June 11 - Senior Football: Galway v Wolfe Tones

Galway 2-14 Wolfe Tones 4-11

Goals win games as the saying goes, and it was the Wolfe Tones who scored 4 of them to kill Galway’s efforts at getting a win in their first outing of the season.  Two goals in each half kept the Wolfe Tones on top, and a commendable late rally by Galway was never going to be enough to bridge the gap between the teams.

After 2 outings, Monaghan native, Shane McGuinness,

has proven to be an important part of the

Tones efforts this season.

Two first half goals saw the Tones into a half time lead.  Shane McGuinness and Cormac McWalter each netted in the first 15 minutes.  Galway had started well, and in the first 10 minutes wasted a handful of early chances to establish a lead while attempting to go for an early goal.  It was the Tones who got the early goal from McGuinness following a point by Ferghal O’Brien.  Ryan Ford got Galway off the mark with a point, only for the Tones to come storming downfield and Cormac McWalter netted, delivering another early blow to the Brighton side.

The teams traded points for the remainder of the half, with the Tones looking the more fluid side, with  McGuinness at center forward full of running and opening the spaces.  O’Brien and McGuinness converted for the Tones, while for Galway it was Cummins and Ryan Ford with the points.  The Tones had a great opportunity to put the game to bed early after McGuinness was pulled down in the box.  The Ballybay man stepped up to take the kick, but his well hit shot cannoned off the foot of the post.  At the half the Tones were 2 goals to the good, 2-5 to 0-5.

The Tones lead ballooned to 11 points early in the second half.  The Tones had netted a third following a high ball into the box that was picked up by Darren Maguire and the Kilcock man netted easily.  Points were added by McGuinness and McWalter and the game looked fairly done and dusted.  Galway made it interesting late in the second half, however.  The Brighton men started to play some good football, but had left themselves too much to do and may have wondered after the game how things might have transpired if the early chances were taken and the team had settled into the game.   Ford and Kennedy pointed, and the introduction of substitute, Cian McMonagle paid dividends. 

The tribesmen moved the ball well to finish the game, and pointed 6 times on the trot to give themselves some hope.  McMonagle’s introduction was a revelation and the boot of the man from Clogherinkoe, Co. Kildare, pulled Galway back within range of their opponents.  One wondered why the sharpshooter had not been brought into the fray sooner.   With Galway knocking on the door a goal would have reduced the gap to a point and made the final few minutes very uncomfortable for the Tones.  Jarlath Boyce put an end to any chance of that as the Tones midfielder pointed, and then followed with a goal to secure the points.  Tones with the win, Galway left wondering what might have been.

Galway: James Kelly,  Dan Murphy, Rory Greene, Kieran Molloy, Stuart Cullen, Kian Darcy, Sam Linehan, Ryan Ford, Kevin Cummins, Craig Kennedy, Jamie Keogh, Alex Kenny.

Tones: Darren McDonnell, Jack Smith, James Reilly, Patrick Collins, Tom Quinn, Darren McGuire, Jarlath Boyce, Garvin Jones, Mike O’Brien, Shane McGuinness, Ferghal O’Brien, Cormac McWalter, Conor Marsden.

By Rory O'Donnell

June 11 - Senior Football: Shannon Blues v Christopher's

Shannon Blues 3-11 Christopher’s 1-9

One look at the Shannon Blues team sheet and it was clear that Christopher’s would be up against it.  The Blues team featured many top tier players who would be very familiar with the requirements of the 13-a side game, and have experienced the hot conditions of a Boston summer.  It proved to be the case as the Blues tagged 3 goals in the opening half to put a large gap between them and their opponents.  In the heat of Canton it was never going to be easy to mount a comeback, and the Blues cruised to an 8 point win.

Shannon Blues Wayne Guthrie wins the ball in a crowd.

The teams took the half time break with the Blues in an 11 point lead.  The Blues team featured many familiar faces, with Wayne Guthrie and James Horan back in the fold, as well as Denis McElligott and Trevor Wallace manning the back line.  The Blues kicked 5 points before Christopher’s got off the Mark.  A Darren Wallace strike, and 3 frees from Kieran Hurley, as well as a curler from Horan, had the Blues looking good early.  Christopher’s had some chances that went awry before Eddie Goggin tallied two points from frees.

The second quarter of the game saw the Blues stamp their authority on the game with 3 goals.  The first came from Darren Wallace steaming down the middle, the second after a shot was gathered by Dara O’Shea in the Blues goal the ball made its way to Kieran Hurley who finished low from 14 yards, and the third just before the break from a Hurley penalty after the Kerryman was pulled down in the box.  Christopher’s relied on the free taking of Goggin for their scoring outlet.  At the break it was a 3-7 to 0-5 Blues advantage.

