Senior Football Semi-Final: Aidan McAnespies v Donegal

Aidan McAnespies 1-10 Donegal 0-11

It was a game that contained the best of the game – and the worst.  There were ugly scenes in the first half as two major melees broke out.  The result of both was a plethora of yellow cards, and one sending off.  The best of it was the heart and determination shown by McAnespies, when a man down, and after losing their key midfield men, how they buckled down and against the odds, and made it to the 2017 final.  The re-entry to the game of a taped up Danny McBride to see them over the line added a dramatic twist that the tale deserved.

Ferghal McGeough on the move for McAnespies

It was an incident packed first half in which there were numerous yellow cards were issued and one sending off.  It was shaping up to be a good game of football before two melees broke out.  One in the McAnespies goalmouth and shortly afterwards, in the Donegal half of the field.  Referee Pa O’Driscoll was the center of attention as he took several minutes to try and sort out who was responsible for what, such was the degree of kicking, punching, and shoving from most of the players on the field.  In fairness to O’Driscoll, he would have been justified in calling the game, but decided to issue a red card to Brian Breslin as he was adjudged to have been the starting point of the row.  Others got away lightly with yellow cards, which at least players were on notice.  Had reds been issued it could have been a 7 or 8 a side game, which was not what people turned up to see.  We carried on in the hope that a game of football would break out.  At the end of it, the crowd was treated to drama seldom seen in Canton, even among the numerous dramatic games over the years.   On the football front McAnespies had netted through Marty Mongan who fisted a high ball over the line from the edge of the box, and playing the ball well from the back, McAnespies converted three points.

Stephen McBrearty Shoots.

Just before the fighting, Danny McBride had to leave play due to a wrist injury and, after the red for Breslin McAnespies lost their second midfielder.  Few gave them a chance with a man down and their two most important players of the season on the sideline.   Donegal had pointed through Ted Furman and a beautiful curler from Enda Varley.  But McAnespies kept it tight in their own half of the field, and Donegal did not have not whole lot of room in which to operate.  At the break it was McAnespies by a point, 1-3 to 0-5, and the buzz in the stands was all about the scenes that ended the half.

The second half saw McAnespies hold their own, and over the first 10 minutes outscored their opponents.  Niall Rooney, Robbie Croft (2 frees) and Ferghal McGeough capitalized on opportunities from breaking out of defence.  One felt that with the man advantage and the pedigree of players in the forward line, it would just be a matter of time before Donegal caught up.  Fatigue was visibly wearing on players from both teams, but Donegal would have an edge down the stretch with that extra man.

Catch up they did.  Brian Donnelly, McBrearty, Kevin Toner and McBrearty again pointed as Donegal found routes through the clogged McAnespies defence.  McBrearty’s second point put Donegal one to the good and surely it was now a matter of adding a few more in the final minutes and preparing for a final.  It was not over however.  Like Larry Bird coming back into the game for the Celtics after getting getting hurt in 1991 or Paul Pierce coming back on the floor in 2008 after leaving the game in a wheelchair, Danny McBride reentered the game with his wrist taped to the cheers of the McAnespies supporters.  McAnespies rallied and McBride immediately pointed from a free to level the scores.  McAnespies got the lift they needed for the last 5 minutes with the game on the line.  As the defence did its job and continued to make life difficult for Donegal, McAnespies forced Donegal into turnovers and patience saw them work the ball within scoring range.  Donegal were forced into fouling when Che O’Donnell or Michael Walsh were on the ball and McAnespies capitalized by pointing a free (Croft) to put them ahead.  To cap it off Fergal McGeough put the insurance over from out on the wing with a wonderful score.  It was an amazing end to the game and McAnespies supporters have not exhibited such a level of delight in many years.  Donegal will be wondering how the game slipped away from them, while McAnespies will be taking stock and tending to their wounds over the next week when they get ready to face the Shannon Blues.

