Foley blasts winning goal
Late strike breaks Monageer hearts after super revival
C’BEG-B’MURN M-B’VOGUE 3-18 3-17 (AET)
PADRAIG FOLEY was the Crossabeg-Ballymurn hero in Innovate Wexford Park on Sunday when he crashed a 20-metre free past six Monageer-Boolavogue men guarding the line and into the net for the winning goal as extra-time drew to a close in this exciting The Courtyard Ferns Intermediate hurling championship semi-final replay.
While it took a long time for the game to liven up, spectators were treated to a gripping finish as the Wexford District side fell apart after a pointed free from Foley put them clear by 1-14 to 0-8 in the 39th minute.
Quite incredibly, they failed to score again in normal time which was a great tribute to the fighting spirit shown by Monageer-Boolavogue as they launched a magnificent comeback
A Cathal Walsh goal at the end of the third quarter was the stand-out score in a sequence that saw them strike 1-6 without reply to deservedly force extra-time, and there was one controversial moment near the end when lady luck completely deserted the reds.
They were trailing by 1-14 to 1-13 when Diarmuid Fenlon stepped up to take a 90-metre free which he converted, but referee Justin Heffernan ordered a re-take because he was ushering a Crossabeg-Ballymurn mentor away from behind the goal at the time.
That made the outcome of Fenlon’s second strike all the more difficult for Monageer-Boolavogue to take, because Pádraig Foley caught it in the square and, although he lost possession near the right sideline, a subsequent point attempt from Mark Gahan was dropped short.
Monageer-Boolavogue were still chasing the draw when impressive defender Liam Gahan blocked Conor Shovlin to prevent a possible goal, and 20 seconds later their efforts were rewarded.
Stephen Murphy delivered a neat pass into space down the left flank, and young attacker Cathal Walsh coolly slotted the ball between the posts.
Crossabeg-Ballymurn did have one late chance from a long-range Pádraig Foley pot-shot which went wide, but they must have been wondering how they had managed to lose a nine-point lead in the last 20 minutes.
And it got even worse for the Over The Water side 35 seconds into extra-time when Matthew Dunne landed a long ball into the goalmouth and Mark Gahan pulled to the net at the town end.
Although Niall Murphy managed a point from a free, and Diarmuid Fenlon missed one at the other end, Monageer-Boolavogue surged clear by 3-14 to 1-15 when substitute Peter Mernagh fizzed a shot off the crossbar into the path of Dunne who turned swiftly and buried the rebound in the net.
This time the Crossabeg-Ballymurn response was immediate and even more decisive as a long Pádraig Foley free was won by full-forward Tony Murphy who drilled the ball to the net from a tight angle on the right.
Foley then converted an 85-metre free to leave one between the sides at the last break (3-14 to 2-16).
Matthew Dunne struck first on the re-start with a point after expertly making space for himself with a neat touch on the ground, but Niall Murphy replied from a free after Monageer-Boolavogue netminder Seán Murphy seemed to lie on the ball in a goalmouth scramble.
Oisín Foley squandered a giltedged goal chance when he sent a loose pass to David Jackman with a shot looking the best option, but a brilliant catch and solo by Pádraig Foley set up centre-back Paddy Devereux for his third point from play (2-18 to 3-15).
There was another kick in Monageer-Boolavogue though, as substitute Seán McCabe landed an inspiring point from tight to the right sideline before Peter Mernagh’s free put them two clear with just over two minutes left.
The stopwatch showed 52 seconds remained when Tony Murphy was fouled, and over a minute then elapsed in which it was clear from everyone’s body language that Pádraig Foley was going for goal from the free.
Despite the ample warning, the Monageer-Boolavogue sextet on the line were powerless to keep out his match-winning piledriver, although they did get a couple of chances to force a third game before the action concluded.
Seán McCabe got on the end of a long Seán Murphy free but was forced out wide on the right from a central position before shooting his side’s 14th wide at the near post.
An overcarrying call under the stand saw Murphy race out to drive the ball downfield again, with Pádraig Foley managing to bat it away from the goalmouth before the final whistle sounded to keep Crossabeg-Ballymurn’s double dream alive.
It was a remarkable encounter from the 40th minute onwards, but it had been a slow-burner beforehand. Indeed, the game was strangely devoid of atmosphere in the opening half as Crossabeg-Ballymurn surged into an 0-11 to 0-5 interval lead.
Mark Gahan had got Monageer-Boolavogue off the mark after just 18 seconds, but they conceded four points on the bounce to Pádraig Foley (two frees), Paddy Devereux and Oisín Foley before Pádraig Flynn pulled one back in the eleventh minute.
