Connacht PPS Senior ‘B’ Football Championship Holders St Attracta’s
Connacht GAA PPS Senior ‘B’ C’ship Q-final St Attracta’s CS Dunmore CS (Galway) 1-8 2-10
SATURDAY, February 25, 2023: Heartbreak for St Attracta’s Community School’s senior Gaelic footballers. Friday, January 12, 2024: Heartbreak for St Attracta’s Community School’s senior Gaelic footballers. Two dates, two defeats – separated by almost 12 months – yet these losses for the south Sligo secondary school were utterly contrasting.
On that day in February last year St Attracta’s lost an All-Ireland semi-final on penalties – the most gut-wrenching way to lose bar a onepoint loss – but last Friday’s season-ending defeat was a limp quarter-final exit.
Certainly St Attracta’s were unlucky not to overcome Tipperary’s Abbey CBS, having had enough chances to win before the drama of extra-time and the lottery of spot-kicks at Tuam
Stadium. But there was no what-iffery about the five-point reversal against Dunmore Community School, 2-10 to 1-8, at the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence, on the same pitch that Jesus & Mary Secondary School booked their place in a Senior ‘D’ semi-final.
St Attracta’s were underwhelming as they surrendered their provincial crown to a Dunmore side that had four immediately identifiable matchwinners – Niall Heneghan at midfield and three classy forwards, Robert Heneghan, team Padraig Martyn and top scorer Colm Costello.
Dunmore may lack the finesse to end up close to securing an All-Ireland final berth, as was the case for St Attracta’s last year, and Galway side’s two first-half goals – which helped establish an eight-point interval lead, 2-6 to 0-4 – came from direct, no frills ball sent in on top of the St Attracta’s full-back line. St Attracta’s will be disappointed at how easily Dunmore got in for these goals – both of which came in the last 10 minutes of the first-half.
Unable to profit from midfield possession won by Ben Clavin, who made