Tones savour comprehensive Féile win

Wolfe Tones 2-15 Clarecastle 1-5

WOLFE Tones bridged a 17-year gap when they captured the Clare Féile title at the expense of Clarecastle at Cusack Park on Saturday evening. The Shannon boys carried the favourites’ tag into the final following their win over Kilmaley in the semi-final.
The new champions dominated the early exchanges but failed to find the target and when Darren Crowe pointed for the Magpies in the sixth minute, their followers had hopes of a strong performance.
Paul Dolan had the ball in the Shannon net seconds later but he was penalised for over carrying. Aaron Shanagher finally had the favourites on the scoreboard from play in the eighth minute. The second score took a further five minutes and it fell to Shannon full-forward, Jack Cunningham despite being under pressure from Clarecastle defenders. Clarecastle’s Dean O Hara had a half chance of a goal straight from the puck-out but his effort sailed narrowly wide.
A 16th minute free by Cunningham stretched the Tones lead to two. The battle between Hayden Starr and Paul Dolan was won in the first half by the Wolfe Tones centre-back and eventually Wolfe Tones began, through the dominance of Dean Devanny, to pepper the Clarecastle rearguard with more regularity. Aaron Shanagher and Darragh McMahon added points to stretch the Shannon lead to four points before the crucial score of the first half was blasted to the net by Jack Cunningham after 23 minutes.
Jack Murphy struck for a Magpie point with five minutes to go in the opening half. The remaining minutes of the half were dominated by Wolfe Tones, with Jack Cunningham rounding off the scoring to leave the 1994 champions 1-6 to 0-2 clear at the midway point.
Clarecastle made a variety of positional changes for the second half in an effort to get back into the title race. They almost scored a goal in the opening seconds but Adam Cassidy’s well-struck shot was brilliantly saved by Cian Collopy. The puck-out saw Wolfe Tones turn the save into a score as Cunningham once again proved too much for Clarecastle to handle. Adam Cassidy scored a hard-earned Clarecastle point after Cunningham, Kevin Justice with a huge free and Brian O’Connor left the Tones 1-10 to 0-3 ahead. Jake Kearney had to be alert to deny Cunningham from an acute angle.
O’Connor had the Shannon side’s second goal in the 50th minute to open a 13-point lead. Fittingly, it was the first occasion since the Féile na nGael Cup was donated by the Keane family, in memory of the late Brendan Keane, who did so much for the Shannon club, that it was presented to a Shannon man. He was involved with the Wolfe Tones teams in the glory Féile years in the 1980s.
Best for the winners were Kevin Justice, Dean Devanney, Daniel Claire, Darragh McMahon, Sean Costello, Aaron Shanagher, Evan O’Gorman and Jack Cunningham. Clarecastle, after a promising opening quarter, were unable to cope with Shannon’s pace and strength at midfield and in the central attacking positions. Their best included Jake Kearney, Fiachra Cooney, Paul Dolan in the second half, Darren Crowe and Adam Cassidy.

Wolfe Tones: Cian Collopy; Michael Hayes, Daniel Clair, Sean Costello; Robbie Meaney, Kevin Justice (0-2), Ross O’Connor; Darragh McMahon (0-1), Dean Devanney; Cian Pettigrew (0-1), Aaron Shanagher (0-3), Evan O’Gorman; Shane Nihill, Jack Cunningham (1-7), Brian O’Connor (1-1).
Subs: Jamie Divilly for Nihill, Philip Leahy for O’Connor and Eoghan Gough for Hayes.
Clarecastle: Jake Kearney; Fiachra Cooney, Kevin Mulcaire, Kevin Hartigan; Darragh Crimmins, Hayden Starr, Josh Kelly; Adam Cassidy (0-1), Darren Crowe (0-1); Rory Crimmins, Paul Dolan (0-2), Jack Murphy (0-1); Dean O’Hara, Jack Hayes, Mark McAuliffe.
Subs: Mark O’Loughlin for O’Hara, Cian Donnelly for Murphy, Conor Ryan for Hayes and Matthew Fahy (1-0) for Cassidy.
Referee: Rory Hickey (Éire Óg).

After the game, Clarecastle man and chairman of Bord na nÓg Iomaint, Martin Reynolds presented the Brendan Keane Féile na nGael memorial cup, in the presence of the Keane family, to Kevin Justice.