Aghamore pick off Parke to lift county crown
Singing in the Rain: The victorious Aghamore team who defeated Parke/Keelogues/Crimlin in the County U21 'B' football championship final at the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence, Bekan, last Sunday. Pictures: David Farrell Photography
Mayo U20 attacker Tom O’Flaherty was the star of the show as Aghamore claimed the U21 ‘B’ football championship crown at a wet and windy Bekan last Sunday afternoon.
This was a final where you felt the key men for each side were going to play a massive part but while Tom O’Flaherty was as much a threat going forward as he was getting back to help in defence, Parke-Keelogues-Crimlin’s deadly duo of Darragh Reilly and Cathal Keaveney saw their races ran by half-time, both as a result of hamstring injuries.
Both men, teammates of O’Flaherty at county level, were instrumental in their side’s semi-final win over Ballinrobe the previous weekend but Reilly pulled up when laying off a ball to Colm Lynch while Keaveney, who has dealt with several injury issues this year, was feeling the strain before the break and was unable to return to the field for the second-half.
As a result, Parke-Keelogues-Crimlin lost not just their main creators but their belief as well as they struggled to create chances, let alone score. Sean Sweeney’s goal with eight minutes to go almost provided an unlikely path to a comeback but it proved a stay of execution as Aghamore ran away in the closing stages to claim a first U21 title since their back-to-back ‘A’ successes in 2015 and 2016.
With a strong wind at their backs, Keaveney put Parke-Keelogues-Crimlin ahead early on but Tom O’Flaherty finished off a great move to the net, with Padraig Mooney and Finlay Coen pivotal in the buildup, for Aghamore’s first major on four minutes. The Black and Amber responded well through points by Christopher Geraghty, Sean Sweeney and Keaveney to edge them back ahead before Geraghty was picked out superbly with a clever pass over the defence by Keaveney for Parke-Keelogues-Crimlin’s first goal on 14 minutes to move 1-4 to 1-0 in front.
Sweeney extended the gap to five but Aghamore would outscore Parke 1-3 to 0-1 in the final six minutes of the half, the goal coming after Cillian Mooney intercepted a short kick-out by Parke-Keelogues-Crimlin goalkeeper Dominic Dunne before laying it off to Finlay Coen to palm into the net to make it all square at the break, 2-3 to 1-6.
Now playing with the breeze, Aghamore hit seven points without reply, Tom O’Flaherty accounting for four of them and the Mooney brothers Padraig and Cillian combining for the other three, while Parke-Keelogues-Crimlin struggled to deal with the inclement conditions and also the loss of Reilly and Keaveney, failing to score at all in the third quarter.
Substitute Evan Walsh stopped the rot on 49 minutes but that was met by an instant response by Brian Breslin. Sean Sweeney finished soccer-style past Aghamore goalkeeper Gary Murphy after a scramble for the ball, but that goal would be the West Mayo side’s last score as Aghamore hit five points on the spin, three from Tom O’Flaherty (two frees) and one each from Cillian Mooney and substitute Derry Óg Cox, to see out a comfortable victory and a county title.
Scorers – Aghamore: Tom O’Flaherty 1-8 (0-5f), Finlay Coen 1-0, Padraig Mooney and Cillian Mooney 0-3 each, Brian Breslin and Derry Óg Cox 0-1 each.
Parke/Keelogues/Crimlin: Sean Sweeney 1-2 (0-1f), Chistopher Geraghty 1-1, Cathal Keaveney 0-2, Ruairi Cronin and Evan Walsh 0-1 each.
Aghamore: Gary Murphy; Hallam Coen, Darragh Mulkeen, Jake Glavey; Conal Breslin, Conor Morley, Oisin Casey, Brian Breslin Tom O’Flaherty; Rob O’Flaherty, Padraig Mooney, Jack Concannon; Finlay Coen, Cillian Mooney, Johnny Conlon. Subs: Derry Óg Cox (for Concannon ht), Eoghan Duffy (for F Coen 49), Sweeney Coen (for J Conlon 54), Sean Lynskey (for P Mooney 58), Fionn Delaney (for C Mooney 60+1).
Parke/Keelogues/Crimlin: Dominic Dunne; Kyle Davitt, Cian McHale, Aaron Hurst; Sean McGhee, Cian Lynch, Lucas Kenny; Muiris Ó Clochartaigh, Colm Lynch; Ruairi Cronin, Dara Neary, Cathal Keaveney; Sean Sweeney, Darragh Reilly, Chistopher Geraghty. Subs: Evan Walsh (for Reilly 18, inj), Cian Donoghue (for Keaveney ht, inj), Ethan McDonagh (for McGhee 37), Sean Cosgrove (for Kenny 46).
REF: Mark Tuffy (Shrule/Glencorrib).
