Éire Óg win first minor title since 1999

Éire Óg 0-12   Kilmihil 1-3

THE finishing ability of Eimhín Courtney, who scored five points from play, was one of the reasons why Éire Óg won their first minor A football title since 1999, when they completed two in-a-row.

 

In 2011, up to 10 of this year’s minor panel featured in the Éire Óg U-16 A Championship-winning squad, which suggests that the Ennis club may not be too far off retaining their minor title in 2013.

Played with a reasonably stiff breeze, Éire Óg led 0-6 to 0-0 at half -time and they were never seriously threatened thereafter.

However, the winners had Paul Roche to thank for that when he made an excellent save from Kilmihil’s Conor Egan in the sixth minute of the first half. Egan was freed by a Niall Pender pass after Martin O’Leary won a kick-out. Had the net shaken that time, perhaps Kilmihil, who were appearing in their second successive final, would have pushed Éire Óg harder.

Courtney put over three first-half points, including one from a free, while Cian Darcy, from a 45’ and a long free, pointed twice. His dead ball striking from distance was very impressive.
Kilmihil defended well in the first half but were unable to mount a sustainable threat to the Éire Óg goalmouth, although they were unlucky when Conor Finucane hit the post with a fisted effort, seven minutes before half-time.

To make a fight of it, Kilmihil needed to roar into the second half and led by Martin O’Leary, they did just that. First off, O’Leary was fouled and pointed his side’s opening point from the free.

In the eighth minute, he finished to the net, at the second attempt after a brave Conor Brennan block down. Now just 0-6 to 1-1 down, it seemed Kilmihil were about to rattle Éire Óg.

Instead, the champions played their best football over the next six minutes as Shane O’Donnell, Cian Darcy, Eimhín Courtney and Liam Corry rattled off four successive points from play.

At 0-10 to 1-1 ahead, Éire Óg were back in control and the steam was gone out of a valiant Kilmihil team.
Martin O’Leary added his team’s final points, the second a lovely score from 45 yards but Courtney and Darcy posted a point apiece in injury time to close out the game.

While both teams gave it everything, the quality of football wasn’t great. That said, there were several decent individual displays with Conor Brennan, Liam and Seán Corry, Cian Darcy, Eimhín Courtney and Shane O’Donnell playing good football for the winners.

Martin O’Leary was Kilmihil’s most potent attacking threat, while Allyn Dalton played from the front at full-back and dominated that area. Elsewhere, Stephen and David Coughlan threw everything at Éire Óg, as did Ronan O’Flaherty.

On an aside, Bórd na nÓg Peil could try a bit harder to turn minor A final day into an occasion. The teams weren’t called out over the public address, nor was the National Anthem played.

With a sizeable section of the crowd made up of teenagers and parents, it’s a chance to market Gaelic football in Clare. Bórd na nÓg Peil put plenty of voluntary hours into promoting GAA and should be credited for that but surely it wouldn’t be that hard to acquire a band for the day, rather than simply throwing the ball in and getting the game over and done with.

Éire Óg: Paul Roche; David Neylon, Conor Brennan, Dean D’Auria; Conor Dolan, Seán Corry, James Woods; Ciarán MacMathúna, Cian Darcy; Conall Ó hAiniféin, Liam Corry, Dara Walsh; Eimhín Courtney, Nicholas Twumasi, Paddy O’Malley.
Subs: Shane O’Donnell for Nicky Twumasi (38 mins), Lee Quirke for Dara Walsh (41 mins), Kaylan O’Loughlin for Paddy O’Malley (47 mins), Gary Roche for Conall Ó hAiniféin, Jack Neylon for David Neylon (both 59 mins).
Scorers: Eimhín Courtney (0-5), Cian Darcy (0-4, 1 45, 1f), Shane O’Donnell, Liam Corry (0-1 each), Paddy O’Malley (0-1f).
Wides: 7; frees won: 19; 45s: 2.
Kilmihil: Matthew Keane; Gary McMahon, Allyn Dalton, Eoin Callinan; Stephen Coughlan, Conor O’Flaherty, David Coughlan; Niall Pender, Cormac Dennehy; Martin O’Leary, Ronan O’Flaherty, Conor Finucane; Shane O’Connor, Conor Egan (captain), David Egan.
Subs: David Killeen for Shane O’Connor (half-time), 24 for Eoin Callinan (47).
Scorers: Martin O’Leary (1-3, 2f).
Wides: 5; frees won: 27; 45s: 2.
Yellow cards: David Egan.
Referee: Michael McGann (Michael Cusack’s).