Tourmakeady knock Gaels off course in Mayo junior championship opener
The Tourmakeady squad pictured before the Mayo JFC Round 1 game against Eastern Gaels. Picture: Western People
Tourmakeady claimed the scalp of last year’s junior ‘A’ runners-up Eastern Gaels to get their Mayo Junior Football Championship adventure off to a flyer.
A thrilling encounter unfolded last Friday evening, and the first goal of the Mayo Club Championships arrived 20 seconds after the throw-in as Maidhc Óg Staunton picked out the impressive Luke Lydon who calmly went Ronan Forde the wrong way.
Dara Flanagan got the Gaels up and running shortly after with a point but the black and white picked off the next four points, one from Michael Prendergast along with two frees from Lydon and a single from Luke Durkin. The early six-point gap was cut down to three on 13 minutes through two-point frees from Flanagan and Conor Grogan either side of Lydon’s third point. That Lydon score would be their last until the 18th minute, and by that stage, the Gaels would be in front.
Dean Lyons opened his account before being denied a goal by Lee Tolan Jennings, although referee Sean Tolan brought play back from a free which Flanagan converted. A minute later the Gaels were in front as Jason Jennings glided through the Tourmakeady backline and finished coolly into the corner of the net.
The scores soon slowed as points from Lydon and Prendergast, a free, levelled it on 24 minutes. Lyons put Gaels back in front and Tolan Jennings was soon called into action again to deny Jack Madden on 28 minutes. But he could little about Michael McGarry’s major seconds later, the wing-forward captialising on a lapse of concentration in the Tourmakeady backline. Down the other end, Tourmakeady also responded with their second goal, but Eugene Shaughnessy fumbled the ball as he was about to go for goal, but Shane Moran’s men got the final three points of the half through two Prendergast frees and a point from Lydon to trail only by one at the break.
Another pair of Prendergast points, one free, nudged Tourmakeady back in front six minutes into the second half as Gaels began to fluff their lines in front of the posts. McGarry did get their first score of the half on 38 minutes, but it was met by a ruthless response from the home side as Martin Carr teed up substitute Ronan Malee to palm into the net to move Tourmakeady three clear.
Flanagan, a free, and Madden traded scores with Shane Staunton and Prendergast, a free. Another Flanagan placed ball brought Gaels back to within two, but Tourmakeady found the net for a third time on 48 minutes as quick hands by midfield pairing Maidhc Óg Staunton and Darragh McConnell through the Gaels defence set up Prendergast for a simple finish.
A fifth Flanagan free kept Gaels in it and he would soon see a near-certain goal denied by Tom Staunton. Matters were compounded as Gaels management and supporters were left furious over a point from Harry Barker on 53 minutes that they believed should have been flagged wide. McConnell extended the gap to nine a minute later and when Jason Jennings was denied a second green flag by the Tourmakeady shotstopper, their chances of a comeback went with it. Prendergast took his tally to 1-9 with another two points, and a late free from Flanagan was scant consolation at that stage.
Scorers – Tourmakeady: Michael Prendergast 1-0-9 (6f) Luke Lydon 1-0-5 (2f), Ronan Malee 1-0-0, Luke Durkin, Shane Staunton, Darragh McConnell and Harry Barker 0-0-1 each.
Eastern Gaels: Dara Flanagan 0-1-6 (1tpf, 5f), Michael McGarry 1-0-1, Jason Jennings 1-0-0, Conor Grogan 0-1-0 (1tpf), Dean Lyons 0-0-2, Jack Madden 0-0-1.
Tourmakeady: Lee Tolan Jennings; Michael Joyce, Tom Staunton, Jamie Walsh; Luke Durkin, Shane Joyce, Martin Carr; Maidhc Óg Staunton, Darragh McConnell; Harry Barker, Luke Lydon, Séan Joyce; Michael Prendergast, Shane Staunton, Eugene Shaughnessy. Subs: Ronan Malee (for Shaughnessy 36), Matthew Gibbons (for T Staunton 51), Finn Conoboy (for Barker 55).
Eastern Gaels: Ronan Forde; Micheal Finnegan, Jack Ronayne, Rowan Jonhston; Charlie Johnston, Henry Concannon, Jarlath Concannon; Luke Mannion, Jason Jennings; Michael McGarry, Dara Flanagan, Shane Glynn; Conor Grogan, Jack Madden, Dean Lyons. Subs: Tony Alyward (for Finnegan 21-inj), Tom Hession (for Jennings 38-40 blood), T Hession (for Grogan 42), Darren Concannon (for C Johnston 45), Dean McGarry (for Glynn 56).
REF: Sean Tolan (Bonniconlon).
