First Half Wins it for Tyrone

Tyrone 1-13  Cavan 0-9

The huge half time lead that Tyrone built up was more than enough to hold off a spirited Cavan second half comeback. Tyrone was ahead at the break by 11 points, and while Cavan won the second half it was not enough to attain victory.

Cavan had the first point of the contest, a Kevin Smith free. It was quickly cancelled out by a 1-5 bombardment from the winners, with Patrick Maguire very effective on top of the square. The ball was sent in long in his direction and his distribution was first class. He had a point from play and set up Adam Fitzgerald on two occasions for scores.

Maurice Power saved Cavan when he denied Fitzgerald on 12 minutes, but the keeper was powerless (excuse the pun) moments later when the same player ghosted behind the defense for a cracker of a goal.

When Maguire fired a sideline over the lathe with a brilliant strike it was 1-5 to 0-1 with 20 minutes on the clock. Stephen Harold had a point for Cavan three minutes later, but Tyrone closed out the half with a further trifecta of points with a long range effort from Fitzgerald the pick of the crop.

Conor Skeffington added to the lead to open the second half, but then Cavan had their best period of the game. The long ball to the full forward line was used to good effect with Harold now stationed there.  He had a score when he beat his man, and that was followed by a Smith free when Justin O’Halloran was fouled.

Brendan Reilly followed with a score when a long ball in from Smith again worked to good effect.  Maguire did have a point at the other end, but good defensive play by Kieran Martin, Kevin Carden and Barry McGinn was negating chances.

Smith had another free for Cavan, but they were denied a goal when what seemed a perfectly good quick free was taken and Brian McCarthy shot to the net. Amazingly the ref called the ball back to take the free again. That was the goal that Cavan needed to give them a winning chance.

Another didn’t arrive the rest of the way. Michael Sloan had the final Tyrone point with 10 minutes left before Ronan McGinley fired over two scores as he joined the attack.

His second was a screamer. It was as close as they could get as Joe Bell, Ryan Canavan and Steve Keating all had clearances in the dying moments.

Tyrone is still undefeated after four games and are now the team that all are striving to beat. Joe Bell, Brendan McGourty and Seamus Skeffington were all excellent at the back. McGourty moved there after Aiden Power had to leave the field due to injury.

Declan Garvey did a lot of work in the middle. Up front Paddy Maguire in the first half was brilliant; Shane Ryan, Niall Farrell and the excellent Adam Fitzgerald all had good moments.

For Cavan it was a lost day at the office. Maurice Power made one brilliant save.  Ronan McGinley, Barry McGinn and Kevin Cardin all were more involved in the second half. Sean McGivney, Paddy Smith and Justin O’Halloran all battled throughout. O’Halloran showed a lot of heart.   

Cavan: 1 Maurice Power, 2 Denis McCarthy, 3 Alan Carolan, 4 Kieran Martin, 5 Ronan McGinley (0-2), 6 Kevin Cardin, 7 Barry McGinn, 8 Stephen Harold (0-2), 9 Paddy McCullough, 10 Justin O’Halloran (0-1), 11 Paddy Smith, 12 Brendan Reilly (0-1), 13 Brian McCarthy, 14 Kevin Smith (0-3), 15 Sean McGivney.

Tyrone: 1 Damien Corrigan, 2 Joe Bell, 3 Aiden Power, 4 Paul Mulhearne, 5 Ryan Canavan, 6 Steve Keating, 7 Seamus Skeffington, 8 Brendan McGourty, 9 Declan Garvey, 10 Michael Sloan (0-1), 11 Shane Ryan (0-2), 12 Conor Skeffington (0-2), 13 Adam Fitzgerald (1-2), 14 Paddy Maguire (0-3), 15 Niall Farrell (0-2). Subs: Darren Doherty, Donal Hartnett, Michael Gallagher, Paul Cahill.

Man of the match: Adam Fitzgerald (Tyrone).

Curran Leads Saints to Title

St Barnabas 1-14  Rockland 1-9

THE under-16 football final opened Sunday’s card at Gaelic Park, and what a thriller it turned out to be.  Niall Curran and Kieran Walsh traded points all day before a second half surge secured the title for an excellent St. Barnabas side.

The sides traded scores throughout the first half, with the winners holding a two point advantage at the break 1-6 to 1-4. St. Barnabas opened the game with a three point salvo, with Curran getting two while Sean McEvoy had the third before Rockland fought back. They had a point from Walsh before Ronan Curry cracked the ball to the net.

Curran had the fourth point and he could have given his side the lead when they were awarded a penalty. Joe Joyce fouled Kyle Bennett in the box, but the resultant kick was driven just outside the right post.

