Breaffy show their senior strength against island visitors
Breaffy captain Mark Dervan is presented with the Kelly Cup by Stephen Kelly, left, with the Kelly Cup Trophy being presented by John Gibbons, treasurer, and Ollie Dillon, assistant treasurer, West Mayo GAA. Picture: John Moylette
A mesmerising second-half display by Breaffy saw the Blue and White saunter to a comfortable victory in Friday evening’s one-sided Kelly Cup final. Breaffy played with plenty of vim and vigour throughout and the hosts could well have added further goals were it not for some heroic and lion-hearted defending by the Achill defence.
Achill, already the underdogs, would have been hoping for a positive start to this joust but an early point from Rory Martyn and a fabulous two-pointer by Conor O’Shea delighted the home attendance.
The visitors were also capable of utilising the new rules however, and the busy Peter Gallagher guided over a sumptuous long-range two-point free off the ground to reduce the arrears to just a point after four minutes, 0-3 to 0-2.
A point from Gavyn McManamon was almost beefed up by a Breaffy goal on six minutes but Tommy O’Reilly’s close-range palmed effort was brilliantly blocked on the line by the alert Achill rearguard.
Conor O’Shea was winning some vital possession for Sean Deane’s troops and the rangy midfielder guided over a terrific long-range point, much to the delight of the home faithful.
The senior outfit then hit a purple patch and singles by Pierce Deane, Conor Beirne and Joe Mellett, helped muster a healthy 0-8 to 0-2 lead over their junior counterparts. Indeed, Breaffy almost struck the opening goal on 15 minutes when some fine combination play from Mellett and Deane resulted in a chance for Paul McDermott, but his effort was brilliantly blocked on the goal-line by the alert Cian McCarthy.
Achill were struggling to create chances but the Green and White faithful finally had something to cheer about when their hardworking corner-forward Ronan Kilbane notched a terrific white-flagged effort on 27 minutes.
But Breaffy ended the half in a positive fashion and points from Dunne, a free, and Mellett helped garner a 0-10 to 0-3 interval lead for the hosts.
On the resumption, Breaffy continued to dictate the pace of the game and an early point from Ben Murphy was almost boosted by a green-flagged effort but Oisin Costello’s swerving drive was brilliantly turned around the post by the alert Sean McNamara. The subsequent ’45 was expertly guided over the bar by Jack Livingstone.
Achill remained on the back-foot and a flurry of points from Martyn, Costello and Deane, a free, were the prelude to a Breaffy major on 42 minutes. The goal that the hosts were searching for certainly had an element of luck about it, as Pierce Deane’s ambitious attempt of a point came back off the post and into the path of Colm Flynn who gleefully guided the ball home.
Deane and Achill’s Kilbane then traded points, before Peter Gallagher brilliantly guided over his second two-pointer free of the evening for his Achill team on 48 minutes. However, that would be the last time the visitors would trouble the scoreboard operator.
Deane landed his third and final free of the contest on 50 minutes, after Achill failed to keep three men in the Breaffy half of the pitch.
A rampant Breaffy were beginning to find pockets of space and a superb point from an acute angle by James Minogue was certainly one of the scores of the game. They then added their second goal of the game on 54 minutes when Martyn set-up the poaching David Livingstone who rustled the back of the net.
The locals closed out proceedings impressively and late points from David Livingstone and Flynn helped galvanise the victory.
Scorers – Breaffy: Pierce Deane 0-0-5 (3f), Colm Flynn and David Livingstone 1-0-1 each, Conor O’Shea 0-1-1 (1tp), Joe Mellett, Rory Martyn 0-0-2 each, Jack Livingstone (0-1 ’45), James Minogue, Conor Beirne, Gavyn McManamon, Ben Murphy and Oisin Costello 0-0-1 each.
Achill: Peter Gallagher 0-2-0 (2tpf), Ronan Kilbane 0-0-2.
Breaffy: Jack Livingstone; Conor Melly, Mark Dervan, James Minogue; Daire Morrin, Conor Beirne, Gavyn McManamon; Niall Carter, Conor O’Shea; Paul McDermott, Pierce Deane, Tommy O’Reilly; Joe Mellett, Rory Martyn, Ben Murphy. Subs: Oisin Costello, Darragh O’Neill, Mark Ward, Colm Flynn, David Livingstone.
Achill: Sean McNamara; Christopher Dever, James McGinty, Cian McCarthy; Fionn Mangan, Tiernan Cooney, Ethan McDonnell; Conor English, Turlough Dever; Sean McNamara, Dáithí Grealish, Peter Gallagher; Finbar Gallagher, Michael Sweeney, Ronan Kilbane. Subs: Ferdia Joyce, Stephen Grealish, Calum Doolan, Michael English, James Gallagher.
REF: Enda Nolan