Paudie Kenneally shoots for Christopher's.

The second half saw the sides trade scores as the heat took its toll and the pace slowed down.  McElligott, Hurley and Wallace pointed for the Blues, while it was Goggin continuing to keep it ticking over for Christopher’s.  It was going to be a difficult task for Christopher’s to lift their efforts.  The large deficit and the excessive made the prospect of any kind of comeback very unlikely.

Christopher’s kept plugging away, however as the clock ticked on the substitutes made an entry for both sides.  A penalty late in the half was converted by Conor Horgan and put some respectability on the scoreboard as the Blues set the bar with their opening game, and Christopher’s will be looking find the winning formula.

Christopher’s:  Pat Delaney, Jake Byrne, Sam Ryan, Paudie Kenneally, James Horgan, Shane Dooey, Dan Grehan, Sean O’Leary, Greg Henry, Coleman Kennedy, Niall Crossan, Conor Horgan, Eddie Goggin.

Blues:  Dara O’Shea, Luke Nicholson, Fionn O’Herlihy, Trevor Wallace, Denis McElligott, Cormac Coffee, Barry Hartnett, Wayne Guthrie, Greg Horan, Darran Wallace, Brian O’Seannachaiu, Kieran Hurley, Lee O’Donoghue.

By Rory O'Donnell

Sunday June 11 - Junior A Football

Cork 3-15 Connemara Gaels 4-7

There was a minute's silence before the game in honor of Pat McCarthy who had recently passed away.  Pat was a member of the Cork GFC and a player from 1960 to 1972, and managed the club to a NACB senior football championship in 1986.  Pat was a regular attendee at the games in Canton.

On a hot humid day Cork and Gaels played a very entertaining opening junior A football match.  The Gaels looked like they would run away with it after 15 minutes, but Cork got into the game and made an impressive comeback and strong finish to take the points.

Two Kerrymen on opposite sides - Matt Sullivan with the Gaels

and Mike Moynihan with Cork.

The first 15 minutes saw the Gaels streak into a 2-3 to 0-1 lead.  A goal from Matt Sullivan in the opening minutes following a high ball into the square got the Gaels ball rolling.  The Kerry U-21 player gathered and only had the keeper to beat from the edge of the small square.  A second goal came from the sprightly Tiernan Cox, and was followed by points from Paddy McGee and Cox himself.  Cork looked lost and for a while, one wondered if they realized that there was a game on, while the Gaels were winning everything and had their way.  Sullivan at center forward was calling marks to beat the band, and the Gaels seemed a level or two ahead of their opponents.

Cork stepped it up eventually and ended up going in at half time a point to the good.  Center forward Cathal Arnold was instrumental, and the introduction of veteran Mike Moynihan helped Cork’s cause.  Points from Arnold, Colm Caffrey, and Leigh Cunningham were complimented by a Moynihan goal that brought the rebels right back into the game.  Moynihan’s goal came after the initial shot hit the crossbar and the rebound fell for Kerryman who placed the second attempt into the bottom corner.  Cox and Sullivan prevented the Gaels scores from drying up altogether during this period with a score each, and at the half it was a 2-4 to 1-8 Cork advantage with the rebels having the momentum.

Cork took a while to get going, once they did the Rebels

played some good football.

The second half opened with a goal for each side.  First Moynihan extended the Cork lead with trademark goal, and was answered in kind by Paddy McGee who netted from close range.  Arnold and Moynihan pointed for Cork and the Gaels still looked in shock from the Cork comeback in the latter part of the first period.  Cork’s back line were solid and locked down the Gaels forwards.  Sullivan stemmed the Rebel tide with a score for the Gaels, but two more from Arnold, one a powerful effort from the Downman, put Cork into a four point lead.

The Gaels were not dead, however and tried to turn it around.  AJ Maguire, who had entered as a sub, found himself with a path to goal opening up and finished well to net from inside the 14 yard line.  A Cox point tied it up and with less than 10 minutes to go it was anybody’s game.  Cox was in again, and this time his low, hard shot hit the post – close effort could have been the winning and losing of the game.    With the 90 degree heat sapping the energy from weary legs, Cork had a stronger finish in them.  With Cork switching players around the field, Mark Dalton found far corner of the net with a fine finish and the rebels topped the score with 2 points to hold a 5 point lead as the minutes ticked away.  A great win for Cork to start the season, the Gaels will be looking to figure out how to keep the foot on the gas for the 60 minutes in their next outing.

