Tradition triumphs as history escapes Muredach’s
The players and management of St Gerald’s College celebrate with the Aonghus Murphy Cup following heir victory in Friday night's Connacht PPS senior 'A' football championship final at the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence, Bekan. Pictures: David Farrell Photography
When Patrick Carr, the team captain, pointed his third free of the evening some six minutes into the second-half to draw wind-assisted St Muredach’s College level for the first time, it looked as though the Ballina school’s time had finally arrived.
Never in the history of Connacht Colleges football had the name of St Muredach’s been etched on the senior ‘A’ championship roll of honour – and 63 years had passed since they even made the final. But here they were, now looking near dead certs to cause an upset, having reeled in a St Gerald’s team that had led by seven points at one stage of the first-half.
Incredibly, however, in the more than half hour that remained to be played, with the wind at their backs, St Muredach’s were to score just once more – a consolation goal by wing-back Conor Breslin in the seventh and final minute of second-half stoppage time.
St Gerald’s players broke into celebrations as though it was the school’s first time to lift the Aonghus Murphy Cup, not the ninth – and second in three years. The Castlebar side had served revenge on St Muredach’s who had not just beaten St Gerald’s, but hammered them (3-13 to 1-6) in the Mayo Flanagan Cup Final last December. But this was a different St Gerald’s team; whereas thirteen St Muredach’s players started both games, their opponents had as many as eight additions for Friday night’s provincial final, played before an enormous attendance of 2,177 at the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence.
Spotted among the crowd was legendary Kerry footballer Marc Ó Sé who as well as being his county’s minor manager, is manager of the Tralee CBS side who St Gerald’s now face in the All-Ireland Post Primary Schools senior ‘A’ championship semi-final.
With the game delayed by six days on account of appalling weather when the two teams and their armies of supporters had arrived at the same venue the previous Saturday, St Muredach’s College came under enormous pressure during the opening quarter and while Conor Jordan had a point attempt blocked from an attack right from the throw-in, that was the Ballina school’s last serious visit to the opposition’s half for almost ten minutes. Applying massive intensity upon the Muredach’s kickout, St Gerald’s harvested points through their captain Evan Walsh, two, Joe Forry and Conor Hoban, a two pointer, to lead 0-5 to no score after twelve minutes, with Forry even pulling a 13-metre free wide of the posts.
Nathan Roddy, working hard at full-forward for the Moysiders, had registered a couple of misses before a foul on Corey Lavery-McCay presented Patrick Carr the opportunity to open his side’s account – but Joe Forry restored the five points gap when set-up by clever play from Hoban and Joyce.
What was causing St Gerald’s some headaches though was the regular raids from deep by St Muredach’s speedster Cathair Tighe. And it was from one of these, spawned by a brilliant overturn of a St Gerald’s attack by Oisin McCann and Conor Jordan, that came the game’s opening goal in the 16th minute. Tighe carried the ball from halfway before his deft foot-pass into Sean Foody saw the corner-forward fire a rocket across St Gerald’s goalkeeper Oisin Costello into the far left corner.
A fisted point by Roddy a minute later meant the gap was down to one point, however, St Gerald’s, with Matthew Flannelly becoming an increasing influence around the middle, steadied the ship impressively, and while Joe Forry flashed a goal chance wide of the target, a pair of singles by the excellent Conor Hoban were followed by two pointers from Evan Walsh and Forry, a free, to see them lead 0-12 to 1-2 after 26 minutes.
St Muredach’s stormed back into contention by outscoring St Gerald’s 1-5 to 0-1 in an eight minute period either side of half-time. They closed out the first-half with a pointed free by Carr and a second goal by Sean Foody, this one punched to the net right on the short whistle, after an ambitious attempt for a point by Carr had dropped into the goalmouth. This left the scoreboard still reading 0-12 to 2-3 in favour of St Gerald’s at half-time but with the breeze behind them, St Muredach’s wasted no time in wiping out their deficit upon the restart.
