Five-star combination cruise to U-16 glory

ST MARY’S produced one of the greatest MFC Final displays in history when scoring 6-21 against gallant Geraldines 12 months ago - but 2018 manager Noel McGillick would happily take a scrappy onepoint win next Sunday.

The Ardee side have been motoring along nicely this year and already have the Minor League Division 1 trophy under their belts, but McGillick has been guarding against his team taking anything for granted, pointing out that the Mochta’s/Bride’s combination have given them plenty of headaches already this season.

‘We’ve said to them, we’ve played the Mochta’s/Bride’s twice this year and they were two very close games - we beat them by six or seven points in the League Final and there was only three between us in the group match in the league.

‘We know what they bring to the table - it’s going to be physical and competitive again and it’s going to be a very tough game.

‘What happened yesterday happened yesterday and it’s all about tomorrow, so to speak. We have to be full-on and approach it with a positive attitude but not be over-confident.

‘A score like that [last year] puts pressure on lads and it’s a bit of a false dawn. I would be happy if we won by a point or two because you’re in a game.’

Nevertheless, St Mary’s were convincing 3-16 to 0-8 winners over Kilkerley/Naomh Malachi in the semi-final and they are virtually at full strength again, the notable exception being Carl Gillespie who suffered a serious injury playing for Louth against Dublin in the Leinster Minor Championship back in the spring.

‘We’re looking forward to it,’ McGillick continued. ‘There’s a bit of nerves with young lads that age because of all the attention, but I tell them to enjoy it because it’s part of preparing for the Minor final and it’ll all be over soon.’

Syddan native McGillick, who was in charge of St Mary’s U-16s last year, has been involved with the Ardee club since 2009 and leads a strong backroom team comprising of Mark Keenan as well as three members of last year’s Minor management - Tommy Kirk, Mark Rooney and Dermot Gillespie.

They are very familiar at this stage with a group of players who have swept aside all before them in underage football over the years. About a dozen of the 2017 standard-bearers are still in the squad and the word is that the desire to win major trophies is as strong as ever.

‘There’s nothing like winning a Minor championship - it’s a great feeling and it’s that step before moving up to adult football,’ McGillick agreed.

‘There’s something special about this group of lads. They won the Under-14 Championship and League and the Under-16 Championship and League, and they’ve won the Minor League. They take stuff on board and they’re a great bunch.

‘The minute they cross the sideline it’s out of our hands and it’s up to them, but there’s still a hunger there and they know what the want.’

ST KEVIN’S/MATTOCK NAOMH MONINNE 5-18 1-7

HAVING suffered a defeat to the same opposition in the recent U14 Championship Final the hurlers of combination outfit St Kevins/Mattock Rangers recorded this emphatic victory over Naomh Moninne in an entertaining U16 Championship final played in good conditions at Kilkerly on Thursday night.

Top scorer and centre half Tom Mathews opened the scoring with a point from play inside 60 seconds with the Dundalk outfit responding with their opening point from a 20 metre free scored by Conor Murphy on three minutes.

The combination side took control of proceedings scoring six successive points before goals on 15 and 19 minutes from Mathews and Nathan Reynolds and a point from the hard working Cameron Maher had them leading by 2-8 to 0-1.

Moninne halted this run of scores with a point from play from Fionn Cumiskey only for their opponents to extend their lead with further points from Brandon Johnson and Tom Mathews (2).

A late point from midfielder Paddy Wehrly had Moninne trailing the combination side by 2-11 to 0-3 at the break.

Three minutes into the second half the eventual winners grabbed a fourth goal when keeper Jason McKeown misjudged a long delivery from midfielder Josh Finlay. The sides then shared the next two points before the black and amber outfit grabbed a goal of their own when Conor Murphy netted from a 20 metre free on 43 minutes.

A brace of pointed frees from the hard working Sean Magill was just reward for the efforts of a gallant Moninne side in this second half but it was the combination side who would seal a deserving victory with two late goals from Josh Finlay and Cameron Maher.

Afterwards the cup was presented by the Coiste Iomana Co Lu Chairman Ken Tobin to the joint captains of the St Kevin’s/Mattock Evan Maher and Seamus Birch.

ST KEVIN’S/MATTOCK RANGERS: Joe Durnin; Keelan Maher, Tommy Metcalfe, Conor Geraghty; Seamus Birch, Cameron Maher (1-3), Aaron Smith; Evan Maher (0-1), Josh Finlay (2-0); Brian Callaghan (0-1), Tom Mathews (1-7, 0-2 frees), Brandon Johnson (0-5, 0-1 free); Matthew Hodgins, Shawn Tobin, Nathan Reynolds (1-0). Subs used – Robert Mathews, Ronan McCreesh (0-1), Ross Fitzsimons.

NAOMH MONINNE: Jason McKeown; Ronan Reid, Aaron McGuinness, Luke Conlon; Jack McCaughey, Sean Magill (0-2 frees), Tadhg Kearney; Paddy Wehrly (0-1), Fionn Cumiskey; Sam Phelan, Conor Murphy (1-2, 1-1 frees), Daire Reilly; Cormac Brannigan, Robert McCaughey, Jack Mulvihill. Subs – Ciaran Walsh for L Conlon, Tadhg Dowdall for J Mulvihill, Diarmuid McEneaney for A McGuinness, Seamus Reid for C Brannigan.

REFEREE: Jim O Rourke (Monaghan).