Macs:  Paddy Coakley, Tommy Brearton, Paul Clifford, Seamus Breslin, Eoin Delmer, Fergal McGeough, Brian Breslin, Danny McBride, Michael Walsh, Martin Mongan, Niall Rooney, Che O’Donnell, Robbie Croft.

Donegal:  Christy McLaughlin, Jason Noctor, Conor Burke, Sean Doherty, Jack O’Brien, Derek Maguire, Eoghan Lafferty, Brian Donnelly, Sean Donnelly, Stephen McBrearty, Mike Finnegan, Enda Varley, Ted Furman.

By Rory O'Donnell

Senior Football Semi-Final: Shannon Blues v Galway

Galway 0-14 Shannon Blues 2-13

Shannon Blues put in a dominant second half performance to overturn a five point half-time deficit and end with a 5 point win.  The Blues won the lion’s share of second half possession and when Galway did manage to get into scoring range, the Blues defence smothered any opportunity of scoring.  A Darren Wallace second half goal spurred the Blues comeback, and a further six points unanswered turned the tables in the Blues favour.

Trevor Wallace and Ryan Forde.

It was a fast and furious opening to the game.  The Blues carried the ball well and attacked in waves from deep.  Trevor Wallace found himself in range on a couple of occasions, while Brian O’Seanachain made some forays into the Galway back line.  The Blues threatened the Galway goal line on a handful of occasions.  One ball came off the crossbar after Hurley attempted to palm it into the net, and Jamie Kelly was called upon to save from close range on another.  The Blues opened a 5 points to 3 lead with Hurley, Greg Horan and Wayne Guthrie pointing – but that was about to change.

Galway came into their own in the latter stages of the half.  The westerners defended well, Ruairi Greene did a diligent job in his corner with Josh Ryan to contend with.  Meanwhile at the other end the forwards capitalized on a wealth of possession.  Brian Reape and Cian McMonagle converted, and a monster score from Cian D’arcy roused the Galway faithful in the stands.  Galway continued to move the ball well with Ryan Forde, Alan Egan, and Jamie Keogh combining well.  Half time saw Galway into a 0-10 to 0-5 lead.

Kieran Hurley and David Kenny under the high ball.

The Blues however, erased the Galway lead within 20 minutes of the restart.  With a decided advantage in possession the Blues eventually netted through Darren Wallace.  Greg Horan was involved and played Wallace through, and the Blues captain fired the ball into the roof of the net.  Galway lost their way on several occasions, at times overplaying the ball when in the shooting zone or trying to go it alone to try and get a much needed score.  Two early points was the entire return for the half.  Josh Ryan, who was well marshalled, put the tying score over the bar, while Barry Hartnett and Cormac Coffee opened a lead as the Blues looked unstoppable.

With Galway now chasing the game and clock ticking the Blues dominated possession.  On the occasion that Galway worked the ball into the Blues half, Blue and Gold defenders worked hard to close down the Maroon attackers and force Galway into mistakes or taking bad shots.  The Blues had scored 1-6 before Galway pointed again through McMonagle, and with a few minutes to go a goal would be needed for Galway.    McMonagle pointed a free and in the final stages Galway made one final push for a goal.  However, with numbers committed forward the Blues broke away and Josh Ryan provided Kieran Hurley with the pass to net, and with the goal the game was over.  The Blues back into the final with Brian Kennedy at the helm and looking to book a trip to San Francisco.

Galway:  James Kelly, David Kenny, Ruairi Greene, Stuart Cullen, Dylan McHugh, Ryan Forde, Cian D’arcy, Eoghan Kavanagh, Jamie Keogh, Kevin Cummins, Alan Egan, Brian Reape, Cian McMonagle.  Subs: Ciaran Molloy, Craig Kennedy.

Blues:  Darragh O’Shea, Trevor Wallace, Fionn O’Herlihey, Denis McElligott, Barry Hartnett, Brian Fanning, Brian O’Seanachain, Wayne Guthrie, Greg Horan, Darren Wallace, Lee O’Donoghue, Kieran Hurley, Josh Ryan.  Subs:  Cormac Coffee, Maurice Young.

