SPSL Rathmore survive goal scare to reach All-Ireland final

ANYONE that follows Post-Primary Football regularly will know that scorelines can be misleading sometimes and that was the case in the Waterford IT Sports Campus last Saturday. Even though they led by 2-7 to 0-3 at half-time, it never felt like SPSL Rathmore were certain of their place in the Paddy Drummond Cup Final in Croke Park on April 6. When Jack O’Connor scored Ashbourne Community School’s first goal 20 seconds after the restart it was a prelude to what was to come and what Rathmore eventually emerged from in the end.

Their trainer David McCarthy acknowledged the massive second half examination his side have come through to reach GAA Headquarters. “We didn’t make it easy for ourselves, but the lads just stuck at it and got us through in the end. I know it was an entertaining game for neutrals but for us it was anything but,” the SPSL Rathmore mentor said. McCarthy found the pattern of the game strange as he said Rathmore would normally consider themselves a second-half side. “We had a great challenge game with the Kerry Minors in the build-up and that was a big help in us coping with the seven week gap we had between today and the Munster Final,” he said.

The East Kerry school opened with 1-3, their goal coming from the penalty spot in the 16th minute when Anthony Darmody converted despite Ethan Tormey in the Ashbourne goal getting his hands to it. O’Connor got Ashbourne on the scoreboard in the 17th minute but Rathmore were unfazed as in the 23rd minute a super lob by Dan Murphy, when there appeared to be little on, beat Tormey to put them 2-5 to 0-2 to the good. Cathal Ryan (younger brother of Shane and Mark) and Darmody gave their side that 10-point advantage at the break as the momentum would drastically shift in the second period.

Although Rathmore kept it to a significant seven-point gap 10 minutes into the second-half, the match really caught fire when O’Connor floated in a ball that Darragh O’Sullivan beat Rathmore goalkeeper Ian O’Connor to in making it 2-9 to 2-5 after 42 minutes. Two minutes later the first of two Dawson Devoy goals had Ashbourne back within one as even though Darmody pointed at the other end, Ashbourne were awarded a penalty in the 51st minute and the chance to go ahead for the first time in proceedings. Devoy beat O’Connor to make it 4-5 to 2-10 as Rathmore needed some inspiration fast!

Darmody brought Rathmore back level but the big score was arguably a ‘45’ which their goalkeeper O’Connor came forward to convert putting them back in the lead with five minutes left. Darmody’s final point in a 1-3 total and Denis O’Connor of Knocknagree’s fifth point were enough to see Rathmore over the line however by three. Tormey in the Ashbourne goal had denied Sean O’Keeffe and Aaron Cronin goal chances late on but for McCarthy, following the example of another Kerry school similar in size to them has brought them to the GAA’s biggest stage.

“We looked at the example of Pobalscoil Corcha Dhuibhne, a similar size school to ours and the success they are having as something to follow. Our experience against them in the O’Sullivan Cup Final in Kerry as well as playing schools like St Brendans College and Tralee CBS in it really helped us develop towards reaching Croke Park.”

A trip to Belfield in UCD tonight (Wednesday) to see their potential opponents in either Roscommon CBS or St Patricks Grammar School of Downpatrick, Co Down awaits them.

SPSL RATHMORE: Ian O’Connor (0-1, 1 ‘45’); Patrick Brosnan, Alan Dineen, Damien Cronin; Eoghan O’Rahilly, Owen Fitzgerald, Paul O’Leary; Sean O’Keeffe, Ronan Collins; Anthony Darmody (1-3, 1-0 pen), Dan Murphy (1-0), Darragh Rahilly; Cathal Ryan (0-3, 1f), David Dineen (0-2f), Denis O’Connor (0-5). Subs: James Darmody for David Dineen, Aaron Cronin for Ryan and Cathal Ryan for Cronin.

ASHBOURNE CS: Ethan Tormey; David Carr, Brian Dignam, Luke Barrett; Cillian Hegarty, Conor Harford, Nigel Hand; Jack Byrne, Killian Hogan; Jack O’Connor (1-3, 0-2f), Jamie Browne; Diarmuid Moriarty (0-1), Darragh O’Sullivan (1-0), Leo Corry (0-1); Dawson Devoy (2-0, 1 pen). Subs: Evan Quinn for Carr, Seán Kinsella for Browne and Rodney Jones for Hand.

REFEREE: John Hickey (Carlow)