Walsh and Curran swapped points and the winners then dominated the next 10 minutes. They were winning kick outs in both directions which gave the side a number of chances.

Curran had a point before Mike Hannon grabbed St Barnabas’ goal. Hannon also had a shot that rebounded off the bar.

Rockland did have the last point of the first half which narrowed the gap to two.

The sides both increased their totals by two in the first 10 minutes of the second half, with Walsh and Martin Gavin the Rockland scorers while Curran and Conor McEneaney hit the target at the other end.

Despite playing against the slight wind and hill the Saints started to dominate. They had a pair of wides before Curran had his seventh of the afternoon.

Two further wides preceded a further two points for St. Barnabas (both by Curran), although they were cancelled out by two Walsh scores, one from play the second from a free. It was now 1-11 to 1-9 with all to play for.

Rockland had a brilliant goal chance when Aiden Weir hit the post.  St. Barnabas reacted with three further points.

In the last three minutes Rockland rained four long balls onto the top of the Saints’ square, but brilliant defending by Matt Schumacher, Sean McEvoy and Eddie Hogan denied the runners-up.

The winners had a host of stars. Gerry O’Sullivan, Frank Digiory and Brian Mahon led the defense. The centerfield combo of Schumacher and McEvoy were excellent. They won the long kick outs from their own end and battled for the Rockland ones.

Niall Curran is a real star in the making. Kieran Bennett, Eddie Hogan, who despite not scoring did a lot of good work, and Mike Hannon all had important contributions.

Rockland was a huge part of the brilliance of the final. Logan McIntire, Chris Coughlin, Martin Gavin, Aiden Weir and the outstanding Kieran Walsh did well.

St. Barnabas: 1 Ryan Curley, 2 Conor Rafferty, 3 Gerry O’Sullivan, 4 Joey Goff, 5 Jim Drago, 6 Frank Digiory, 7 Brian Mahon, 8 Sean McEvoy (0-1), 9 Matthew Schumacher, 10 Mike Hannon (1-1), 11 Niall Curran (0-10), 12 Conor McEneaney (0-1), 13 Kieran Bennett (0-1), 14 Eddie Hogan, 15 Kyle Plunkett. Subs: Alan Wynne, Brian Redican.

Rockland: 1 Pat Guerin, 2 Joe Joyce, 3 Chris Coughlin, 4 Brian Maher, 5 Aiden Noonan, 6 Logan McIntire, 7 Brandon Healy, 8 James Linnane, 9 Brian Corney, 10 Martin Gavin, 11 Gavin Lee, 12 Alex Jerimie, 13 Eoghan O’Brian, 14 Ronan Curry (1-0), 15 Kieran Walsh (0-7). Subs Aiden Weir (0-1), Ryan Traynor, Seamus Finnucane, Jack Rowley.

Man of the match: Niall Curran (St. Barnabas).
Referee: Eugene Kyne.


All Square in Minor Final

Rockland 3-11  Rangers 4-8 

LEAD changes, great goals, brilliant goaltending, a full hour of exhilarating football. The New York under-18 final had it all.

Superb displays by both full forwards kept their sides in the contest, a four point Rockland lead at the end of the first half, a two point Ranger lead as we approached the end of the second half.  The game had it all.

The first half of the final was a tremendous 30 minutes. The lead changed hands continually.

Rangers had the first point of the game. It started with Rockland grabbing a goal when Conor O’Sullivan punched the ball to the net, but the full field move came from an excellent tackle in the half back line.

After a Kevin Durkin point for Rangers they had a goal of their own. Kieran Moran grabbed a long ball into the square and smashed the ball to the net.
Rockland had four of the next five points, however, with Shane Durkin kicking two fabulous scores. They would have had more but Aiden Tansey in the Rangers goal made a brilliant save on a Jonnie Landis shot.

Rangers came back into the game in the middle of the first half. They had points from Brian Twomey and Moran before Moran had his second goal of the pulsating final. It gave his side a 2-4 to 1-5 lead.

It was all Rockland as the first half came to a close. Shane Durkin had a bullet of a shot blocked by Aiden Tansey for a 50 which the big midfielder then fired over the lathe.

Back to back goals for Rockland had them back in front, with the first a Darren Garren score after a number of ricochets in the box, the second a more orthodox effort from O’Sullivan.

O’Sullivan added a point before Twomey had a point for Rangers at the other end. Rockland had one more attack before the break but again Tansey made a brilliant save, this time on Tim Furlong. As it was Rockland now had a 3-6 to 2-5 interval advantage.

The sides swapped four points in the opening 10 minutes. Rockland hit the post when Tim Furlong broke free before Twomey and Andrew Duggan traded scores.