By Rory O'Donnell

Junior A Football Semi-Final: Cork v Connemara Gaels

Cork 3-22 Connemara Gaels 5-8 (AET)

The Gaels seemed to have the game in the bag, but Cork pulled off a second half comeback to force extra time.  The rebels then had more in reserve for the additional 20 minutes and in the end came out comfortable victors.  Cathail Arnold was the center of all things good for the Corkmen, and when the Down man had the ball in his hands it was almost always going to result in a score. An injury time penalty that Arnold dispatched tied it the game up.  In the extra time it was Cork who secured the win and a place in next week’s final versus the Shannon Blues.

Ian Heanue looks for a route past Jack Lynch.

It was a ding dong first half as each side vied for control of the game.  Cork defended well for the most of the 30 minutes with Colm Caffrey and Seamus Loftus doing well in the half back line.  At the other end of the field, Paudi O’Shea and Cathail Arnold were doing most of the damage.  Arnold tallied four of Cork’s first half total, two points were well taken frees off the ground.  Mark Dalton popped over a well worked point and Paudi O’Shea another, as Cork looked good in the early going.  It took the Gaels a while to get into the swing of things, but once they did the goals came. 

Noel Graham had netted early, and the goal kept the Gaels in it as Cork outscored the westerners four points to one.  With half time approaching the Gaels started to motor, with Noel Graham, Ian Heanue and Coleman Mulkerrins combining well.  Twice the Gaels opened up the Cork defence and Graham netted twice, the finishes almost identical, left footed into the corner. Niall Collins was involved in a point that Mulkerrins converted, Heanue put a rousing one over with a burst forward from center back, and AJ Maguire also got on the scoreboard to send the Gaels into the break up by 8, 3-5 to 0-6 – and looking good for the win.

Cork picked off the points and whittled away at the Gaels lead in the second half.  O’Shea, Arnold, Caffrey, and James Long were in target as the gap between the sides closed.  The Gaels struggled to move the ball out of their own half, and almost like the junior B final the evening before, Cork had all routes to goal closed off and inched closer.  With the lead narrowed down to a goal.  Cork almost leveled the scores following a turnover as the Gaels tried to play the ball out of defence, however, the ball was scrambled off the line.

Jack Lynch on the ball for Cork.

The Gaels rallied to goal, this time it was AJ Maguire who was played through running on to the far post, and the youth league product bundled the ball over the line to apparently ease Gaels worries.  Cork did not stop, however.  Arnold, who had moved into a more advanced position, pointed three times.  Playing at corner forward the ball was delivered early and often and Arnold capitalized each time.  With the 30 minutes played the goal still stood between the teams, and Cork then got their chance to level it.  Paidi O’Shea was bundled over just inside the box and who else but Arnold buried the spot kick.  Each side had a chance to win it in the last minute, Arnold shot wide, and Gaels turned it over when in range.  Extra time ensued.

Cork were the side with the legs to carry them through the extra period.  Cork moved the ball well to point through James Long and Dalton, and after the Gaels snatched a goal through Noel Graham with a rare attack, Cork got it right back.  Arnold set it up, and O’Shea was the finisher.  Cian Clifford belted another chance into the back of the net just before the turnaround and it looked good for the rebels.  After Cork pointed again to open up a 2 goal lead, the red shirts defended in numbers to keep the goal safe.  No repeat of last year’s final appearance for the Gaels, and for Cork it is their first appearance since 2014.

Cork:  Ollie Murphy, Ian Crowley, Darren O’Donovan, Seamus Loftus, Colm Caffrey, Sean Flynn, Jack Lynch, James Long, Simon Kennedy, Cathail Arnold, Leigh Cunningham, Mark Dalton, Paidi O’Shea.  Subs: Sean Lordan, Cian Clifford.

