Daredevil Dylan sends Burris' boys spiralling
Dylam Prendergast, seen in action against Hollynount-Carramore's Oisin Duffy during the group stages, secured Louisburgh's place in the intermediate championship with an outrageously risky score that has relegated Burrishoole to junior football. Picture: Conor McKeown
Every now and then, something happens during a game that makes you do a double take and question if what you’re seeing is really happening. There’s probably not another player in the game who would do what Dylan Prendergast did on Sunday just gone.
All common sense would tell you that if your team is down by a point in injury time and you get a free tight to the sideline a good 60 metres out but then have the good fortune to have it brought forward 50 metres because your opposition didn’t let the fouled player go quick enough, then there is only one option to take. Tap the close range free over the bar, level it up and live to fight again in extra-time.
But Prendergast, who had missed a good number of chances from frees during the game already, said no, not for me. I’m going to take it back and have a go at a two-point effort to end it here and now. If his manager Eugene O’Toole was wearing a smart watch, his blood pressure reading at this juncture would make for an interesting review this week.
And with not just this season’s fate dangling by a thread but their very place in the intermediate championship for next season, he stepped up, narrowed his eyes, aimed for the posts and struck for the stars.
A two-point Hail Mary, a prayer from the edge of reason that was struck with the kind of conviction that makes you believe in fate, or madness, or both. It sailed straight and true and sent Burrishoole crashing through the trapdoor to the junior championship for the first time in generations.
Throw in the fact that a mere 15 minutes earlier, when Adam Rehill had slotted over from close range, there looked like there was only ever going to be one winner, as that score put Burrishoole eight points clear. But the footballing Gods had other ideas.
Burrishoole were commanding and composed in the first-half and put together a five point lead at the break, 0-11 to 0-6. Fintan McManamon opened the scoring early on before Mark Gibbons levelled soon after. Points from Michael O’Malley and Patrick Cannon had Burrishoole two clear ten minutes in before Prendergast got his first of the day from a free to cut the lead back to one.
Three points on the spin from Adam Rehill, James McManamon and O’Malley stretched Burrishoole’s lead back out to four, however, Prendergast and Cian O’Malley halved the deficit with ten minutes to go to half-time.
Jay Ryder was next to trouble the scorekeepers when his shot crashed off the bar and over, when it really should have been a goal after he collected the rebound from an O’Malley effort that also came back off the bar. Prendergast kept his side in touch with a great poin, but another four point run from Burrishoole was started by a huge Caolan Moran two pointer, which was followed by scores from McManamon and O’Malley, to leave their side six clear with the turnaround not far away.
The final say in the half was left to Prendergast who slotted another free to leave his side trailing 0-11 to 0-6.
The second-half started no better for Louisburgh, when Adam Rehill was fouled and a penalty awarded. The Burrishoole full-forward took the kick himself but his effort was well saved by Jason Corrigan. That miss didn’t deter Burrishoole however, as they kicked the next three points to go into a commanding eight-point lead with only a quarter of the game to go. It wasn’t commanding enough.
Cian O’Malley fetched a long ball into the danger area and bursting off his shoulder was Eddie Ball who hammered to the net past Sean Hanley to cut Louisburgh’s deficit to five. Three minutes later Prendergast converted a free and it was game on. Oisin Lally cut it back to a three-point game after he fisted over the bar but Adam Rehill looked to have steadied Burrishoole’s nerves with a well taken effort that pushed his team’s lead back out to four with seven to go.
But the momentum was firmly with Louisburgh and they could smell blood. Prendergast tapped over a close range free, then with three minutes to go he hammered over a two-point free and it was a one point-game. Rehill dug deep and got his side’s final point of the day to push the lead back out to two.
But Louisburgh just kept coming and sub Tommy Morahan brought it back to a one-point game with two minutes of stoppage time gone – and they were going to have one more scoring chance if they could get their hands on the ball.
They did – but only one person knew what was going to happen.
It may have been brave, brazen, crazy or cocky but Dylan delivered to win the day.
Scorers – Louisburgh: Dylan Prendergast 0-2-6 (2tpf, 5f), Eddie Ball 1-0-0, Mark Gibbons, Cian O’Malley (f), Oisin Lally and Tommy Morahan 0-0-1 each.
Burrishoole: Adam Rehill 0-0-4, Michael O’Malley 0-0-3, Caolan Moran 0-1-0, James McManamon and Jay Ryder 0-0-2 each, Patrick Cannon 0-0-1.
Louisburgh: Jason Corrigan; Darragh Heneghan, Alfie Morrison, Issac O’Grady; Diarmuid Lally, Mikey Dawson, Conor Gannon; Basil McLeod, Ray Prendergast; Oisin Lally, Martin Ball, Mark Gibbons; Kevin Gibbons, Dylan Prendergast, Cian O’Malley. Subs: Charlie Morrison (for McLeod), Eddie Ball (for O’Malley), Tommy Morahan (for M Gibbons), Ben Moran (for Gannon).
Burrishoole: Sean Hanley; James Keane, Aaron McDermot, David Nevin; Patrick Cannon, Gary Wallace, Diarmuid McNulty; Colin Guilfoyle, James McManamon; Liam McNulty, Michael O’Malley, Jay Ryder; Caolan Moran, Adam Rehill, Fintan McManamon. Subs: Niall McGreal (for F McManamon), Dillon Coughlan (for Ryder).
REF: Shane Corcroan (Islandeady)