Cork:  Ollie Murphy, Darren O’Donovan, Michael Carolan, Leigh Cunningham, Martin Doyle, Seamus Loftus, Mark Dalton, James Tyrrell, Cathal Arnold, Colm Daly, Colm Caffrey, Sean Lordan, Adam Kenny.

Gaels:  James O’Donnell, Niall Collins, Chris Lafferty, Damien Doolan, Ian Heanue, Tom Duignan, Tom Butler, Fergal Meenaugh, Pauric McDonagh, Matt Sullivan, Paddy McGee, P.J. Connolly, Tiernan Cox.

In other junior A action, the Wolfe Tones came out on top by 4 points in their encounter against Aidan McAnespies.

By Rory O'Donnell

Sunday June 11 - The Championships Continue!

Next Sunday sees the senior football championship really get off the ground with 6 of the 7 teams in action.  Galway will take the field for the first time facing the Wolfe Tones.  The Tones were pipped by the Connemara Gaels last Sunday and will be looking to make amends.  With a dangerous forward line containing Cormac McWalter, Shane McGuinness and Shane O’Rourke the Galway backs will have their hands full.

Donegal will be back in action v Connemara Gaels on Sunday

The Blues also see their first championship action against Christopher’s, another side that fell at the first outing last Sunday.  The Blues have done their homework well in putting together a very good home based side and will have looked on with interest last week as Christopher’s at times played some flowing football.  This will be an interesting one.

First Championship Outing of 2017 for Shannon Blues v Christopher's

Donegal take on the Gaels, who came through in the end last week to win.  Another club that seems to have done their homework, Donegal will present a tougher challenge than the Tones and will be looking to make up for a poor performance in their last game, the Pat O’Brien Cup final two weeks ago.   The Gaels have some aces up their sleeves, but cannot afford the start that they had last week if they want to get a result from the game.

Junior football action starts, with the junior A’s from McAnespies, the Tones, the Gaels and Cork all making their first outings of the season.  Kerry make a welcome return to action when they travel to Hartford to commence the junior B football championship.  The junior C hurling championship also continues with Providence taking on Worcester in Providence.

Schedule

Sunday June 11 (Times have changed from the original schedule)

Irish Cultural Center, Canton

Field B - 12:00 Junior A Football:  Aidan McAnespies v Wolfe Tones

Field A


11:45 Junior A Football:  Connemara Gaels v Cork


1:00 Youth Games

1:30 Senior Football:  Shannon Blues v Christopher’s

2:45 Senior Football:  Wolfe Tones v Galway

4:00 Senior Football: Donegal v Connemara Gaels

Hartford CT

3:00 Junior B Football:  Hartford v Kerry

Providence

12:00 Junior C Hurling:  Providence v Worcester

Senior Football - June 4: Connemara Gaels v Wolfe Tones

Connemara Gaels 1-14 Wolfe Tones 2-9

It was a game of two halves.  The Tones had the better of their opponents over the first 30 minutes, however, over the second half the Gaels did just about enough to overcome the deficit and earn a 2 point win. Galway native, Sean Kelly at center back, and Corkman Don O’Driscoll at midfield, each put in fine displays for the Gaels and contributed some key scores when it counted.

Mike O'Brien with 3 Gaels Closing in.

The Wolfe Tones proved the better of the two sides over the first 30 minutes.  Shane O’Rourke and Shane McGuinness provided plenty of options for the Tones and accounted for all but one of the Tones scores in the first half.  The Tones moved the ball well, whereas on the other side of the coin the Gaels let themselves down when trying to mount an attack.  Even when the chance was created the final shot was wayward. 

McGuinness was on the spot to net the only goal of the half with a close range blast.   Apart from two early Coleman Mulkerrins points, the Gaels attack was mostly toothless.  The Tones tallied 1-6 to two  points for the Gaels for the remainder of the half to lead 1-6 to 0-4 at the break.

After the restart the Gaels stormed into the lead.  A quick salvo of a goal and 4 points put the Connemara men into a one point lead as the Tones still seemed in half time team talk mode.  Points from Kevin McGrath, Ryan Caffrey, and Don O’Driscoll were followed by a goal from McGrath who latched onto a dropping ball and side stepped the keeper to finish into the open net.  O’Driscoll followed with two more points as the Corkman came into his own and the Gaels had the momentum. 

