Duiske hit Meanscoil for six
Goal-getters from Graiguenamanagh hold on to title
DUISKE COLLEGE M’SCOIL GHARMAN 6-7 0-8
THE SIMILARITIES were plentiful in a gloomy O’Kennedy Park, New Ross, on Tuesday when Duiske College from Graiguenamanagh retained their Top Oil South Leinster Schools Junior football ‘D1’ championship title with a convincing victory over Meanscoil Gharman.
It was a repeat of the 2018 final pairing, and for the second year in a row the victors hit their rivals for six as the Kilkenny lads had triumphed just over twelve months ago by 6-5 to 3-6.
And with the game played on the same pitch – the lower training field – and handled by the same referee – John Bennett – there was a keen sense of déja vu in every sense.
Meanscoil Gharman had first use of the wind blowing towards the road-end goal, and their task looked a very difficult one by halftime when they only held a slender 0-7 to 1-1 lead.
So it proved too, because Duiske needed less than four minutes on the re-start to draw level before an avalanche of goals ensured they would be celebrating once again.
They had opened the scoring after just 28 seconds with a point from Ted Dunne, but the Brownswood school levelled from a Barry Cloake free after a foul on Aaron Ó Coigligh.
The lively Eamonn Ó Móráin then picked off a brace of points, but Duiske regained the lead with a well-worked goal into the elements in the eleventh minute.
Jack Dunne popped a handpass to his right for onrushing midfielder Taighe O’Brien, and he claimed possession in full stride before arrowing the ball to the net past Jack Puirséail (1-1 to 0-3).
Although Duiske didn’t score again before half-time, crucially they didn’t concede a great deal either and, most importantly, alert goalkeeper Colin Hamilton kept his net intact.
The half featured no fewer than six ’45s, four for Meanscoil Gharman, and both number ones were adept at touching dangerous shots around the post to ensure that O’Brien’s strike produced the only green flag prior to the interval.
Puirséail kept out a Jack Dunne shot, before a deflected effort from Eoghan Ó Lionáin at the other end produced a fine fingertips stop from Hamilton.
Meanscoil Gharman regained the lead with Eamonn Ó Moráin’s third point, and Denis Jackman added another after a flowing move that also featured Barry Cloake, Darragh Grant and Ó Lionáin.
Meanwhile, the feet of netminder Puirséil came to the rescue when he kept out a goalbound effort from Greg Hoban.
A brace of late points from a Barry Cloake free and ’45 stretched the Meanscoil lead to 0-7 to 1-1 by half-time, but Duiske quickly set about picking away at that slight advantage.
Points from Jack Dunne and Pierce Blanchfield with two, the first a super effort from long range, brought them level before the latter pushed them into a 1-5 to 0-7 advantage in the 36th minute.
The first big blow to Meanscoil’s hopes arrived on the next Duiske attack when Ted Dunne handpassed to Jack Dunne who rattled the net.
Barry Cloake, who had missed the corresponding final last year owing to illness, responded with arguably the best point of the game, an excellent curling kick with the left peg at the end of a long solo run (2-5 to 0-8)|.
However, the recently-established Wexford school didn’t score again, and the spaces started to appear in their defence as Duiske hammered home their advantage by adding an unanswered 4-2.
A long ball from Pierce Blanchfield was finished to the net off the ground by Jack Dunne from a tight angle on the endline before Ted Dunne picked out Taighe O’Brien to make it 4-5 to 0-8, with Aaron Ó Coigligh unlucky to fire a shot wide for Meanscoil in between.
Blanchfield added a fortuitous goal from a long-range free, with the Dunnes, Ted and Jack, chipping in with their side’s last two points before Shane Cleary embellished a fine win with that sixth major seconds from the end.
Meanscoil Gharman: Jack Puirséail (Crossabeg-Ballymurn); Adam Caomhánach (Na Fianna Clonard), James Ó Broin (Marshalstown-Castledockrell); Dan Ó Riada (Shelmaliers), Patrick Ó Duibhegáin (Sarsfields), Muiris Ó Raghnail (Glynn-Barntown, capt.); Aaron Ó Coigligh (Oylegate-Glenbrien), Barry Cloake (Shemaliers, 0-4, 2 frees, 1 ‘45); Denis Jackman (Shelmaliers, 0-1), Darragh Grant (Sarsfields), Eamonn Ó Móráin (Crossabeg-Ballymurn, 0-3); Oisín Ó Duibhir (unattached), Eoghan Ó Lionáin (St. Martin’s). Subs. - Eanna Ó Siúrd (Oulart-The Ballagh) for Ó Duibhir, Adam Ó Murchú (Crossabeg-Ballymurn) for Ó Raghnail, inj. (45), also Seamie Caomhánach (Marshalstown-Castledockrell).
Duiske College: Colin Hamilton; Seán O’Neill (capt.), Robbie Conran; Charlie Kielthy, Ryan Kielthy, Kian Murphy; Taighe O’Brien (2-0), Pierce Blanchfield (1-3, 1-1 frees); Liam Cahill, Ted Dunne (0-2), Shane Cleary (1-0); Jack Dunne (2-2), Greg Hoban. Subs. - Seán Hamilton for Cahill (58), Mike Hoban for G. Hoban (59), also Danny Kennedy, Francisco Martinez, Conor Byrne, Keelan Byrne.
Referee: John Bennett (Tullogher-Rosbercon).