Gaels:  James O’Donnell, Chris Lafferty, Tom Dignan, Damien Doolan, Ian Heanue, Pat McNicholas, Niall Collins, Liam McDonagh, Tommy McDonagh, Coleman Mulkerrins, AJ Maguire, Paddy McGee, PJ Conneeley.  Subs: Kevin Walsh, Gavin MCrystal, Donal Reeney, Stephen Murray.

By Rory O'Donnell

Junior A Football Semi-Final: Shannon Blues v DonegalShannon Blues 2-13 Donegal 0-8

Shannon Blues 2-13 Donegal 0-8

Shannon Blues earned a place in the junior A football final with a well-earned win over Donegal on Saturday evening.  Two early first half goals put some distance between the teams, a gap that mis-firing Donegal could not bridge.  There were some great performances, Jack Goulding at corner forward did well, and when the Blues needed a lift Pat Murray and Conor Fitzgerald stepped up the plate with bursting runs forward late in the game.  Shane Connaughton was a constant for the Blues in and around the middle of the field as they make the junior A final for the first time since 1999.

Shannon Blues junior team - first final since 1999.

Goulding rattled the Donegal net twice in the opening 15 minutes to give the Shannon Blues a great start to the game.  The first goal game came from the left side with Goulding latching on the ball into his corner, cutting in, and hitting the far corner of the net.  The north Kerry man showed that he could do it from either side as the second came in similar fashion, only from the right side.  Donegal had erased the first goal with 3 points on the trot, and the second goal restored that advantage.

The Blues moved the ball well out of defence.  Shane Connaughton, Pat Murray and Pat Moriarty combined well at times.  Maurice Young was also on form, hitting the target from a long range free and then a point from play as the Blues forward line opened the spaces up.  Donegal, on the other hand, never really got motoring up front.  Ciaran McDevitt looked lively and set up a point each for Sean Hume and Ricky Gallagher, but nothing seemed to spark the Tir Chonaill men.  The Blues back line tackled well to make life tough for their opposite numbers, however Donegal will have regretted a number of missed chances to close the gap. At the break it was the Blues by eight, 2-7 to 0-5.

Donegal junior As came up just short in the semi-final.

Donegal had plenty of possession in the early going after the restart and introduced Conor McCormack and Darren Grant to the fray to try and improve their return.  McCormack pointed almost right away, and Neil McEneaney did well in the half back line to shut off supply to the Blues full forwards.  The northerners continued to struggle though, and abandoned the running game in favour of the high ball to the edge of the box, but still to no avail.

The Blues nursed their lead over the first 15 minutes of the second half.  Donegal brought the gap to 2 scores after Ronan McMenamin pointed, but the Blues restored their advantage with 2 frees from the boot of John Craig.  The teams traded scores once more before the Blues added to their advantage.  Some great running by Pat Murray, and good work in the corner by Goulding resulted in scores.  When Conor Fitzgerald put a rousing point over the bar to make it a 10 point difference, the Blues supporters sensed that a place in the final was all but secure.  And, so the Blues meet Cork in next week’s final.

Blues:  Michael Moriarty, Shane Kelly, Derek O’Brien, John Craig, Stephen Conway, Conor Mullen, Pat Murray, Maurice Young, Conor Fitzgerald, Pat Moriarty, Shane Connaughton, Jack Goulding, Michael Ralston.  Subs:  James Feeney, Mike Keegan, Joe Hurley.

Donegal:  Pauric Miskell, Paul McNulty, Declan McBride, KJ McGowan, Ronan McMenamin, Mark Canney, Neil McEnaeaney, Tom Caldwell, Conor Brosnan, Ronan Diver, Ciaran McDevitt, Ricky Gallagher, Sean Hume.  Subs:  Conor McCormack, Darren Grant, Gavin Riley, Michael McGinty, Mark Dorian.

