks to some some industrious work from Bell who finished low from close range.  Donegal had an opening to turn the game around after Mick Sammon was shown the red card for his reaction to a foul by his marker, Darren Doherty.  Doherty was given a yellow for the foul.  The Tones, as they did in the senior match beforehand, dug deep.  Gavin Walsh stepped up in midfield and Shane O’Brien put in a hard fought effort aftercoming on to the field of play.  Another goal came, and again it was Thomas Murphy who was the finisher to restore the Tones lead as the champions held on to win the two points on offer. 

Referee:  Jimmy Trimble who did an excellent job refereeing the game.

Man of the Match:  Thomas Murphy - Tones

Donegal:  J. Byrne, P. McNulty, D. Doherty, N. McLaughlin, E. Doonan, P. McLaughlin, M. McGinty, C. Bell, E. McCarney, K. Curran, B. Friel, B. Farrelly, N. McConnell.  Tones:  B. Murray, A. Rooney, K. Gill, M. O’Brien, K. O’Regan, C. Malone, G. Walsh, D. Lowry, T. Murphy, G. Molloy, F. Conway, M. Sammon, G. Leonard. 

By Rory O'Donnell