Dreadnots end wait for Senior trophy in style
THE best doesn’t always come last, but Saturday night’s O’Donnell Cup final went pretty damn close, as Dreadnots and Geraldines signed off on 2016 with a high-scoring thriller in Stabannon.
Both sides may have harboured loftier ambitions this summer, but the Division 1 trophy is certainly more than a consolation prize, and with Gers chasing their maiden title and Dreadnots seeking their first since 1988, there was no shortage of passion, hunger or quality.
With 2-10 between them (2-8 from play) Peter Kirwan and Paraic Smith ultimately edged Dreadnots over the line and after the pain of an agonising championship semi-final defeat to St Mary’s, they quite rightly savoured the moment.
Geraldines will feel both goals were preventable, particularly the second, while from Dreadnots point of view, they simply couldn’t have picked better moments to swoop.
It was fast and furious from the off and both sides had six points on the board by the end of the first quarter, with the lead changing hands three times.
But on the 20-minute mark Geraldines failed to make it out of their own 45 with successive kick-outs. From the second one Dreadnots worked the ball to Smith who ghosted in from the right and drilled a low finish past Darren Kearney.
Normal service resumed as the sides traded a couple of points apiece, but the goal separated them at the interval, 1-8 to 0-8.
Gerladines worked hard to wipe out the gap in the early minutes of the second-half, and none moreso than Ryan Trainor, who tormented the Dreadnots full back line all evening.
His two points and a McEneaney free had Eamon McEneaney’s men level, but a misplaced pass out of defence was greeted with the ultimate punishment as Dreadnots quickly switched the play from left to right and, presenting Kirwan with the chance to plunder goal number two.
After keeping Dreadnots alive for longer than they perhaps deserved in the championship semi-final, Kirwan was the go-to guy again and he added a point to put four between the sides - 2-9 to 0-11.
But true to form, Geraldines came again.
Matt Corcoran blazed a halfchance of a goal over the crossbar and Josh Arrowmsith kicked his second point of the game, but the big breakthrough came when McEneaney was bundled over in the penalty area and dusted himself down to drill the spot kick low to the corner.
It was Gers first lead - 1-13 to 2-9 - since the 11th minute, but it only lasted foue minutes.
A Califf free, swiftly followed by an Anthony Williams point swung it back in Dreadnots’ favour and Kirwan put them in the box seat with his fifth point of the night.
Geraldines still didn’t wilt and Dreadnots somehow survived a fierce strike from McEneaney that looked destined for the top corner.
They did cut the gap to the minimum three more times in a frantic finale, but the Clogherheasd men conjured a response each time and it was fittingly Kirwan fired over the insurance score in the fourth minute of injury time.
It’s not Joe Ward, but after so many near misses in league and championship, actually winning a trophy cannot be underestimated, an it will certainly help to keep the show on the road into 2017.