By Rory O'Donnell

Junior A Hurling Semi-Final: Fr. Tom Burke's v OffalyOffaly 4-17 Fr. Tom Burke’s 4-14 (AET)

Another junior A Semi-Final, another game that went into extra time.  It was tight all the way through, and with Tom’s ahead by a point in injury time, and Offaly free leveled matters to send it into extra time.  A sending off in the additional period did not help Tom’s cause, and a Shaun Dunne goal early in the second period set up Offaly for the win and a date with Tipperary next week.

Adrian Cleary on the run for Offaly. 

Offaly held a slight advantage at the break thanks to two wonderfully engineered goals.  Jimmy Rigney was the chief architect.  The Kinnity man put Shaun Dunne though with a perfect pass for the first, and for the second set up Stephen Brown on the edge of the small square.  The half was evenly contested, each side had plenty of chances.  For Tom’s Fran Keenan and Daniel O’Connell converted 4 points from dead balls, while the balance of the scores were supplied by Paudge Egan and Niall McCarthy.  Ciaran Moore poached a goal to keep Tom’s in touch early in the half after his shot had come off the keeper and the post.

When on the move Offaly looked slightly more dangerous.  The Faithful County’s scorers were scattered around the field with contributions on the scoreboard from Tommy Rigney  and Adrian Cleary in the half back line, Cathal Cusack in midfield, and 3 of the five forwards hit the mark.  At the break it was a 1-7 to 2-7 Offaly lead.

Old Soldiers Seamie Higgins and Andy McRedomnd in perfect Synch.

Tom’s had affairs level on the scoreboard before long following the restart.  Ciaran Moore showed some great fielding skills and netted after a Paudge Egan run.  Offaly tried to wrest control of the game back into their favour.  Alan Murray netted shortly after coming in to game, and points from Dan O’Connell and McRedmond had the faithful men back on top.  Not for long however, Tom’s won a penalty after Keenan was fouled in the box.  The Laoisman took it himself and made no mistake hitting the back of the net.   Keenan scored his second, and Tom’s fourth goal soon afterwards, catching the Offaly men on the goal line unawares and fired a 21 yard free home.  Now it was Tom’s with a two point advantage. 

Offaly had the scores level heading into the full time whistle thanks to scores from Cleary and Dunne, but a Dan O’Connell strike looked like it would deliver the game for Tom’s.  Offaly had a last minute free and it was converted by Murray to send the game into extra time.

Offaly took the break in the extra period point to the good, and a man to the good after Dan O’Connell was given his marching orders for an off the ball incident just before the changeover.  After the second period started Dunne netted after some good build up play involving Tommy Rigney and Alan Murray.  Dunne fielded cleanly and turned and drove the ball into the net.  With the extra man in defence, Offaly cleaned up anything Tom’s dropped inside the 45 and looked comfortable.  It was a hard earned win to try and make it back to back junior titles, however, it is a formidable Tipperary team that awaits next week.  

Offaly:  Gary Sherlock, Alan Bergin, Rian Dempsey, Jack Murray, Adrian Cleary, Tommy Rigney, James Rigney, Cathal Cusack, Chris McMahon, Andy McRedmond, Jack Lynch, Shaun Dunne, Stephen Brown.  Subs:  Alan Murray, Mickey Markham.

Tom’s:  Sean O’Brien, Paddy Flynn, Sean Og Somers, James Dooley, Seamus Higgins, Kevin Burke, Gary Kelly, Daniel O’Connell, Fran Keenan, Niall McCarthy, Podge Egan, Ciaran Moore, Jack Martin.  Subs:  Chris O’Donoghue, Liam Moore.

By Rory O'Donnell

Junior B Football Final - Cork v Donegal

Donegal 6-12 Cork 0-16

Donegal put in a six goal performance to deliver their third junior B football trophy in a row.  Christy McLaughlin was the man of the hour, netting two goals and putting some beautiful points over the bar from all angles and distances.  In the second half when Cork were pushing close to catching Donegal, the Malin native retreated to the middle of the field and orchestrated the scores that stemmed the rebels efforts.

