Anne’s pip Martin’s
Favourites come from behind to win
ST. ANNE’S ST. MARTIN’S 2-6 2-5
ST. ANNE’S found another gear in the second-half and it proved to be just powerful enough to edge past St. Martin’s and take the New Ross Standard Under-13 football championship Division 1 title in Taghmon on Monday of last week.
The Rathangan boys, slight favourites after a remarkable season, found themselves 1-3 to 0-3 down after a fascinating first-half in wet and windy conditions.
However, they didn’t panic, kept battling away and claimed the crown by the narrowest of margins.
The game produced a fantastic battle in the middle third of the field, where neither side ever really took control, and that’s certainly reflected in the scoreline.
Yet, the subtle move of Bobby Reville in closer to goal proved a master stroke for the victors as it was his presence that really made the difference.
It’s so difficult to pinpoint individual players in games like this because there’s a reason these two teams are the best in the county. They have playmakers all over the field and there could be a great and sporting rivalry developing between these sets of players in the seasons to come.
This will bitterly hurt St. Martin’s, coming so soon after the extra-time loss in the hurling final. These lads shouldn’t be despondent, as their club has a fantastic record of improving players and teams as they get older and it wouldn’t be one bit surprising if this group went the same way.
Against the breeze, James Hegarty and Mark Hennessy put St. Martin’s 0-2 to nil ahead at the end of the opening quarter.
However, the excellent Ben White got St. Anne’s first point in the 20th minute and swapped another score with Hegarty as it moved on to 0-3 to 0-2 in the Piercestown club’s favour.
A clinical Alfie Jeffares finish after Eoin Sinnott played him in was enough to give St. Martin’s a 1-3 to 0-3 interval lead.
Yet, their opponents pulled level in the 36th minute when Bobby Reville punched Páidí Doyle’s feed into the net.
From there it nipped back and forth. Doyle and White put St. Anne’s in front (1-5 to 1-4) before Justin McMahon’s clinically-taken goal looked to seal the win.
Alex Lafferty’s major put one between them again but Ciarán Doyle popped over for the new champions, meaning Jeffares’ injury time free was in vain.
St. Anne’s: Jack Kelly; Corey Ryan, Cian Walsh, Jack Martin; Páidí Power, Shane Ryan, Eoin Browne; Páidí Doyle (capt., 0-1), Bobby Reville (1-0); Ben White (0-4, 2 frees), Ciarán Doyle (0-1), Conor Stone; Justin McMahon (1-0), Robert Moore, Aidan Brennan. Subs. (rolling) - Conor Sidney, Darragh Jones, David McDonagh, Darragh O’Brien, Nathan O’Brien, Calum Kirwan, Matthew Byrne, Seán Feehan, Ronan George, Joe Cunningham, Cillian Donovan, Kevin Byrne.
St. Martin’s: Callum McClean; Ben Larkin, Nathan Roche, Leo Barry; Oscar Barry, Paul Coggins, Conn Mernagh; Alfie Jeffares (joint capt., 1-1, 0-1 free), Mark Hennessy (0-1); Alex Lafferty (joint capt., 1-0), Conor Mullen, James Hegarty (0-3, 2 frees); Luke Whitty, Eoin Sinnott, Cormac Sinnott. Subs. (rolling) - Eoin Dodd, Charlie Quirke, Eoin Dunne, Ciarán Kelly, Ryan Sinnott, Eric O’Gorman, Bobby Crosbie, Rory Roche, Charlie Murphy, Macdara Kavanagh, Timmy Somers.
Referee: maliers). Francis Neville (Shel-