Sam Kelly was a notable absentee for Crossabeg-Ballymurn as a result of injuries sustained in the fractious Leinster Club football game against Man O’War eight days earlier.
However, his colleagues continued to motor well without their regular centre-forward as Niall Murphy, Shane O’Rourke and Oisín Foley pushed them 0-7 to 0-2 clear by the end of the first quarter.
Monageer-Boolavogue were a bit more productive with three of the next four points courtesy of Pádraig Flynn (two frees) and Bertie Gahan, but they conceded the last three of the half to Paddy Devereux (who was flanked by his two brothers in a close-knit half-back line), Niall Murphy and David Jackman.
The gap was widened to eight on the re-start thanks to Pádraig Foley and Murphy, but Stephen Murphy and Flynn (free) responded.
It was hard to see a way back for Monageer-Boolavogue when their rivals struck for the game’s first goal in the 36th minute. Eoin McDonald made ground originally before finding Niall Murphy who flicked the ball into the path of Tony Murphy, and he drove his shot to the far corner of the net from a position slightly to the right of the posts (1-13 to 0-7).
The two Pádraigs, Flynn and Foley, swapped pointed frees, and that’s when Monageer-Boolavogue threw caution to the wind as a red wave laid siege to the Clonard end.
They weren’t deterred when Mark Dempsey saved a Flynn shot and Cathal Walsh’s pull from the rebound trickled inches wide.
Walsh won the puck-out and pointed, before he grabbed the goal that really ignited the comeback.
A Crossabeg-Ballymurn defender didn’t attempt to play the ball on the endline as he tried to shepherd it out of play, but it was kept in and a scramble ensued before Walsh made a connection on the ground and directed it to the net (1-14 to 1-9).
There was still considerable ground to make up, but Monageer-Boolavogue had quarter of an hour to do so.
Flynn converted a free before he nearly connected on a Bertie Gahan pull into the square after blocking netminder Mark Dempsey.
A missed Flynn free was followed by a Matthew Dunne point in the 50th minute, and Diarmuid Fenlon then converted a placed ball from just inside the ’65 to make it 1-14 to 1-12.
Peter Mernagh earned a crucial free for Fenlon to convert, with the latter only denied a treble and the equaliser when referee Heffernan instructed him to re-take that pressure strike from roughly 90 metres.
It would have been a controversial way to bow out, so there was general satisfaction when Cathal Walsh forced extra-time with his last-gasp strike.
And it was also good news for the St. Martin’s folk at their camogie game out in Piercestown, as the stalemate led to the throw-in time for the Senior football final being pushed back to 3.30 p.m. and ensured they wouldn’t miss any of the action.
Ultimately Monageer-Boolavogue’s mighty effort fell short, but they have made tremendous progress this year and should come back all the more determined to go even further in 2018.
As for Crossabeg-Ballymurn, they must turn their attention back to football next Saturday when they meet Multyfarnham of Westmeath in the Leinster Club Junior semi-final.
And that fixture also ensures that St. Anne’s will have been subjected to a five-week wait after seeing off HWH-Bunclody before the Intermediate decider takes place on November 11.
Crossabeg-Ballymurn: Mark Dempsey; Alan Byrne, Bill Eviston, Paul Roche; Ronan Devereux, Paddy Devereux (0-3), Conor Devereux; Pádraig Foley (1-6, 1-5 frees), Seamus Carroll; Oisín Foley (0-2), Niall Murphy (0-5, 2 frees), Shane O’Rourke (0-1); Eoin McDonald, Tony Murphy (2-0), David Jackman (0-1). Subs. - Matty Sludds (joint capt.) for Byrne (24), Billy Roche (joint capt.) for McDonald (37), Declan Byrne for P. Roche (49), Conor Shovlin for Jackman (52), Jackman for R. Devereux (64), Cormac O’Rourke for O. Foley (75).
Monageer-Boolavogue: Seán Murphy; Niall O’Reilly, Chris Daly, Liam Gahan; Paddy Breen, Tommy Breen (capt.), Mick Sweeney; Stephen Murphy (0-1), Shane Gahan; Cathal Walsh (1-2), Pádraig Flynn (0-6, 5 frees), Matthew Dunne (1-2); Mark Gahan (1-1), Brian O’Loughlin, Bertie Gahan (0-1). Subs. - Diarmuid Fenlon (0-2 frees) for S. Gahan (21), Ian Hawkins for Sweeney (35), Seán McCabe (0-1) for O’Loughlin (42), Colm O’Loughlin for B. Gahan (52), Peter Mernagh (0-1 free) for Flynn (54), Larry Murphy for S. Murphy (69).
Referee: Justin Heffernan (Blackwater).