Johnny Byrne and Jack Lynch contest a kickout.

Donegal could not have got off to a better start to the game.  Two early goals knocked Cork back on their heels.  The first came from McLaughlin, a high ball across the face of goal was met by the corner forward who maintained his cool to net.  The second was almost identical, this time Diarmuid Moyne was the scorer after a similarly flighted ball made its way across the goal to the far post.  Donegal added two more points as the forward line was ticking over like a well tuned engine.

Cork were the opposite in the early going.  Possession was turned over several times and the Donegal back line ate up most ball that was played into their area.  Cork did manage to get on the scoreboard through Padraig O’Shea and Adam Kenny points, however the early goals had set them back severely.  With Cork starting to come to grips with the game, and matching Donegal in the points column, two more goals were added by the northerners to deliver another sucker punch.  McLaughlin and Ronan Shovlin had easy finishes as the Donegal movement had Corks defenders one step behind.  At half time Cork had it all to do, facing a 4-6 to 0-6 deficit.

Shane McDaid is presented with the junior B football trophy.

Cork had to come out strong in the second half to have any chance, and they did just that.  Midfielders Cian Clifford and Jack Lynch won plenty of possession, and with the Donegal back line having to resort to fouling, the free taking of O’Shea punished them.  Cork drove forward on almost every possession and chipped away at the gap until the difference between the teams was 5 points.  Would we see a dramatic comeback?  Donegal had to make some changes and Pauric McLaughlin was brought in along with John Dougan.  Pauric brought some energy to Donegal’s efforts, and his wily namesake, Christy, retreated into the middle of the field. 

Things swung back to Donegal.  Christy swung over a beautiful free and then won a Cork kickout that resulted in a point for Darren Grant.  Then came Pauric to engineer a couple of goals to kill the game.  Diarmuid Moyne got one and Matthew Cutliffe the other, and with Donegal’s lead now unassailable, it was game over.  Cork’s 16 point tally would have won many a game, but Donegal’s 6 goals will probably win you every game.  A brave comeback effort from the rebels, but the men from Tir Chonaill had just that extra bit of experience, and a man by the name of Christy McLaughlin in the fold.

Cork:  Simon Atkinson, Ryan Connell, Shane Mulligan, Declan Harrington, Dan O’Regan, James long, Jack Lynch, Cian Clifford, Dennis Harrington, Darren O’Donovan, Emmet Smith, Padraig O’Shea, Adam Kenny.  Subs: Dan O’Leary.

Donegal:  Noel McDermott, Michael McBride, Shane McDaid, Aaron Friel, Michael McGinty, Pauric McMenamin, Johnny Byrne, Darren Grant, Diarmuid Moyne, Ronan Shovlin, Paul Boyce, Matthew Cutliffe, Christy McLaughlin.  Subs:  Pauric McLaughlin, John Dougan, Dylan Costello, Sean Winston.

By Rory O'Donnell

Boston Northeast GAA Semi-Finals Weekend at the ICC

Sunday August 13


Shannon Blues v Galway 1:45

First up are Galway and the Shannon Blues.  Galway find themselves one game away from repeating last year’s final appearance.  The westerners field a balanced side and play a fluid style, moving the ball well when in possession.  There are plenty of finishers in the forward line.  Home based stalwart Kevin Cummins can be relied on to come up with a big score when needed, while given a half a step of room, Cian McMonagle can put the ball over the bar from distance.  In the middle of the field Ryan Forde and Cian Darcy form a good midfield partnership, while Galway U21s Dylan McHugh and Ruairi Greene form part of a solid defence.     The Blues have some players who can open things up with speed from the half back line and midfield.  Brian Fanning and Brian O’Seanachain, as well as Kevin Coffey, are players capable of launching marauding attacks deep into enemy territory, while at the front end of the field, Kerry duo Kieran Hurley and Lee O’Donoghue can provide the finishes.  Limerick native Josh Ryan can also mix it up on the edge of the square for the Blues.  Can Galway make it two final appearances in a row, or will it be the Blues fulfilling their potential and earning a final date.  The Blues might be slight favourites as they seem to be hitting form at the right time, but remember that Galway comeback earlier in the season.  Will be an interesting one!

