Michael O’Connor reports on the Under 14 Division three football final which saw Doonbeg prevail over Corofin on a score of 2-6 to 1-5

One of the last finals of the Bord na nOg peil calendar took place recently as Doonbeg took on Mid Clare side Corofin in the Under 14 division 3 final played in Cooraclare before a sizable attendance.

Conditions on the day were far from conducive for football at underage level yet both sides gave spectators a contest worthy of a higher grade such was the effort on show.

Corofin were the better side in the opening half and worked hard in their rearguard to repel the potential of the Doonbeg forwards who had shown up well in earlier rounds of the title race.

Tommy Barry struck a vital goal early on for Corofin but the red and whites failed to build on this early promise and added just four more scores in the opening half as the Doonbeg defence improved after a shaky start to contain Corofin.

Thomas Dillon was the sole scorer for Doonbeg in the opening half as Corofin led (1-4) to (0-1) at the interval.

Eventually as the second half matured Doonbeg with their twin strike force force Of Zak O’Shea and Darragh O’Sullivan took over, sharing 2-5, as Corofin could manage just a solitary score and the title was winging its way to the long village.

Following the game Chairperson of Bord na nOg Peil presented the Under 14 Division 3 cup to Doonbeg Captain Darragh O’Sullivan.

This win capped off a treble sequence of wins for Doonbeg as they won two national school titles in June and last week with many involved in all three.

Doonbeg: Daniel Haugh, Luke Honan, David Conway, Liam Hehir, Sean Sullivan, George Comerford, Jacob Greene, Ian Ryan, Daire Garvey, Feidhim Browne, Darragh O’Sullivan, Jack O’Kane, Rory Shanahan, Zak O’Shea Thomas Dillon. Subs: Seamus Greene, Oran Comerford, Mark Crowley, Darragh Conway, CJ O’Donnell. Scorers: Zak O’Shea (1-3), Darragh O’Sullivan (1-2), Thomas Dillon (0-1).
Corofin: Oisin Tierney, Dara Masterson, Diarmuid De Brun, Joe Meaney, Joe Linehan, Padraic Murphy, Shane O’Donoghue, Joe Slattery, Darragh Casey, Mark O’Callaghan, Darragh Moran, Cillian Cummins, Tomas Barry, Colm Whelan, Jack Lordan. Subs: Eoin Hegarty, Rory Fitzgerald, Josh O’Sullivan, Shay Kelly, Dean Crowe, Gerard Callinan Queally, Daniel Maher, Eimhin Bane. Scorers: Tomas Barry 1 -0 (1st half), Darragh Moran 0-2, Mark O Callaghan 0-1, Jack Lordan 0-1, Darragh Casey 0-1

Referee: Martin Downes (Naomh Eoin)