Rangers needed something more. They got it. On 20 minutes Moran was pulled down for a penalty and Mike Minnelli stepped up to drive the ball to the net.
Within three minutes they were in front when they had their fourth goal of the afternoon. Twomey set Minnelli free and he fired an excellent goal to put his side in front by two, 4-8 to 3-9, with six minutes left on the clock.
Rockland was not to be denied at a second bite at the cherry. After a bad miss from Landis, Denis Moholic fired over a free and O’Sullivan had the equalizer a minute later. They did have one last chance at victory but the opportunity sailed wide.

The sides will now face off in a replay next week, one which promises to be another thriller.

For Rockland, Shane Durkin, Conor O’Sullivan and Denis Moholic were outstanding, while Rangers countered with tremendous performances from Aiden Tansey, Mike Minnelli and Kieran Moran. Tansey’s display and saves were top drawer.

Rockland: 1 Pat White, Mike Coleman, 3 Stephen Moroney, 4 Tom O’Riordan, 5 Francis Skelly, 6 Austin O’Toole, 7 Andrew Duggan (0-1), 8 Shane Durkin (0-4), 9 Denis Moholic (0-2), 10 Mike Vinci (0-1), 11 Shane McIntyre, 12 Tim Furlong, 13 Darren Garran (1-0), 14 Conor O’Sullivan (2-3), 15 Jonnie Landis.

Rangers: 1 Aiden Tansey, 2 Shane O’Brian, 3 Keith McHugh, 4 Dan Feighery, 5 Joe Shankey, 6 Garret Mooty, 7 Kevin Donnelly, 8 Kevin Daly, 9 Pat McNamara, 10 John McCuskey, 11 Kevin Durkin, 12 Mike Minnelli (2-0), 13 Brian Twomey (0-3), 14 Kieran Moran (2-4), 15 Conor Casserley (0-1).
Apologies for any misspelled names on the Rangers side. The team sheet was tough to decipher, so we had to improvise a little.

Man of the match: Aiden Tansey (Rangers).
Referee: Lawrence McGrath.


Offaly On Course

Offaly 4-21 Galway 2-7

OFFALY put on a scoring display for the punters at Gaelic Park on Sunday with a flurry of points and goals at opportune times in this senior hurling contest.  They made a statement that they will be very hard to dethrone this season as they go hunting for five titles in a row, and history.

Offaly burst from the gate and had 2-4 in the first 10 minutes as they dominated the contest. The goals both came from Shane Sweeney, but he had the easy task after his corner forwards did the work. Certainly his finishes were clinical when released.

Add to the mix Pat Hartley who is off the Kilkenny county panel and the forward division was proving to be a handful for Galway.

Galway did have a three point salvo between the 12th and 15th minutes with two Kevin Reilly points and a peach from Adrian Purcell, but Offaly immediately replied with six of the next eight scores.

Shane McNaughton punished three infractions with points from frees, while Sweeney had an excellent point from play after Hartley expertly picked him out. It gave Offaly a 2-10 to 0-4 advantage as the last five minutes arrived.

Galway did shoot the final two scores, points from frees by Ellis. The second came on the final whistle when Hartley was guilty of a vicious pull on Paul Cahill.  He received a yellow but it could have been more.

Offaly continued their dominance with two points to open the second half from McNaughton and Dermot Lyng, who moved forward from his defensive position to slot over.

Galway did have a Tadgh O’Callaghan point in reply, but it preceded a two goal Offaly burst.  McNaughton grabbed the first while Shane Reilly with a long drive that evaded the keeper due to Derek Molloy getting in his sight line had the second.

It left the scoreline 4-12 to 0-7 and the game well and truly over. Galway did have a goal from Purcell who was their best forward, and had a second chance saved by Brian McNaughton, but Offaly had four points at the other end with a long range Brendan McGourty the best of the bunch.

Galway had their second goal of the game with 10 minutes left but it was also their last score. Dave Ellis set up Kevin Reilly for a good score.
Again Offaly reacted in the best way possible. They rounded out their scoring tally with six unanswered points to close out the contest and mark their superiority.

Offaly will take solace from the game with their 25 scores. Excellent output. The game was won with defense, however, as the backline never allowed Galway to settle.

Brian McNaughton was very cool under pressure. Sean O’Sullivan, Brendan McGourty and Dermot Lyng were outstanding. Lyng’s three points were all gems. Shane Kelly lorded it in the middle.

All five forwards scored.  Pat Hartley had a quiet day by his standards, which will scare Galway and Tipp to no end. Shane Sweeney took his goals well, while Shane McNaughton showed sniper instincts.

Galway was out-classed, but Aaron Farrell, Adrian Purcell who was excellent, and Kevin Reilly all showed constantly.

