The Sem grab Dunloe Cup title in dangerous conditions
DUNLOE CUP (KERRY COLLEGES U-16 A FC) FINAL
DEBATABLE as to whether or not the game should have been allowed to continue at half-time as stormy wind and rain was making a mockery of play but St Brendan’s College arguably won the lottery in having the aid of the conditions in the second period at last Wednesday’s Dunloe Cup Final at the John Mitchels Complex in Tralee.
It’s unlikely adult teams would have agreed to continue to play on in such weather but St Brendan’s manager Kieran Herlihy said that there was an anxiousness for the game to be played.
“We’ve both been waiting for this a long time and training since September for it and wanted to get it over with when players had other games to think about with their clubs. I would have had no objections if it had been called off at half-time but we weren’t asked about it. We’re lucky we had a second set of jerseys and the breaks went our way early in the second half and we pushed up very well with the aid of the conditions. This is a good boost for us ahead of the Frewen Cup in the New Year,” the St Brendan’s manager said.
The best illustration of how unsuitable the conditions were for play came just before half-time when The Sem forward Emmet O’Shea had a free driven backwards by the force of the wind A Dylan Callaghan goal in the 12th minute had St Brendans 1-3 to 0-1 ahead before Pobalscoil fought back to level at half-time (1-3 to 0-6) through the efforts of Dylan Ó Géibheannaigh, Cillian Ó Failbhe and Áodhán Ó Dubháin as one wondered would the game continue at the break.
Inexplicably it did and The Sem had a real moment of good fortune for their second goal after half-time when Ryan O’Grady’s shot trickled over the line despite the best efforts of Coilín Ó Muircheartaigh to stop it.
Niall McGuillycuddy put over three points in an impressive display for the victors but the extent to which Pobalscoil were cursed by the conditions came when two seemingly scoreable frees hit with conviction dropped short into the goalmouth.
The West Kerry School could only really go for goals in such circumstances and trailing 2-7 to 0-6 after 41 minutes they managed to make the scoreboard look a bit more respectable when Cathal Ó Beaglaoich finished off a free from Ó Géibheannaigh that fell into his path around the three-quarter mark. The Sem managed to return to a six-point lead as their win was pretty much assured before Colm Ó Muircheartaigh blasted in a second Pobalscoil goal from a free in the third minute of injury-time.
A contest that will be more remembered for what the players had to play in as opposed to the action over the course of the 60 minutes but hopefully more consideration will be given for players in future occurrences.
ST BRENDAN’S COLLEGE: Eoin Moynihan; Evan Smith, Kieran O’Donoghue, Liam Spillane; Cian O’Leary, Neil O’Shea, Ruairí Doyle; Michael Lenihan (0-1), Eoghan O’Sullivan (0-1); Darragh Donohoe, Dylan Callaghan (1-0), Emmet Finnan; Ryan O’Grady (1-2, 1f), Emmet O’Shea (02), Niall McGuillycuddy (0-3) Subs: Adam Kissane for Neil O’Shea, Darragh O’Leary for Doyle, Darren Lehane for O’Grady, Killian Buckley for Callaghan and Evan Looney for Finnan.
POBALSCOIL CHORCA DHUIBHNE: Eoin de hÓra; Séamus Ó Loinsigh, Coilín Ó Muircheartaigh, Sean Ó Laoithe; Pádraig Ó Céarna, Conchúir Ó Flannúra, Áodhán Ó Dubháin (0-1); Cathal Ó Beaglaoich (1-1), Colm Ó Muircheartaigh (1-0, 1f); Cristóir Ó Catháin, Cillian Ó Failbhe (01), Conn Ó Riagáin; Dylan Ó Géibheannaigh (0-3, 2f), Naoise Mac Gearailt, Tomás Ó Sé Subs: Cathal Ó Muircheartaigh for Ó Catháin, Deividas Uosis for de hÓra and Jeaic Ó Murchú for Ó Riagáin
REFEREE: Tom McCarthy (Desmonds)