Carney drives Kilmeena to maiden senior victory
Kilmeena’s Colin Hastings in action against Westport’s Eoghan McLaughlin during Saturday's Mayo SFC Group 1 clash at Josie Munnelly Park, Castlebar. Picture: David Farrell Photography
Kilmeena have been waiting a long time for their first ever senior championship win. You could argue 137 years, since their formation on the shores of Clew Bay. So when it arrived on Saturday evening in Castlebar, it was celebrated with all the relish you could imagine.
They were full value too for this huge upset against neighbours Westport – their first win in their eighth game at senior.
After a cruel own goal from Jack Carney late on in their previous round clash with Charlestown, most onlookers reckoned on Kilmeena heading to the relegation battle – but they had other ideas.
Despite the loss of last year’s joint-captains Jack Mulchrone and John McGlynn to injury (Mulchrone tore his cruciate in training before this game), Kilmeena played like men on a mission and nobody exemplified this more than Jack Carney.
The All-Ireland champion bent this game to his will. He was colossal, plucking kick-outs from the air that defied physics, leading, driving and being the beating heart of this Kilmeena team.
He admitted afterwards atonement for the crushing blow of his unfortunate own goal at the end of the Charlestown game was in his mind.
“Obviously the last kick of a game when you concede an own goal, you can’t really prove yourself in that game to react but thankfully today was your reaction, not just from me but from 20 lads and I’m so proud to be part of that group.
“It feels amazing. We’ve been a long time talking about being a senior club but I don’t think you deserve to be there if you can’t win a game. Finally we’ve won one. It’s only one but hopefully it’s the start of many to come,” he said.
Westport led 1-7 to 0-6 at half-time. Ben Holmes, a county minor only last year and son of the manager Pat, was a real handful at full-forward and Westport went direct to him as often as possible.
He scored two first-half points, had three assists and played a big role in the goal. Rory Brickenden’s long ball to the edge of the square was aimed for Holmes. He jumped for it with goalkeeper Paul Groden but it cleared both of them for the longest range score Brickenden is ever likely to score.
Groden atoned by pushing a rasping Holmes shot over the bar shortly after, as well as two-fine second half saves.
Kilmeena got off the mark with a two-point free from Jack Carney and were staying right on Westport’s coattails before the goal.
Kilmeena showed their intent immediately after the break, with the wind at their back. Darragh Slattery converted a two-point free 60 seconds in and they got their first goal on 34 minutes. Caolach Halligan took on Niall McManamon, left him trailing and finished low past Paddy O’Malley. Game on.
Four minutes later they had another goal, Liam Moore racing through the cover after a superb fetch in midfield from Carney.
That left them three up and while they were on top in the third quarter, they never got further ahead.
Westport were struggling to win primary possession but Lee Keegan sensed the need and made two bursts from centre half-back, setting up a point for Joey Holmes and scoring one himself.
Conal Dawson – handed the unenviable task of marking Jack Carney – then stood up with a great two-pointer on 44 minutes and, despite all of Kilmeena’s good work, the sides were level.
But a breach of discipline by Westport – the third incident in the game where a free was brought forward to two-point range – led to Slattery swinging over a two-pointer and Cormac O’Malley added a single to put Kilmeena three in front again.
Shortly after a Conal Dawson two-pointer was half-blocked by O’Malley. Joey Holmes claimed it in front of the posts and was fouled by Carney – penalty. Killian Kilkelly cooly converted it, level game again with five minutes left.
By this stage Westport had lost Keegan to injury but his replacement Kevin Keane put Westport in front on 57 minutes.
It was anyone’s game. Cormac O’Malley had a goal shot saved by his namesake Paddy but not long afterwards he swung over a confident and inspirational two-pointer to put Kilmeena back in front and added a point not long after (he had their last five shots of the game) to push them two clear.
This time, Westport couldn’t rein them in.
They might have the last laugh – they are in the quarter-finals but on Saturday in Castlebar, it was Kilmeena who were celebrating as they finally got their first senior championship win.
They have now consolidated their senior status and when he looked over at Jack Mulchrone, last year’s joint-captain who tore his cruciate in training before this game, Jack Carney had another motivation.
“We’ve suffered an awful lot of injuries in the last couple of weeks… Jack Mulchrone is gone with his ACL. Him and his family are incredible for Kilmeena. For me anyway, just thinking about him, we want him to be playing senior football next year so that’s so satisfying for me and the team, that he comes back to our team after nine, ten months of difficult rehab and he’s playing senior football,” he said.
And another Jack was the driving force behind that reality.
Scorers – Kilmeena: Cormac O’Malley 0-1-3, Darragh Slattery 0-2-1 (2tpf, 1f), Caolach Halligan 1-0-1, Liam Moore 1-0-0, Jack Carney 0-1-0, Ronan O’Donnell and Darragh Keaveney 0-0-1 each.
Westport: Killian Kilkelly 1-0-4 (1-0pen, 2f), Rory Brickenden 1-0-0, Ben Holmes 0-0-2, Conal Dawson 0-1-0, Finbar McLaughlin, Luke Tunney, Lee Keegan, Joey Holmes and Kevin Keane 0-0-1 each.
Kilmeena: Paul Groden; Ciarán Kilcoyne, Luke Durcan, John Ryan; Conor Madden, Stephen Staunton, Colin Hastings; Jack Carney, Liam Moore; Cormac O’Malley, Darragh Slattery, Ronan O’Donnell; Brian Durcan, Darragh Keaveney, Caolach Halligan. Subs: Kevin Ryder (for B Durcan 54), Conor Kelly (for Madden 58, inj).
Westport: Paddy O’Malley; Niall McManamon, Ben Doyle, Brian McDermott; Eoghan McLaughlin, Lee Keegan, Rory Brickenden; Brian O’Malley, Conal Dawson; Luke Tunney, Joey Holmes, Tom Lambert; Finbar McLaughlin, Ben Holmes, Killian Kilkelly. Subs: Mark Moran (for Lambert 47), Kevin Keane (for Keegan 52, inj), Colm Moran (for B Holmes 57).
REF: Jerome Henry (Castlebar Mitchels)
