AZZURRI Connacht Colleges’ Senior A Football Championship Final
St Jarlath’s 1-9 St Gerald’s 0-8
THEY slumped to their knees in despair, an entire panel, management, and school in painful unison, desolate, broken-hearted and sore, as the harsh reality of a second successive Connacht Colleges’ Championship final defeat, began to painfully sweep into the gut of St Gerald’s brave heroes, with the final agonising shrill of Ronan Gurren’s whistle on Saturday afternoon.
Minutes away from the ultimate crowning glory 12 months ago, this time a slender four points separated the Castlebar students from taking their place in the annals of Connacht Colleges’ GAA history and once again the Gods of Fortune failed to shine on the Joe McCabe/Ned Murren trained side.
On simple incidents championship deciders can be won and lost and how significant was St. Jarlath’s winning of the pre-match toss? Luck, they say, is when opportunity knocks and you gleefully answer. The famed Tuam-based football nursery did just that, opting quite sensibly, to utilise the substantial wind advantage in the opening half, raking up an impressive tally of 1-8 in 30 minutes, and while St Gerald’s coped admirably against the elements, recording four points when faced into the eye of the storm, they only mustered a similar tally after the turnaround by which stage the gust had abated considerably.
With the wind at their sail, St Jarlath’s established a healthy seven points interval lead, 1-8 to 0-4, the goal courtesy of ace attacking predator Michael Martin from an expertly converted 11th minute penalty after livewire corner-forward Danny Cummins was thwarted in his goal-effort by Neill Douglas. The tenacious defender was deemed to have blocked illegally with the foot and Martin made no mistake, rifling the high-pressured kick to the corner.
By that stage, Cummins, diminutive in stature but possessing a lion’s heart, was already proving a handful with two top class scores to his name inside three minutes of the start, yet St Gerald’s remained within striking distance, thanks mainly to the free-taking competence of Aidan O’Shea, until the final six minutes of the half, when Michael Martin took on the sole responsibility of constructing a platform from which St. Jarlath’s could spring to victory, pointing three majestic placed balls (one from a ‘45) without reply, to bolster his side’s half time position.
St. Gerald’s were intent on clawing their way back into contention and three points on the trot, from O’Shea, Shane Hopkins and Ruairi Martyn, inside 15 minutes of the restart, left them four off the pace, 1-8 to 0-7, with a quarter remaining. The gap should have been cut even more substantially by that juncture, but Martyn, gathering possession from a delicate Pat Fitzgerald flick in the 3rd minute, could only fire his goal attempt down the middle, and Owen Higgins stood his ground bravely to smoother the shot and coolly clear to safety.
That man Danny Cummins was influential in the creation of the score that lifted the siege from St Jarlath’s perspective.
Taking the ball under his arm on the 45 metre line, the Claregalway clubman, displayed skill, speed and style to beat a host of defenders up the left wing, before cutting inside to off-load to Brian Moran who had the simple task of drilling the ball over the bar, to re-establish the comfort of a five points lead.
St Gerald’s, with Donal Newcombe, Neill Douglas, Aidan O’Shea, and Shane Hopkins particularly heroic never gave up the fight, however, and when
Hopkins converted his second of the game in the 49th minute, just two scores separated the sides once more, and but for a last gasp intervention from Aghamore’s Caoimhin Carty one minute later, an Aidan O’Shea free from 35 metres could have ended up in the Jarlath’s net, instead of rattling the crossbar.
That was as near as St Gerald’s were to come, as Jarlath’s withstood an incessant assault in the closing minutes with their half-back line, stewarded by Breaffy’s Colm Monahan, and fellow Mayo native Caoimhin Carty especially impressive in preserving the priceless lead.
SCORERS - St Jarlath’s: Michael Martin 1-4 (1-0P, 3F, 1 ‘45), Danny Cummins 0-2, Brian Moran, Cathal Freeman and Thomas Fahy 0-1 each.
St Gerald’s: Aidan O’Shea 0-4 (4F), Shane Hopkins 0-2, Pat Fitzgerald (F) and Ruairi Martyn 0-1 each.
ST JARLATH’S: Owen Higgins; Enda Mullarkey, Colin Forde, Caoimhin Carty; Justin Blake, Colm Monahan, Jason Devane; Brian Moran, Conor Doherty; Stephen Kerr, Thomas Fahy, Cathal Freeman; Danny Cummins, Michael Martin, Stephen Boyle. Subs: Alan Feerick for Boyle (51), Stephen Boyle for Devane (57).
ST GERALD’S:
Robert Hennelly; Mark Conlon, Daragh Loftus, Neill Douglas; Donal Newcombe, John Cloherty, Cormac Gordon; Aidan O’Shea, Cillian Gavin; Diarmuid Sheridan, Pat Fitzgerald, Conor Douglas; Stephen Keane, Shane Hopkins, Ruairi Martyn. Subs: Sean Burke for Loftus (13), John McGuinness for Keane (54), Ger McDonagh for Sheridan (40), Iosef O’Reilly for Conor Douglas (57), Alan Casey for Martyn (58).
Referee: Ronan Gurren (Aghamore).