The Tones had plenty of life in them however.  A Cormac McWalter point to stem the Gaels tide was followed by a goal from McGuinness who made his own opening with a 25 yard run.  Just a point between the teams to see us into the final 10 minutes.  With the grand finale approaching, it was late points from Sean Kelly and Hopper McGrath that gave the Gaels enough of a cushion to hold on and claim the points.

Gaels:  Eoin Connolly, David Black, Sean Corbett, Niall McGinn, Sean Kelly, Ciaran Killeen, James Flaherty, Dan O’Driscoll, Sean Conneely, Ryan Caffrey, Coleman Mulkerrins, Kevin McGrath, Gavin McCrystal.

Tones:  Shane Hayes, Darren McDonnell, Keith Gill, Fergal O’Brien, Darren Maguire, Patrick Collins, Jarlath Boyce, Gavin Jones, Mike O’Brien, Jerry Troy, Cormac McWalter, Shane McGuinness, Shane O’Rourke

By Rory O'Donnell

Senior Football - June 4: Aidan McAnespies v Christopher's

Aidan McAnespies 3-11 Christopher’s 1-9

A win for Aidan McAnespies to start off the season, and score line that belies what was a very entertaining and competitive opening game for 2017.  A five point McAnespies first half lead was pared back by Christopher’s, however a late goal and two points ensured the win.

Jerry Kenneally and Brian Breslin Tangle.

The opening half was well contested with McAnespies going into the break 5 points to the good.  The Pat O’Brien Cup winners enjoyed most of the play, and in the early going squandered several promising moves.  Sam Ryan at corner back was doing a tight job on Robbie Croft, and it was Christopher’s that looked the more fluid side.  Once McAnespies got going, however, a gap started to grow between the teams. 

With the scores at 2 points to one for Christopher’s, McAnespies hit with a well worked goal.  Tommy Brearton found Croft with a great cross-field ball, the ever patient Croft found Eamon Dougan alone at the far post and it was a simple palm into the net.  The goal seemed to settle McAnespies, while for Christopher’s, just when it looked like something promising was about to happen, the ball would end up in a McAnespies defender’s hands and headed the other way.  Points from Brearton, Che O’Donnell, Brian Breslin and Croft had McAnespies sitting on a 1-6 to 0-4 lead at the break.

Coleman Kennedy pops one over the bar.

The second half saw a Christopher’s goal after 10 minutes put them right back into the game.  After a McAnespies chance at one end went awry, Christopher’s stormed down the field and Jerry Kenneally provided the finish into the net from close range.  The goal was followed by a Goggin point, however the Christopher’s revival was short lived.  Paul Clifford stole forward from his half back position and was found unmarked with an open path to goal, and the Kildare man gave no chance to Mark Delaney.  

Christopher’s kept plugging away though, and reduced the deficit to 2 points with 5 minutes left, having outscored McAnespies 3 points to one.  A third goal laid the case to rest, and this one came from Croft who was on the end of another sweeping move to side foot the ball home.  Two points to cap off the win saw McAnespies to the victory to start off the championship.  On the evidence, however, Christopher’s performance will give them a lot of hope for the remainder of the season.

Macs:  Paddy Coakley, Eoin Delmer, Seamus Breslin, Brian Breslin, Tommy Brearton, Paul Clifford, Niall Donaghy, Martin Mongan, James Rigney, Che O’Donnell, Adam McKenna, Robbie Croft, Eamon Dougan.

Christopher’s:  Mark Delaney,  Martin Coppinger, Sam  Ryan, Paudie Kenneally, James Horgan, Greg Henry, Sean O’Leary, Daniel Grehan, Jerry Kenneally, Coleman Kennedy, Shane Dooey, Dan Kenneally, Eddie Goggin.

By Rory O'Donnell

Orla Benson Cup - First Half Performance Wins it for Shamrocks

Boston Shamrocks 2-12 Connacht Ladies 0-6

The Boston Shamrocks retained the Orla Benson Cup with a mostly one sided victory on Sunday afternoon.  After Ciara Murphy opened the scoring the remainder of the first half was mainly one way traffic.   The forward running of Claire Kenny from wing back was kept Connacht Ladies on their heels, while the finishing of Tessa Crowley widened the gap between the teams as the game wore on.  Connacht Ladies made a much better fist of things in the second half, and had they taken their chances the final score would have been much closer.

Consul General, Fionnuala Quinlan, presents the Orla Benson Cup to

Ann Marie McDonnell and Ciara MaCormack

The first half saw Crowley net on two occasions.  The corner forward was played in nicely by Ciara McCormack and made no mistake with the finish from close range.  The second came in similar fashion late in the half, and again there was no hesitation from Crowley.  Connacht Ladies managed to muster a handful of attacks with a well taken score from Kelly Kenneally the sole reward. 

