First half goal gives Omagh the edge over St Gerald's
St. Gerald’s Jack Prendergast bursts out of defence. Picture: David Farrell Photography
Reigning Hogan Cup champions Omagh CBS from Tyrone are back in the All-Ireland Post Primary Senior A final after an eight-point win over St Geralds College on Sunday afternoon in Ballyshannon, Co Donegal.
Omagh never looked back after Paudi Dillon’s goal on the 29-minute mark, the icing on the cake of a ten-minute spell before half time that saw the boys from the Brothers school hit 1-4 answered, and it left the Castlebar team with a mountain to climb in the second half. Dillon was responsible for 1-5 of the damage Omagh wrought in this game but the key men were Brian Gallagher and Charlie Donnelly, whose running from full back and midfield respectively had the Castlebar men chasing their tails.
Their long journey back to Mayo might have been spent pondering how different a game this could have been if Ryan Gibbons had taken his goal chance just before half time. The Mitchels man hammered the crossbar from close range and Geralds struggled to fashion a similar chance in the second half. Dara Neary matched his Connacht final tally of 0-4 from play and the Parke man was a rare bright spark for Geralds up against the reigning champions, who showed their pedigree from the first whistle to the last.
Dillon was the first man on the scoresheet for Omagh with four minutes played and Neary responded instantly with an outrageous score from distance. It took nine minutes for Omagh to strike again and this time Liam Og Mossey popped over from a free. It had been a cagey start and with almost 20 played, Neary leveled it again, this time striking with his left boot.
Charlie Donnelly found a small pocket of space and scored the third for Omagh, while Neary scored his third of the half, another scorcher. Omagh upped the ante for the remainder of the half and made the work that previously looked hard look easy now as they took score after score. Paudi Dillon, Mark Corcoran and Brian Gallagher added points for the Tyrone school. Gallagher's was a well-worked effort, as he weaved and bobbed his way forward from full back as part of the slick passing exchange before applying the finish.
A move that started with Jack Prendergast being turned over high up the pitch ended with the ball in the back of the Geralds net. It was another well-worked move and Paudi Dillon was the man with the decisive strike. Up the other end, a loose ball came to Ryan Gibbons and it crashed against the bar. Donnelly scored his second point of the half to make it 1-7 to 0-3 at the break.
The introduction of Zac Collins at half time brought some new impetus to the Geralds attack and the Islandeady man was lively. With a minute played in the second half, Ryan Gibbons fired over a free for Geralds. Omagh were proving difficult to break down and they also did not relent on the scoring front themselves. Ruairi McCullagh popped over a free and Dillon fisted over from close range. Cathal Keaveney scored for Geralds but two Mossey frees kept Omagh moving out of sight.
Collins got a well-earned point but again Omagh replied with Nathan Farry bursting forward from wing back and firing over. Gibbons scored his second free for Geralds and Gavin Forry added his first and only score of the day. Paudi Dillon had two more in his locker, a free and a point from play to end Omagh’s scoring for the day. Dara Neary leathered an effort towards goal and it was deflected over the bar by an Omagh defender, the last kick of the day as referee Eoin Murphy blew time on a disappointing result for St Geralds.
Scorers - St Geralds College: Dara Neary 0-4, Ryan Gibbons 0-2f, Cathal Keaveney, Gavin Forry and Zac Collins 0-1 each.
Omagh CBS: Paudi Dillon 1-5 (1f), Liam Og Mossey 0-3f, Charlie Donnelly 0-2, Nathan Farry, Mark Corcoran, Brian Gallagher and Ruairi McCullagh (f) 0-1 each.
St Geralds: Sean Rabbette: Yousif Coghill, Muiris O’Clochartaigh, Connall Durcan: Jack Prendergast, Fionan O’Reilly, Seanie O’Reilly: Shane Cunningham, Patrick Flannelly: Joe Forry, Cathal Keaveney, Dara Neary: Cian Walsh, Gavin Forry, Ryan Gibbons. Subs: Zac Collins and Evan Walsh (for Prendergast and J Forry H/T); Jude Lavin (for Gibbons 51); Chris Geraghty (for S O’Reilly 56).
Omagh: Oisin Watson: Blaine Lynch, Brian Gallagher, Sean McCann: Nathan Farry, Callum Daly, Mark Corcoran: Eoin Donaghy, Charlie Donnelly: Oisin Teague, Ruairi McCullagh, Jack Law: Niall McCarney, Paudi Dillon, Liam Óg Mossey. Subs: Matthew Howe (for McCullagh, blood 9, reversed 16); Adrian McGurrin (for McCullagh 35); John Edgar and Matthew Howe (for Teague and McCarney 55); Sean Broderick and Enda Donaghy (for Farry and Donnelly 60+3).
REF: Eoin Murphy.