An Oisin McCann point inside 50 seconds was negated by Patrick Garvey, a useful half-time St Gerald’s replacement for Rhys Neary, but when Dylan Sweeney drove over a two-pointer (Cathair Tighe again the orchestrator) and Patrick Carr lofted over another free, with 36 minutes on the clock the teams were now level, 0-13 to 2-7. Everything seemed to aligning perfectly for the underdogs.
St Gerald’s could have panicked, especially since they had seen a promising attack halted because of a needless off-the-ball foul by one of their own, but back to back points in the 40th and 41st minutes by goalkeeper Costello, from a ’45, and Caolan Moran, with the newly-introduced Ryan McNamara providing an immediate assist, preceded the awarding of a penalty that totally turned the game back in their favour.
A flowing move ended with Ben Joyce letting rip at the St Muredach’s goal and while the ball beat goalkeeper Conor Bohan, it was superbly blocked on the line by the retreating Alexander Smyth. However, after consulting with his umpires, referee John Glavey adjudged that Smyth, in the process of clearing, had touched the ball on the ground – a judgement that video footage didn’t appear to support. What was conclusive however, was the finish of corner-back Paul Hurst who stepped up to the penalty and hammered the ball into the top left corner for a 1-15 to 2-7 lead after 44 minutes.
St Muredach’s were being dictated to at this stage, unable even to get a shot away until Roddy dragged a free wide of the target entering the final ten minutes. Adam Burton, Ryan McNamara, Joe Forry and Patrick Garvey each picked off points to increase the margin to nine points by the 62nd minute at which stage desperate St Muredach’s began to pepper the St Gerald’s goal. Patrick Carr flashed a goal chance wide and Dylan Sweeney and Oisin McCann drew saves from Costello before finally, too little too late, McCann offloaded to Conor Breslin who smashed home the Red and White’s third goal.
The last time a school scored three goals in the Connacht senior ‘A’ football final and didn’t win was also at the hands of St Gerald’s College, who beat St Attracta’s of Tubbercurry by 3-11 to 3-7 in 2014.
The only hope is that St Muredach’s don’t have to wait another 63 years before their next appearance in the final.
Scorers – St Gerald’s: Joe Forry 0-1-3 (1ptf), Evan Walsh and Conor Hoban 0-1-2 each, Paul Hurst 1-0-0 (pen), Patrick Garvey 0-0-2, Caolan Moran, Oisin Costello (’45), Adam Burton and Ryan McNamara 0-0-1 each.
St Muredach’s: Sean Foody 2-0-0, Patrick Carr 0-0-3f, Conor Breslin 1-0-0, Dylan Sweeney 0-1-0, Nathan Roddy and Conor Jordan 0-0-1.
St Gerald’s: Oisin Costello; Paul Hurst, Matthew Flannelly, Matthew Kelly; Adam Burton, Fionn McHale, Ross Connolly; Caolan Moran, Jack Diffley; Conor Coghill, Ben Joyce, Conor Horan; Evan Walsh, Joe Forry, Rhys Neary. Subs: Patrick Garvey (for Neary ht), Ryan McNamara (for Connolly 38), Eoghan Dever (for Coghill 48), Luke Lydon, Darragh Connor (for Moran 60+3).
St Muredach’s: Conor Bohan; Kenzie McKee, Charlie Beale, Cathair Tighe; Conor Breslin, Cian Hastings, Alexander Smyth; Oisin Gavin, Dylan Sweeney; Oisin McCann, Conor Jordan, Corey Lavery-McCay; Sean Foody, Nathan Roddy, Patrick Carr. Subs: Eoin Golden (for Lavery-McCay 52), Peter Quinn (for Beale 54), Oisin Heffron and Matthew Jackson (for Carr and Foody 60), Marc Munnelly (for Gavin 60+1).
REF: John Glavey (Aghamore)