It was a different Connacht side that played the second half.  It was the Shamrocks turn to spend lengthy spells defending, and the scoreboard began to take on an air of respectability.  Maria Kelly, Sarah Clarke, and Jane Ward all hit the mark, and were it not for a good handful of wayward efforts at goal, the distance between the sides might have been within reach for Connacht Ladies coming down the stretch.

As it was, the Shamrocks half time lead of 14 points was more than enough of a cushion to see them over the finish line to their second Orla Benson Cup in a row.

Shamrocks: Sinead Hession, Michaela Murphy, Stacy O’Dowd, Kayla Foran, Ciara McCormack, Claire Kenny, Laura Kiernan, Shannon Mullen, Ellie Kennedy, Ann Marie McDonnell, Liz McVeigh, Ciara Murphy, Tessa Crowley.

By Rory O'Donnell

Connacht:  Jackie McDonagh, Joanne McDonnell, Shannon McAleer, Katie Lynch, Catherine Boyle, Meg Mullen, Maria Kelly, Aisling Kerr, Rachel Tubridy, Jane Ward, Kelly Kenneally, Tara Doherty, Sarah Clarke.

Sheehan Cup Final - Late Point Wins it for Tipp

Tipperary 2-13 Fr. Tom Burke’s 0-18

Tipperary captured the Sheehan Cup in the most exciting fashion possible with a point at the death from Sean Stafford.  Tipp looked like they might have left Tom’s in the dust after the first 15 minutes, but with a slight breeze behind them in the second half, Tom’s were right back in the game mid-way into the second half.  The final 15 minutes saw the lead change hands four times as it was edge of the seat stuff down the stretch, before the final point from Stafford delivered the cup for Tipperary.

First Silverware of the Season to the Premier County.

With the sights, sounds, and smells of the Irish Festival all around, and a sizeable crowd seated in the stand, many of whom may been watching the game live for the first time, Tipperary proceeded to open up a sizeable lead in the early going.  Corner forwards, Russell Quirke and Sean Stafford combined well for a goal, while the points seemed to go over easy for Stafford, Quirke, Derek O’Brien and Jimmy Meagher.  Tom’s found their way back into the game, after hitting 4 wides the points started to come.  Robbie Carew at wing forward was the main scoring outlet.  The Ferrybank man from Waterford hit 5 of Tom’s 6 first half points.  Tom’s had Sean O’Brien to thank for a great save from David Condron, however, Stafford buried a second goal before the break, and Tipp held a 2-7 to 0-6 half time lead.

Fr. Tom Burke's - Pipped at the end of an Exciting Game.

The second half saw Tom’s patiently eat into the Tipp lead.  Shane Howley sparked into life with a couple of well taken points, as did wing forward Shane Ryan.  With 15 minutes to go the game was tied up with an MJ Sutton point and it was Tom’s with the momentum.  The teams traded scores down the stretch.  Tipp regained the lead through Stafford, and Ryan leveled for Tom’s.  Howley put Tom’s in front and Jimmy Meagher leveled for Tipp.  Brian Flynn who entered as a sub for Tom’s did very well when the chips were down and many Tipp threats were snuffed out.  Carew put Tom’s up and there were minutes on the clock, but yet again, the scores were level as Stafford pointed.  It was looking as though the festival crowd would be treated to extra time. 

Carew almost netted for Tom’s with 2 minutes to go, however, Sean Delaney pulled off a fine save.  Stafford then pointed a ’65 to put Tipp up, and again we were all square after Sutton leveled it.  With Darragh Kealey’s watch striking zero Stafford found some room on the 21 and from a tight angle put the winning point over the bar.  An exciting end worthy of a cup final, and it was Tipp who would be celebrating with the silverware through the night.

Tipp:  Sean Delaney, Sean McGarr, Pat Morris, Mark Jordan, Cronan Dempsey, Pat Moriarty, Jimmy Meagher, Derek O’Brien, Dinny Corss, David Condron, Kieran Lowrey, Russel Quirke, Sean Stafford.

Tom’s:  Sean O’Brien, James Dooley, Paudge Egan, Dylan Costello, Donal Coughlin, Chris O’Donoghue, Aaron Moore, Shane Davey, Gary Kelly, M.J. Sutton, Shane Ryan, Shane Howley, Robbie Carew.

By Rory O'Donnell