Junior A Football Final
Wolfe Tones captured the Junior A Football championship
title following an entertaining encounter with Galway. It was an uncertain beginning to the season
for the Wolfe Tones, but once the ball got rolling this season the men in sky
blue and navy played some efficient football, even while dealing with several
injuries to a tight squad of players. The game was in the balance all the way
into injury time when a Shane O’Brien goal secured the victory. O’Brien, who had come on as a sub late in the
game, was found by a great cross field ball by Michael Kerr, and the man from
Inch Beach, County Kerry, fisted home from the edge of the box.
The first half was closely contested with the sides trading
points in the early going. Cormac Joyce-Power
flighted some lovely balls over the bar, and for Galway JJ Doyle made the most
of any room he found and tallied some nice scores. Towards the end of the half the Tones opened
a gap with unanswered points from Gavin Walsh, Thomas Beckett, and Dan McCabe.
The gap grew wider following the restart as Joyce-Power,
Marty Farrell, and Beckett pointed early.
Answers came from Doyle and John Moylan before a penalty was awarded to
Galway after Doyle was pulled down in the box.
Kevin Cummins finished on the second bite after Shane Hayes had stopped
the initial kick. Only 2 points in
it. Walsh then netted for the Tones with
a deflected shot from 21 yards, but Galway immediately recouped the score with
a Doyle goal following a sweeping move downfield after the kickout.
The Tones made it a 3 point game heading into the last few
minutes with a Beckett point. Galway’s
efforts to move the ball downfield were well read by Tones defenders, Paudie
Kenneally being particularly effective in that regard. The deal was sealed with Inchy’s goal and the
Tones were celebrating a championship trophy with a final score of 2-15 to 2-9.
Sean Og’s 2-13 Donegal 2-8
Sean Og’s completed a double with a convincing win over
Donegal in the junior B football final.
The players who came up through the youth programs showed that they have
learned their lessons over the years, and applied them well.
The first half was well contested, with the difference maker
being an Eoin Gormley goal. Points from
Steven Ward and Ashley Carr capped off the half to make it a 1-6 to 0-7 Sean
Og’s lead.
The second half saw a flurry of unanswered points from Sean
Og’s put the youngsters into a healthy lead.
Gormley, Declan O’Sullivan, Mike Moylan and another excellently taken
O’Sullivan free opened the lead to 6 points.
Sean Og’s defence handled anything Donegal threw at them, until a Carr
point saw the northerners get off the mark.
Gormley, however, was busy at corner forward and looked dangerous when
the ball came in to him, and set up Ward for a second Sean Og’s goal. One that would surely see them through.
The final stages of the game were a little shaky for Sean
Og’s as Donegal hit with 2 late goals to try and make an unlikely late
comeback. Brian Kelly was involved in
both, first palming home a Christy McLaughlin cross, and then winning a forward
mark, and Ashley Carr ending up putting the ball into the net. The gap was too wide to bridge, however, and
Sean Og’s celebrated a deserved Junior B football title, to go with the junior
B Hurling that was won last weekend.
In his speech following the win the Sean Og’s captain,
Patrick Moylan, noted that the club is named in memory of Sean Farrell, son of
John and Bridget Farrell and that it was a privilege to play for a club that
means more than just football.
The junior C football championship was won by Hartford in a
tightly contested final. An early goal
put Hartford in the driver’s seat, but by the half time break Portland had
returned the favor and there was a slim 2 point lead for the Connecticut men,
1-5 to 1-3.
Hartford doubled that lead after the break, tagging 3 points
to one for Portland, but heading into the final quarter the game was still very
much in the balance. Portland were
unable to eat into the gap and at the final whistle, amid scenes of delight
from the Hartford supporters, it was a 1-10 to 1-6 Hartford victory.
By Rory O’Donnell
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