St Brendan’s ‘Green’ team win Aodhán O’Connor Cup at expense of school’s ‘White’ team

KERRY PPS FIRST YEAR FOOTBALL LEAGUE ‘A’ FINAL (AodhAn Ó ConChúir Cup)

St. Brendans (Green) 5-13 St. Brendans (White) 2-7

ST Brendan’s College, Killarney made it a hat trick of First Year League A title on Monday in Lewis Road, and this one was more special than most because both finalists actually came from the school – with the Green team having a comprehensive win over the White team.

Last year Kerry footballer and teacher in The Sem, David Clifford, managed St Brendans against his uncle Fergus’s Tralee CBS side, but this year the All Star was actually supervising both teams in The Sem.

The Green team got off the mark almost straight away, with Hammad Atiq gathering aa rapid high ball and bursting through before tucking away their first goal chance straight from the throw-in. The White team seemed maybe caught a little bit on the hop by the instant pace and intensity of their compatriot opponents. The Whites had a free narrowly wide before another perfect through ball left Eoin Bennett with just the keeper to make it 2-0.

The White team notched a point but Atiq set up Derry O’Gorman for an instant riposte. Those inch-perfect long balls into the waiting attackers was always a very potent weapon and the goals kept coming.

Atiq scored a second for himself, corner forward Derry O’Gorman registered 2-1, and Eoin Bennett added a point to his earlier goal. By half-time the Green team led by a whopping 18 points, 5-7 to 0-4. The White team, in fairness, could consider themselves a bit unlucky as a lot of good play went unrewarded on the scoreboard.

In fairness to the White team, they showed no lack of resilience or composure and, while they never closed the gap sufficiently to create much doubt about the outcome, Cian Hegarty kicked an excellent 2-2, both goals arriving in the second half.

Darragh Keane did have a shot drop into the White net, but the ‘five-goal rule’ applies at this grade, and it counted as a point instead.

The First Year B League Final will be played between the two Tralee CBS teams, while St. Brendans face Tralee CBS in the Paul Russell Cup final.

ST BREDNANS (Green): Gerry Moroney, James O’Callaghan, Mark Corkery, Eoin Brosnan, Daniel O’Sullivan (0-1), Donnacha Vaughan, Paddy Nash, Patrick O’Donoghue, Alan Scannell (0-2), Jayden Hurley (0-1), Darragh Keane 0-4 (2f), Eoin Bennett (1-1), Callum Cox (0-1), Hammad Atiq (2-0), Derry O’Gorman (2-1). Subs: Alex Kelly, Cathal Kelly, Darragh Fleming, Kieran Moloney, Fionan O’Donovan, Ryan O’Donoghue (0-1), Micheál O’Sullivan, Jack Kelly, Tomás O’Sullivan, Conor McElligott, Darragh Lucey, Aidan Hickey, Pierce Scahill (0-1).

ST. BRENDANS (White): Ethan Clarke, Marco Masco, Oisin Cryan, Matthew Myles, Conor Moynihan (0-1), Adam Moynihan, Tristan Murphy, Ryan Vickers, Luke Clancy, Ross O’Gorman, Cian Hegarty (2-2), Stephen Shine-Doody, Luke Rennie (0-1), Seán Lyne (0-1), Éanna Hennigan (0-2). Subs: Adam Counihan, Kevin Breen, Kade Oleksiak, Samuel O’Donoghue, Máirtín Vila, Michael Janot, Noah Ó Brosnacháin, Dean Moynihan, Fionn O’Donovan, Daniel Fennelly, Conor O’Donoghue, Colm O’Sullivan, Senan Murphy, Sam O’Shea.