CHAMPIONSHIP2017
Final
Glyde Rangers
Trevor O’Brien Niall Sharkey Gavin Duffy Brian Duffy Dion Conlon Alan Brennan Barry Sharkey Ciaran Sheridan Barry Brennan John Myles Mark O’Brien Aaron Devlin
8-55
2-21 1-14 2-3 1-4 1-1 0-3 0-3 0-3 1-0 0-1 0-1 0-1
Glen Emmets
James Butler Ronan Grufferty Sean Byrne Damien Grimes Ian Cusack Derrick Johnston David Bracken Jamie Farnan Mark Garvey Keelan O’Neill Evan English Shane Owens Joseph Farrelly Andrew Mooney
7-79
1-27 0-17 2-6 1-7 1-5 1-2 0-5 0-3 0-3 1-0 0-1 0-1 0-1 0-1 From the outset Glyde Rangers, Roche Emmets and Glen Emmets looked to be ahead of the posse in the race for Christy Bellew glory. Something had to give when Glyde and Roche met at the semi-final stage and, while Glens were pushed all the way by Lannleire in their last four clash, nobody will be surprised at Sunday’s line-up.
Emmets have been operating - and surviving - in Division 2 this year and that should certainly stand to Kevin Barry’s charges, but there is not getting away from the fact that Conor Grimes is a huge loss. They are by no means a one-man-band, but big occasions require big performers and Grimes is certainly one such talent.
Still, the Tullyallen outfit have retained their Division 2 status and reached Sunday’s decider without the former Louth panellist, while the hurt of losing last year’s final to St Kevin’s will only add to their hunger.
But they face arguably a more accomplished side this time around in Glyde Rangers.
Most observers would agree that the Tallanstown outfit should never have found themselves in the basement grade but they have set about rectifying the situation in style, winning all bar of of their 21 outings this term. They have the talent and desire for one last push on Sunday, and while it should be close, we take Glyde to see it home by two or three. GLEN Emmets squeezed through to Sunday’s Junior Championship decider at a rain-drenched Stabannon on Saturday afternoon.
With the intermediate semi-finals wiped out later in the evening, the Parnell’s pitch held up remarkably well, but with rain falling from start to finish a low-scoring encounter was inevitable.
Lannleire only managed one point in the entire second-half and that proved decisive as they let a 0-5 to 0-3 half-time lead slip.
Glen Emmets would appear better equipped to upset Glyde Rangers in the final and they backed that assumption up with a deserved, if somewhat nervy, victory.
But if they do clinch Christy Bellew this weekend, then the late comeback in the drawn game and their impressive show of character in the second-half of this contest will certainly go down as watershed moments.
The wind wasn’t overly strong, but it was blowing from the school end and down the hill which saw Emmets facing into driving rain in the first period. It didn’t stop them from creating decent scoring chances, but the execution was understandably off at time.
Not so for Lannleire as Alan Murphy and Paul Callan defied the elements with some superb long-distance shooting.
A league promotion clash against Na Piarsaigh on Tuesday night proved costly for the Dunleer men as they lost Colin Murphy, NIall Lennon and Bob Murphy to injury and they could be forgiven for feeling their absence might well have been the difference on Saturday.
But they didn’t appear to be missing them too badly in the first quarter as they opened a 0-4 to 0-1 cushion.
It took a while for the first score to arrive, but James Butler eventually got the scoreboard ticking.
But Lannleire replied with an emphatic four-point burst in as many minutes with Alan Murphy converting a free and then kicking a fine effort from wide on the right.
Then it was Callan’s turn to wow the Lannleire supporters, firing over his first from distance before plucking a high ball from the air superbly and slotting his second.
Ian Cusack stopped the rot for Glen Emmets, but another Murphy free made it 0-5 to 0-2 with three minutes left in the half.
That would have been a healthy half-time lead given the conditions, but James Butler made their second-half mission slightly more manageable with a free deep in injury-time to make it 0-5 to 0-3 at the interval.
Early second-half subs, Keelan O’Neill and Ronan Carr injected a bit more dynamism for Emmets and they slowly reeled Lannleire back in.
Butler picked up where he left off with an early point, but the Tullyallen outfit didn’t draw level until the 44th minute through a superb Andrew Mooney effort.
They hit the front six minutes later with an audacious Ronan Grufferty free that looked nigh impossible in the conditions.
Lannleire had yet to open their second-half account, but Brendan McEvoy brought a near half-hour scoreless spell to an end with a fine effort on 55 minutes, setting up a grandstand finish.
Extra-time looked on the cards as the rain pelted down heavier than ever, but that man Butler had other ideas, holding his nerve superbly over a 30-metre free.
there was still three minutes plus stoppage time to play, but Lannleire couldn’t fashion another opening and Emmets hung on to seal their date with Glyde Rangers.
GLEN EMMETS: Fergus Barnett; Tom Grimes, Keith Boylan, Niall Hackett; Andrew Mooney 0-1, Stephen Healy, David Bracken; Mark Garvey, Ronan Grufferty 0-1f; Ian Cusack 0-1, Keith Lynch, Joseph Farrelly; Damien Grimes, James Butler 0-4 (2f), Sean Byrne. Subs: Keelan O’Neill for J Farrelly (35), Ronan Carr for K Lynch (37)
LANNLÉIRE: John King; Thomas Doyle, Paul McGeough, Andrew Flanagan; Jason Torris, Briain McGuinness, Garry Monaghan; Andrew Dowd, Brendan McEvoy 0-1; Alan Murphy 0-3 (2f), Ian Mulroy, Liam Callan; Paul Doyle, Paul Callan 0-2, Carlos Lambe. Subs: Niall Lennon for Liam Callan (44), Michael O’Hare for Flanagan (46), Conall Maher for Mulroy (53, blood), Maher for McGeough (56).
REFEREE: David J. McArdle