Aidan McAnespies v Donegal 4:15

One of the biggest rivalries in town, Aidan McAnespies and Donegal are sure to be firing on all cylinders on Sunday afternoon.  Donegal have to be the favoured side having run the table in the league stages.  There is plenty of quality in the team.  Brian Donnelly is a key figure in the middle of the field, the Louthman’s presence has been key to Donegal’s success.  Alongside him, and a different style of player is Stephen McBrearty.  McBrearty has a great engine and never wastes possession, and there will be plenty of options up front with Ted Furman and Enda Varley sure to keep McAnespies defenders hands full.  McAnespies have come out ahead in their last two outings, the last a real character test having pulled out the win after going to extra time against the Connemara Gaels.  The team works hard on the defensive side of the ball and has the players to spring forward and capitalize on the breaks.  Key for them this year has been Lifford native, Brian Breslin.  Breslin has the speed and scoring ability that would fit into any team, while Dubliner Mick Walsh also adds pace.  McAnespies will need to keep the energy levels up for the hour if they hope to turn the Donegal men, and while a win might be a surprise it is not out of the question.

Saturday Aug 12

Junior B Football Final –

Cork v Donegal - 4:00 (Field B)

It is north v south in the junior B football final when Cork and Donegal meet on Saturday afternoon.  Cork defeated the Connemara Gaels in the semi-final with room to spare, and might feel that this year could be the first time since 2012 that the junior B football trophy returns to rebel hands.  The Cork side features heavily with American Born players.  Notably Jack Lynch, whose father Mick attained legendary status playing both football and hurling with the Cork club in Boston not so long ago.  The Harrington brothers, Denis and Declan, feature prominently who along with Emmet Smith, Ryan Connell, and Ryan Hayman form a contingent of 6 local born players.  Captained by the passionate and quintessential Corkonian, Darren O’Donovan, Cork will be giving it their all.  Defending champions, Donegal, had an unexpected win over favored Galway last weekend to make it to the final and will not relinquish the title easily.  The northerners feature seasoned campaigners, Michael McGinty, Paul Boyce, and Matthew Cutliffe in the lineup.   The Uris partnership of Diarmaid Moyne and Darren Grant pose a formidable scoring threat, while American born Sean Winston brings some local flavor to the side.  It promises to be an entertaining encounter, with each side fancying their chances.

Junior A Football Semi-Finals

Saturday Aug 12 – Donegal v Shannon Blues – 5:30

Sunday Aug 13 – Cork v Connemara Gaels – 12:15

Donegal’s junior A’s follow their junior Bs on Saturday in a semi-final when they face the Shannon Blues.  Donegal were neck and neck with table toppers Cork in the standings.  Donegal are defending champions for the Pat Callaghan Cup.  The Tir Chonaill men can move the ball quickly.  With Kieran McDevitt, Ronan Diver and Sean Hume in the forward line, they will keep the Blues defence busy with some quick passing and movement.  The Blues side contains plenty of experience, Conor Fitzgerald and Pat Murray are 2 local kids who are now veteran players for the Blues.  Derek O’Brien and Conor Mullen are two other stalwarts that will not be happy to let Donegal have their way.  This could be a hard fought contest.

Cork topped the table in the regular season, and having missed the playoff last year will be eager to make the most of their chance.  A team that includes the stout defending of Seamus Loftus at the back, some hard running from Colm “Bottles” Daly in the middle of the field, and the prowess of Cathail Arnold up front, will be hard to beat.  Although they finished in fourth place the Gaels can put out a strong side.  The experience of old campaigners Pat McNicholas and Tom Sally McDonagh mixes with the energy provided by Ian Heanue, Paddy McGee and Gavin McCrystal to give the Gaels a good balance of youth and experience.  This one will be close!

