Noel Kennelly inspires Emmets to junior league crown

Listowel Emmets B 2-12 Ballydonoghue B 1-13

THIS game was played in a sun drenched O’Rahilly Park, Ballylongford, on Tuesday night last.

There seemed to be an urgency about this game that we haven’t seen in a Junior League Final in some years, where the rivalry between these two clubs, brought out the best in their players on both sides to make for a fast attacking game of football and a pleasure to watch for the neutral.

It was the Emmets men who started the scoreboard ticking over with a point from David Keane a late inclusion to the programme in the opening minute, three minutes later Ballydonoghue Jack Behan replied kicking the ball over the bar.

Emmets took over for a period of dominance with young Sam Tarrant excellent at winning the diagonal ball kicked into the full forward line, and tormented his marker. Emmets added five more points without reply from the Ballydonoghue men, points from Noel Kennelly two points (1f), Sam Tarrant two points and a point from wing-back Eibhin O’Brien.

It was the young gunner Brian Mason who rallied the Ballydonoghue boys adding a point in the 15 minute of play to drive the comeback, midfielder and team veteran Martin O’Mahony rose to the challenge and ran at the Emmets defence driving the ball in from the stand side of the pitch to tuck the ball into the left top corner of the net for the first goal of the game to send the Ballydonoghue supporters into joyous cheer, game on with now just a point between the teams and 17 minutes gone on the clock.

Ballydonoghue tails were up and again young Brian Mason split the posts a minute later to bring the sides level with Ballydonoghue full-forward Stephen Foley adding another to go a point up.

With the play swaying from side to side it was eventually Emmets who used possession wisely for the second goal of the game from wing forward Dara Hughes from a overcrowded goal mouth Hughes toe poked the ball past the Ballydonoghue number 1 to raise the green flag, Emmets were back in the game.

Ballydongohue’s young players again drove at the Emmets experienced defence with Jack Behan adding another two points (1f) and Dermot O Connor a point before the half-time whistle, but the goal scorer for the Emmets, Dara Hughes, wasn’t quite finished and added another point to bring the sides level at the break 1-7 a piece.

In the second half you could see that the heat on this May evening was having a draining effect on the players, It took over two minutes for the white flag to rise in this half which came from Emmet’s sub Sean Gilbert.

Again veteran Noel Kennelly split the posts, but it was the Ballydonoghue men that now had their period of dominance with points coming from Geariod Kissane, Jack Behan and a free converted by Brian Mason to bring Ballydonoghue a point up.

Watching from the sideline you could sense that Noel Kennelly’s experience was telling him that his young team were failing in the heat and took it upon himself with the help of two of Emmets most experienced men holding defence Shane Quinn and driving the middle third of the pitch John Heaphy to rally the townies.

A free converted by Emmets David Keane to bring the sides level was quickly followed by Noel Kennelly ducking and weaving his way into the goal mouth to pass a ball across the pitch for young Adam Mulvihill to palm the ball to the back of the Ballydonoghue net for the third goal of the game.

Kennelly lay down another marker three minutes later to swing his leg to kick the ball over his shoulder to split the posts leaving four points between the side it was all Emmets and with five minutes of normal time left on the clock it was Emmets David Keane who scored the last point of the game for the townies.

But Ballydonoghue never gave up and with four minutes of added time they drove at the Emmets defence adding two more points from the boots of midfielder Martin O’Mahony and Declan Behan, but all their efforts were to fall short and the Emmets men held onto their title for a second year.

Emmets captain John Heaphy accepted the cup from competition sponsor Con McCarthy, of McCarthy Insurances Listowel.