Teen spirit kills Moy men as Cormac comes of age
17-year-old substitute Cormac O'Malley kicking one of the five points he scored in a remarkable Player of the Match display, as Cathal Clarke and Oisin McHugh of Moy Davitts do their best to try and block the shot. Picture: Martin McIntyre
According to a county board source, TG4 had shown a strong interest in broadcasting the Mayo SFC final last Sunday afternoon – until Crossmolina Deel Rovers were beaten in the semi-final. You can draw your own conclusions as to why.
But if it was a sensational 17-year-old that the executives in Baile na hAbhann were looking for to show off to the nation, they missed a trick in not picking the intermediate final instead because they’d have had one in Cormac O’Malley.
That O’Malley was one of the stars of Kilmeena’s victory was more by accident than design however, with his appearance in the eighth minute coming only as a result of an injury to corner-forward Daniel Kelly. By half-time the substitute had scored three points and the towering teenager added two more in the second-half to finish as his side’s top scorer and Player of the Match. In his first county final. On the day that Moy Davitts were odds on to win.
Sure enough, the 4/5 favourites were in front as this game reached the hour mark but not after the five minutes of stoppage time, which had ended to the sight of Anthony Jordan’s two-point attempt shot dropping into the outstretched arms of Kilmeena goalkeeper Paul Jordan. Another foot higher and Moy Davitts were champions.
With seven two-pointers kicked in the game, the full-time score in old money would have been 0-20 to 1-15 – albeit there was also a 50-metre advance for one of the Moy Davitts scores. But the point being that this was possibly the highest scoring Mayo intermediate final of all time. The game – in every sense – had lived up to all expectations.
There can be few arguments that Kilmeena were worthy winners. All of their 0-23 was scored from play compared to Moy Davitts registering eight points from frees. In fact, had the Black and White scored even half of their fourteen wides (Moy Davitts had five), the finale wouldn’t have been quite so dramatic. And yet it’s a cold heart that wouldn’t feel some sympathy for the East Mayo outfit either; beaten county finalists to eventual All-Ireland champions Crossmolina last year, this was their third consecutive championship defeat to Kilmeena, having narrowly lost semi-finals in 2022 and 2023.
This was Kilmeena’s third appearance in the intermediate final in four seasons and their second time to win it. It was also – when you factor in their junior defeat and victory in 2020 and ’21 respectively – their fifth county final in six seasons, with Connacht and All-Ireland junior titles in the locker too. It’s a golden era for the Clew Bay outfit whose next ambition will be to make sure their second ever entry to the senior championship this time extends beyond one season.
Their promotion had seemed in serious doubt when despite having played with the aid of a stiff breeze they trailed at by one point at half-time.
They had begun defiantly by blocking a Colm McHale clearance to shoot a two-pointer against the wind inside the opening minute. But if Liam Moore’s score was a signal of intent, so too was the Moy Davitts response.
Brian Reape and Ronan Clarke, a free, hit a point apiece before Cian McHale and Brian Heneghan linked up on the right wing for the latter to pop a handpass across to Clarke who collided with the far post while palming home the only goal of the game.
That major remained the difference at the end of the first quarter, as Sean Kelly and Ronan Clarke negated Kilmeena points by Kevin Ryder and the newly introduced Cormac O’Malley, for a 1-4 to 0-4 Moy Davitts lead.
Ryder’s influence was only to grow however, and in many ways his midfield display would outdo that of his sidekick, Mayo’s Jack Carney. Marauding wing-back Colin Hastings was also hugely influential in linking defence and attack but it was Ryder’s two pointer and singles by John McGlynn, Carney and Ronan O’Donnell that had helped Kilmeena draw level by the 23rd minute, with Ronan Clarke having fired over a free from outside the arc at the other end.
Cian McHale copied teammate Clarke with a two point free of his own and but for Heneghan’s pass dropping at the feet of Brian Reape, the ex-Mayo attacker might easily have bagged the Moysiders a 25th goal. Instead, the sides traded two scores apiece between there and half-time – Clarke and McHale, from a free, on target again, with a Kilmeena single by Darragh Keaveney followed by Cormac O’Malley’s two pointer – leaving Moy Davitts 1-10 to 0-12 ahead at the turnaround.
