Double delight for Gorey
Doyle grabs decisive goal near end to shake off Sars
NAOMH EANNA SARSFIELDS 2-5 1-5
NAOMH EANNA completed the New Ross Standard Under-14 hurling and football Division 1 championship double when they battled past Sarsfields in St. Patrick’s Park.
In a game of high intensity throughout, it took a Cormac Doyle goal, two minutes from the end of normal time, to separate the sides.
Unsurprisingly it was inspirational captain Brian Cushe who played a big part in the goal.
He linked up with the lively J.J. Twamley to feed Doyle. The goalscorer still had plenty to do when he collected the ball but he was determined, cutting across the face of goal and drilling a low shot past Eoin Halligan to the net.
After Twamley was sin-binned, and with Gorey two points up, Lee Cushe drifted across goal in added-time and floated over the safety point.
Sarsfields had one last chance but after Eoin Hartigan dropped in a free, a pinball session ended with Naomh Eanna coming away with the ball and the win.
It would be impossible to say one side deserved it over the other as they both gave a monumental effort for the 50-plus minutes.
There were stand-out performers all over the field, for both sides, as is often the case with games of such high intensity.
Sarsfields were well drilled and closed down the avenue to goal on countless occasions.
They ringed the scoring area off superbly and made it difficult for their opponents to pick off anything easy.
On the other hand, Gorey broke in numbers but defended really well in one-on-one situations.
They started on the front foot with an early Cushe point and, shortly after Shane Flood had been denied by Halligan, added another through Kyle Kenny.
The excellent Eoin Hartigan responded before the tireless Oliver McMahon levelled the game at 0-2 each.
Kenny and Cushe responded for Naomh Eanna, but Hartigan pointed and then turned provider for Darragh Grant to send a half-volley to the Gorey net.
Hartigan’s third point gave his side a 1-4 to 0-4 lead at the break.
After an end-to-end start to the half that saw Jason Gordon sin-binned for the Sars, Naomh Eanna found the leveller when Shane Flood drilled a bouncing shot that spun viciously up and into the net.
McMahon put his side ahead again with ten minutes to go but Naomh Eanna had the sting left in their tail and Doyle’s goal, followed by Lee Cushe’s fine point, ensured that the trophy went back up to Gorey.
Naomh Eanna: Rory Tubritt; Conor Kelly, Seán Egan, Darragh Fitzpatrick; Cian O Túama, Brian Cushe (capt.), Enda McCrea; Rian Fitzpatrick, Kyle Kenny (0-2); Shane Flood (1-0), Lee Cushe (0-3, 1 free), J.J. Twamley; Tom Wheatley, Cormac Doyle (1-0), Shane Mahon. Subs. - Luke Darley for Wheatley (50), also Ruadhan Redmond, Niall O’Dwyer, Ryan Callaghan, Jack Curley, Tiernan Black, Scott Murphy, Dylan Cook-Leonard, Harry McGuckin, Rúairí Sheil, Ruadhan Comerford, Jamie Kinch, Ross Kavanagh, Tomás Mythen, Michael Dineen, Mylie Connors, Stephen Smyth, Tiarnan O’Doherty, Mark Kinch, Daniel Ennis, Tommy Connors, James McGraynor, Tadhg Byrne.
Sarsfields: Eoin Halligan; Jack Connolly, Luke Cullen-Ryan, Cillian Twomey; Patrick Duignan, Alex Boggan, Emmet Gahan; Jason Gordon, Oliver McMahon (02); Kyle Clancy, Jack Foley, Darby Purcell; Calum Corcoran, Darragh Grant (1-0), Eoin Hartigan (0-3). Subs. - Alex Kirby for Duignan (20), Luke Murphy for Corcoran (33), Cal Innes for Twomey (41), also Callum Doyle, Tiernan Doyle, Killian Whelan, Eoin Doyle, Jake Fortune, Darragh Maloney, Kyle Carroll, Charlie Hynes, Darragh Haughton, Cuan Gallagher, Jack Corcoran, Michael Cleary, Brandon Tracey.
Referee: John O’Loughlin (Monageer-Boolavogue).