Sunday August 13

Junior A Hurling Semi-Final – Fr. Tom Burke’s v Offaly – 1:45

Tom’s meet defending champions Offaly in the junior A hurling semi-final on Sunday.  For the winner the reward is a meeting with Tipperary in the final the following weekend.  Offaly’s lineup is peppered with class, Rory Sludds, Jimmy Rigney, Andy McRedmond and Stephen Brown, all home based and top class hurlers will provide the backbone for Offaly’s efforts.  Tom’s finished ahead of Offaly in the standings.  Tom’s side features Jack Martin, a youth product playing at a high level of hurling.  The scoring is likely to come from Paudge Egan and Danny O’Connell in the forward line, while James Dooley has put in some stellar performances in the back line thus far this year.   The puck of a ball in this one.

by Rory O'Donnell

Sun Aug 6 - Senior Hurling: Fr. Tom's v Galway

Fr. Tom Burke’s 1-14 Galway 2-8

Fr. Tom’s took the fourth game of the championship series with a one goal win.  Tom’s were a step ahead of their opponents for most of the game and in the second half the defence did a superb job of shutting down Galway’s forward line.  A last minute stop from goalkeeper Liam Doyle to deny Galway a last chance equalizer saw Tom’s over the line to reclaim the championship for the first time since 2014.

Fr. Tom's captain Aaron Moore accepts the senior championship trophy.

The first half was evenly contested, as had been the case for each preceding game.  Each half back line held their ground well.  Rob Flynn led the Galway defence, and was excellent throughout for the Tribesman, while it was MJ Sutton for Tom’s who was the rock in the heart of defence.  In hurling terms it was a low scoring affair, plenty of chances went amiss for each side and forwards found it hard to find the extra bit of space to swing for the posts.  Galway tallied the only goal of the half, John Coleman netted from a tight angle after a mazy solo run from Conor Murphy.

MJ Sutton pointed a couple of long range frees and Siofan McMahon found the spot between the posts on a couple occasion with well taken strikes.  Galway tried to target their corner forwards early and often.  Chris Egan and Coleman converted three of Galway’s first half points between them.  At the break it was a one point Galway lead, 1-4 to 0-6.

Galway netted shortly after the restart, with Egan bagging his second of the day.  After that the second half saw the Tom’s defence pick up the pace and swarm the Galway forward line.  With the Galway forwards stifled, Tom’s went to work at the other end of the field.   After a McMahon point, Brian Ramsey netted after Goulding found him unmarked on the edge of the square.  All square heading into the final 20 minutes.

Galway's John Moylan shoots for goal. 

Tom’s went on to score 6 points to one for Galway over the next 20 minutes, and the prospect of Galway forcing a fifth game faded.  McMahon put a couple of nice efforts over from the wing, while Robbie Carew and Goulding chipped in with a couple.  The game was slipping away from Galway and Tom’s were 10 minutes away from claiming the senior hurling championship.

As the minutes ticked away Tom’s kept the defence on lockdown and with a 5 point lead could afford to ship 2 Galway points, but only just.  In the last minute following frantic activity in the Tom’s penalty area, Rob Flynn had the chance to tie the game with a last minute shot from close range, however, Liam Doyle was equal to the task and blocked the shot bravely.  With the puckout that was it, and Tom’s are 2017 senior hurling champions. 

Tom’s:  Liam Doyle, Paul Maher, Donal Coughlin, Shane Taylor, MJ Sutton, Enda Heffernan, Aaron Moore, Shane Ryan, Brian Ramsey, Robbie Carew, Ronan Teehan, Jack Goulding, Stiofan McMahon.

Galway:  Gavin Power, William Hassey, Colm Daly, Jamie Barron, Conor O’Neill, Rob Flynn, Conor Murphy, David O’Grady, Cathal Bolger, David Lordan, John Moylan, Chris Egan, John Coleman.

By Rory O'Donnell