Remarkably, seven Kilmeena players had already kicked wides so when Liam Moore became their eighth shortly after the restart and Moy Davitts goalkeeper Chris McGlynn flung himself sideways to claw away a fisted goal effort by Jack Mulchrone, it would have been understandable had some doubts began to creep into the minds of Damien Egan’s players.
Second points for Keaveney and Carney did push their side back in front but back to back points from Brian Reape preceded a two pointer by substitute Anthony Jordan to leave Paul McGarry’s side with a 1-14 to 0-14 lead after 40 minutes – and the breeze at their backs.
But Kilmeena had more than Cormac O’Malley offering impact off the bench as half-time inductee Caolach Halligan kicked his first of two points before O’Malley showed nifty footwork to score his fourth. And when the excellent Kevin Ryder split the posts again from the right wing, the game was all square again entering the final quarter – and remained that way with six minutes to play, after Moy points by McHale and sub Jamie Clarke, both from frees, were separated by one each by Keaveney and McGlynn.
The decision of the Moy Davitts management to replace Ronan Clarke in the 52nd minute raised an eyebrow, as they had already withdrawn his fellow forwards Brian Heneghan and Sean Kelly because of knocks, while Clarke had scored 1-5 in the first-half alone.
O’Malley struck again for Kilmeena but it was a perfect time that Cian McHale chose to nail a two pointer for his first score from play, and while Liam Moore levelled on 58 minutes, Oisin McHugh fisted Moy Davitts back in front on the hour mark. Although he had an option inside, it seemed the safe and sensible thing for McHugh to do, yet while that was Moy Davitts’ final score, there was another kick still left in their opponents.
Ryder won the subsequent kickout above the head of Ryan Kenny from which came Darragh Slattery’s first and only point and Moy Davitts were turned over on the next kickout too, with Halligan kicking Kilmeena in front by the minimum.
Moy Davitts spent three minutes chasing the ball before finally gaining possession with only seconds left to play. Kilmeena refused to let them inside the arc so Jordan swung a big left boot. For much of its flight the ball had seemed destined to split the Bacon Factory posts until its energy died at the vital moment. Kilmeena brought home the bacon.
Scorers – Kilmeena: Cormac O’Malley 0-1-3, Kevin Ryder 0-1-2, Liam Moore 0-1-1, Darragh Keaney 0-0-3, Jack Carney, John McGlynn (1f) and Caolach Halligan 0-0-2 each, Ronan O’Donnell and Darragh Slattery 0-0-1 each.
Moy Davitts: Ronan Clarke 1-1-3 (1tpf, 1f), Cian McHale 0-2-2 (1tpf, 2f), Brian Reape 0-0-3, Anthony Jordan 0-1-0, Sean Kelly, Oisin McHugh and Jamie Clarke (f) 0-0-1 each.
Kilmeena: Paul Groden; Luke Durkan, Ciaran Kilcoyne, John Ryan; Colin Hastings, Liam Moore, Jack Mulchrone; Jack Carney, Kevin Ryder; Conor Kelly, Darragh Slattery, Ronan O’Donnell; Darragh Keaveney, John McGlynn, Daniel Kelly. Subs: Cormac O’Malley (for D Kelly 8, inj), Caolach Halligan (for C Kelly ht), Stephen Staunton (for Durkan 37), Aaron Murray (for McGlynn 55).
Moy Davitts: Chris McGlynn; Oisin McHugh, Tadhg Ruane, Jack Dunleavy; David Byrne, Colm McHale, Stephen Clarke; Conor Reid, Padraig Ruane; Brian Reape, Cian McHale, Ryan Kenny; Ronan Clarke, Brian Heneghan, Sean Kelly. Subs: Cathal Clarke (for S Clarke ht), Anthony Jordan (for Heneghan 35), Conall Quinn (for Byrne 47), Jamie Clarke (for Kelly 50), Liam Byrne (for R Clarke 52).
REF: John Glavey (Aghamore)
