Cavanagh has cause for triple celebration as Moy reach final
SEAN Cavanagh today finds himself basking in what he refers to as “a timely hat-trick,” following Moy’s surge into the Ulster club football intermediate championship final where they will meet Rostrevor.
His team’s explosive second-half performance in yesterday’s semi-final against Newbridge that saw them eventually romp to a 2-15 to 1-9 victory came just a matter of hours after he had been honoured by the Tyrone Association in Dublin and two days after the birth of his first son — strangely enough, named Sean!
“It has just been a brilliant week-end and I could not be happier,” smiled Cavanagh (below) as he took stock of Moy’s stunning display of finishing which has propelled them into the favourites’ role for the provincial title, “It’s a timely hat-trick”.
Trailing by 0-7 to 0-4 at half-time and clearly lacking vitality up until then, Moy proceeded to rack up 2-11 after the break with Harry Loughran’s two cracking goals, Cavanagh’s own massive contribution from frees (six in all) and his brother Colm’s majestic input both at midfield and defence crucial in their captivating renaissance.
Now they will face a Rostrevor side that made rather heavy weather of curbing the challenge of Donegal champions Milford in the other-semi final after they had surrendered a 0-6 to nil lead to still keep their noses in front by 0-7 to 0-4 at half-way.
With the inspirational Caolan Mooney leading by splendid example and Conor Doyle snapping up chances, Rostrevor eventually stumbled rather than strode over the line at 0-13 to 0-12.
In the Ulster junior championship semi-final, Belnaleck managed to get the better of Derry champions Doire Trasna by 1-7 to 1-6 with Dermot Lewsley grabbing the Fermanagh side’s goal and Conan Doherty landing the losers’ three-pointer from a ‘45’.
In the Spirit of Paul McGirr Ulster U16 club quarter-final, Derrygonnelly Harps beat Donegal side Gaoth Dobhair by 0-8 to 0-4 with the winners’ Darragh Burke lifting the Player of the Match prize.
MARTIN BREHENY IN ADELAIDE
CONOR McManus was in ‘glass half full’ mode as the Irish team flew from Adelaide to Perth early this morning, despite Ireland allowing Australia to build a commanding lead in the race for International Rules supremacy.
Presumably his colleagues are similarly optimistic. Ireland will face a 10-point deficit in the second Test on Saturday and while- Monaghan man McManus feels it’s not insurmountable, a lot will have to go right if the Cormac McAnallen Cup is to return to Ireland.
“The Subiaco will be full next week, with probably 15,000 to 20,000 Irish people around, so there will be more noise from our side of things. We’re going to have to rise to it now. It’s a 10-point deficit but we can turn it around,” said McManus.
Chris Scott and his Aussie squad might dispute that on the basis that they only came together for the first time last week, yet still managed to put together a very coherent performance.
Ireland could argue that while they had put in more work than Australia over recent weeks, much of it was undone by unhelpful interventions last week over which they had no control.
“It was a tough week in our camp. We had up to seven, eight, nine boys struggling with illnesses, viruses and vomiting bugs. It took the panel down to 21 and when Pearce (Hanley) injured his hand we were down to 20 for most of the game,” said McManus.
“It made it very hard. The heat wasn’t unbearable, but having played in it will stand to us. We’ve got through that part, but we have a lot of improving to do.
“Basic skills of our game have let us down and if we can get a wee bit tighter at the back, it’s game on. We’re still in this.”
His immediate analysis of the reason Australia won centred on what happened after Ireland went 10 points ahead in the second quarter.
“We sat back and invited them on to us. They kicked the ball to their ‘mark’ (target) quite easily. It’s difficult to compete with the size of some of those boys, but I definitely think we have more to improve on,” said McManus.
His comments on the number of players who weren’t quite right is interesting, since we were told that only three were suffering from the stomach bug.
Two of them – Enda Smith and Niall Murphy – weren’t sufficiently recovered to play, but they will be fit for next Saturday.