Carlow test for Louth
LOUTH U-16s will face Carlow in the semi-final of the Fr Manning Plate in Darver on Saturday.
The Reds lost to Sligo and Kildare but beat Westmeath in their final game and a subsequent win for the Lake County over Sligo last weekend rubber-stamped a thirdplaced finish in the four-team group. Leitrim play Longford in the other Plate semi-final.
Louth put in a very disappointing performance against Kildare at the Kildare GAA Centre of Excellence at Hawkfield in Newbridge.
Louth made 14 changes to the starting 15 from the opening game against Sligo, as a primary purpose of this tournament is to give starting time to as many of the 44 man playing panel as possible.
Daire Nally, the sole starting survivor, opened the scoring on six minutes and doubled his tally later in the half, but the hosts were in total control at the break, leading by 1-9 to 0-2.
Louth started the 2nd half well with a Tiernan Corrigan point inside 45 seconds but a formidable Kildare outfit were 2-14 to 0-4 ahead by the time sub Ryan Walsh pointed a free on 11 minutes.
The introduction of numerous substitutions did lead to something of a late revival and the newcomers were heavily involved in contributing 3-1 in the final 15 minutes.
The first goal arrived when Walsh emphatically converted a penalty after a foul on Sean Healy, who then netted himself. Joe Mee then pointed before Craig Lennon went on a 70 yard run and off-loaded to Conor Quigley to finish to the Kildare net.
SCORERS: 1-1 R.Walsh; 1-0 each S.Healy & C.Quigley; 0-2 D.Nally; 0-1 each T.Corrigan & J.Mee
STARTING XV: Joe Gordon (Naomh Máirtín); Pádraig Duffy (St Patricks), Nathan Buckley (Ardee St Marys), Jay Crawley (Ardee St Marys); Aaron McArdle (Kilkerley Emmets), Paul McEvoy (St Fechins), Ben Kieran-Goss, Captain (St Mochtas); Conor Quigley (Kilkerley Emmets), Gerard White (Cooley Kickhams); Conor Soraghan (Geraldines), Daire Nally (Newtown Blues), Tiernan Corrigan (Ardee St Marys); Ewan McEnteggart (Kilkerley Emmets), Adam Fee (Roche Emmets), TJ Doheny (St Kevins).
On bank holiday Monday Louth welcomed Westmeath to Darver for a 12 noon throw-in. Louth gave starting positions to nine players who had not started in the previous games against Sligo and Kildare ensuring at least one start for 39 players from the current squad of 44. Five players were unavailable through injury and holidays.
The opening half was evenly contested. An early Westmeath goal saw Louth trail by 0-4 to 1-4 after 17 minutes with Louth points from Mícheál Begley, Craig Lennon and a brace of frees from Jonathan Commins.
In the 19th minute a Martin McEneaney kick-out found Ruairi Hanlon and his surging run was helped on by passes from Conor McGowan and Lennon to set-up a goal for Begley to level matters.
Two Westmeath points followed before Lennon netted in the 25th minute after being put through by Conor Faulkner to put Louth 2-4 to 1-6 in front. However, the concession of a number of close-in frees late in the half saw the midlanders lead by two points at the break 2-4 to 1-9.
Jonathan Commins pointed twice early in the 2nd half either side of a Westmeath score to leave it 2-6 to 1-10.
Two rapid fire goals from the visitors in the 12th and 14th minutes had Louth trailing by seven points 2-6 to 3-10 and momentum appeared to be with the Lake County. However, the Wee County had other ideas and in the final quarter of the game they doubled their score clocking up an unanswered 2-6 to win the match by five points.
Commins pointed a free on 16 minutes. Louth then spurned two separate goal chances by Begley and then substitute Sean Healy. Lennon and Commins then pointed from play to leave the gap at four after 23 minutes. Louth then spurned a double goal chance from first sub Patrick Johnston and then Lennon in the 25th minute.
The pressure was relentless, and in the 27th minute Lennon put Begley through on goal and a penalty was awarded when the latter was hauled to the ground.
Sub Ryan Walsh stepped up to thump the ball to the roof of the net to leave Louth trailing by only a point. Inside a minute Johnston and Healy combined to set-up Begley for his second goal of the game. Thirty seconds later Healy had extended Louth’s lead to three points.
With Westmeath now needing a goal they applied a period of temporary pressure and a flowing move was halted by a dramatic interception by Adam Harper. Craig Lennon was sensational in the second half, a sublime pick-up on the run at full speed particularly noteworthy, and he then fed Healy who supplied Johnston for the insurance score. Johnston’s pace reaped reward one final time just before the whistle to leave it 4-12 to 3-10 in Louth’s favour at full-time.
SCORERS: 2-1 M.Begley, 1-2 C.Lennon, 0-6(3F) J.Commins, 1-0(Peno) R.Walsh, 0-2 P.Johnston, 0-1 S.Healy
STARTING XV: Martin McEneaney (St Patricks); Nathan Buckley (Ardee St Marys), Finbarr Lynch (St Kevins), Bobby Butterly (Stabannon Parnells); James Harper (St Kevins), Ruairi Hanlon (St Colmcilles), Cathal Fleming (Mattock Rangers); James McGillick (Ardee St Marys), Joe Mee (Cooley Kickhams); Conor Faulkner (Dreadnots), Eoghan Ryan (St Fechins), Conor Magowan (Geraldines); Craig Lennon (St Mochtas), Mícheál Begley (Kilkerley Emmets), Jonathan Commins, Captain (Ardee St Marys). Subs Introduced: Ryan Walsh (St Fechins), Sean Healy (Naomh Máirtín), Rian Aikpitanyi (Dreadnots), Patrick Johnston (Cooley Kickhams), Caolán McCabe (Dundalk Young Irelanders), Conor Soraghan (Geraldines).