Galway: 1 Alan White, 2 Dave Lynch, 4 Liam Butler, 5 Paul Cahill, 6 Aaron Farrell, 7 David Fahey, 8 Ciaran Geary, 9 Aiden Moylan, 10 Adrian Purcell (1-2), 11 Bob McCarthy, 12 Tadgh O’Callaghan (0-1), 13 David Ellis (0-2), 15 Kevin Reilly (1-2).

Offaly: 1 Brian McNaughton, 2 Sean O’Sullivan, 4 Matt Cashman, 5 Ciaran O’Keefe, 6 Brendan McGourty (0-1), 7 Dermot Lyng (0-3), 8 Shane Kelly (1-2), 9 Eoin Drumgoole (0-1), 10 Donie Broderick (0-1), 11 Derek Molloy (0-3), 12 Pat Hartley (0-2), 13 Shane Sweeney (2-2), 15 Shane McNaughton (1-6).

Man of the match: Shane Kelly (Offaly).
Referee: John Madden.


Kelly Leads the Way

Cork 1-14  Armagh 1-8

CORK used a dominating period during the second quarter of this senior football contest to seal the win and get the side back on the road to success.

What helped their cause immensely is the fact that they have the best footballer in New York in their ranks. Jason Kelly continues his torrid trail in this year’s championship. His eight points all came at important times, and he was ably assisted in the middle by Gary Lowney who continues to excel. 
 
The opening score of the game was a Cork point, but it was immediately cancelled out by an Armagh goal. It game when the forwards disposed the Cork defense. The ball was flicked to James Moynagh and the full forward blasted to the net.

Cork came out of the setback strong, however. They had the next three points of the game with three different scorers on the mark.

They did have to withstand a two minute onslaught from Armagh that started with a point from Kevin Rodgers and culminated with a brilliant shot from Moynagh being parried to safety by Darren O’Mahoney. It took a monumental swing in the moments after.

Cork worked the ball up the field with Kelly and Brian Kellagher involved. They found Michael Travors in the corner where he was fouled for no call and then fouled for a penalty.

Vincent Lehane slotted the ball low to the net for a 1-4 to 1-1 lead. Armagh did have a long range Steven Sheridan score, but Cork, with Kelly brilliant, had five of the next six scores.  Kelly had four points in the mix from frees and play and a wide array of angles. It pushed his side into a half time lead of 1-9 to 1-3.

Armagh made a dogged attempt at a comeback to open the second half. They had three points in the opening six minutes with Ciaran Conlon’s a huge long range effort.

Cork did reply with scores from Kellagher and Kelly to again put five between the sides, but Armagh again went on the offensive. Kevin McGeeney had a point on 18 minutes before Conlon broke in on O’Mahoney. The Cork keeper made an excellent save to deny the corner forward and preserve the lead.

Conlon did have his second point of the game with eight minutes left but the Rebels finished strongest. They had the final three points of the game with Kelly, Kellagher and Ian Rowland with a massive drive putting breathing room between the sides and securing the league points for last seasons beaten finalists.

Cork will be delighted with the win. Liam Hanley, John Fitzpatrick and Gary Hanley all had good moments at the back. Jason Kelly was outstanding, Gary Lowney was also prominent. Rowland, Cleary, O’Sullivan and Lehane all showed continually up front.

Armagh will be disappointed with the loss, but will look at the displays of Caolan Short, James Donnelly, Kevin Rodgers and Ciaron Conlon as positive.

Cork: 1 Darren O’Mahoney, 2 Paddy Harrington, 3 John McLoughlin, 4 Liam Hanley, 5 John Fitzpatrick, 6 Derek Courtney, 7 Gary Hanley, 8 Jason Kelly (0-8), 9 Gary Lowney, 10 Ian Rowland (0-2), 11 Brian Kellagher (0-3), 12 Francie Cleary, 13 Vinnie Lehane (1-0), 14 Jonathon O’Sullivan (0-1), 15 Michael Travors.  Subs: Pat Mahoney, Shea Purcell, Tadgh Foley.

Armagh: 1 Alan Hearty, 2 Karl McVerry, 3 Patsy Martin, 4 Stuart Stokes, 5 Caolan Short, 6 Brian Rodgers, 7 Brian Murphy, 8 Steven Sheridan (0-1), 9 James Donnelly, 10 Kevin McGeeney (0-1), 11 Kevin Rodgers (0-2), 12 Conor King (0-1), 13 Ciaran Conlon (0-2), 14 James Moynagh (1-1), 15 Kyle Carragher. Subs: Alan McFearan, Richie Morgan, Garth Kelly, Eddie Greenan, Collie Fearan.

Man of the match: Jason Kelly (Cork).
Referee: Tommy Fahey.