The long wait is finally over!
Rathgarogue-Cushinstown rule on special weekend
ALL THE PENT-UP frustrations and disappointments of the past twelve fruitless campaigns were erased in Bellefield on Saturday when Rathgarogue-Cushinstown recovered from the concession of a goal late in the third quarter to capture the Enniscorthy Farm Systems Junior football championship crown after a hard-fought and lively contest with Monageer-Boolavogue.
After losing two finals, five semi-finals and five quarter-finals in a dozen years, the raw and raucous cheers that rent the Enniscorthy air highlighted just how much this success meant to the New Ross District crew who hit four unanswered four points from the 53rd minute onwards to crown their magical weekend.
The Junior ‘B’ title had been secured in a replay just 24 hours earlier, but in essence that was a nice bonus whereas Saturday was really the big one.
A night of high drama ended with Rathgarogue-Cushinstown bridging a 38-year gap and adding their second success at this level, with Monageer-Boolavogue’s bid for a perfect symmetry of victories coming up short.
After a first Junior crown was annexed 40 years ago, and a second 20 years later, perhaps it was written in the stars that their turn for number three had arrived.
Rathgarogue-Cushinstown had other ideas though, and this win was particularly sweet and deserved after their two-point loss to St. Martin’s at the same stage twelve months ago.
As well as some gripping action, the game was forced into a sudden halt seconds after Daire Bolger kicked his third point for the eventual winners when the floodlights failed in first-half added time.
Thankfully, referee Kevin Kehoe was counting down the seconds at that stage, and he wisely blew for the interval just slightly ahead of schedule and there was enough time for running repairs to take place while supporters used mobile phones and the light from the pavilion bar to maintain their bearings.
Monageer-Boolavogue, who were losing this final for the third time in ten years, may have been slight outsiders but they served notice of their determination early on as Matthew Dunne put them ahead before Cathal Walsh fisted over on the run to double that lead.
The momentum didn’t last though, as they went for 20 minutes afterwards without adding to that haul before Seán Roche kicked their last score of the opening half.
That made it 0-4 to 0-3 in favour of Rathgarogue-Cushinstown who had got off the mark through Robert Murphy in the 13th minute, with Nicky Sinnott then levelling the game shortly before being forced off through injury.
Tadhg Cody, one of three brothers on the winning team along with Peadar and Matthew (plus first cousin Bryan), was full of running throughout and set up Daire Bolger for his team’s lead point in the 17th minute.
Bolger kicked that one with his right, and then deployed his left for the second after the kick-out that followed went straight to county Senior Eoin Porter.
The big moment of the first-half arrived in the 22nd minute after Monageer-Boolavogue netminder Niall Finn wrapped himself around Rathgarogue-Cushinstown captain Bernard Furlong, now at full-forward, to concede a penalty.
Porter, who had swapped positions with Furlong, stepped up to take the spot kick but Finn more than redeemed himself as he dived low to his right and made a first-rate save.
It was an undoubted blow to Rathgarogue-Cushinstown’s chances, but they recovered from that miss, and Seán Roche’s subsequent point, as Daniel Martin-Carroll and Daire Bolger left them with that double scores lead (0-6 to 0-3) to take into the half-time darkness.
The leaders twice stretched the gap to four in the third quarter, from Eric Cummins on both occasions, only for first Matthew Dunne (free) and then overlapping full-back Brian O’Loughlin to respond at the other end (0-8 to 0-5).
The contest was zipping along at a lively pace, and it was still impossible to call.
Indeed, after Seán Roche kicked a fine solo point on the left wing from a Niall O’Reilly pass, the net bulged at either end in the space of just 20 seconds but with entirely different outcomes.
Tadhg Cody only succeeded in fisting the ball over the goal-line as he sought a point, and the free out that followed kick-started a swift breakaway that ended with Mick and James Sweeney combining to put substitute Damien Fenlon through for a dramatic goal (1-6 to 0-8).
Daire Bolger levelled from a free via the woodwork, but a brace of placed balls off the ground, from Matthew Dunne and then from a longer distance via Cathal Walsh, pushed Monageer-Boolavogue into a 1-8 to 0-9 lead with ten minutes left.
The pain of what happened last year no doubt pushed Rathgarogue-Cushinstown on when they really needed to deliver.
It was a slow but ultimately rewarding process, and it only took shape after Mick Sweeney pulled a goal chance wide for the Enniscorthy District side after James Sweeney delivered a lovely ball into his path.
Robert Murphy, now at wingback, came forward to make it 1-8 to 0-10, and the leveller arrived in the 58th minute when Peadar Cody played a one-two with Bernard Furlong and split the Bellefield Road posts.
Rathgarogue-Cushinstown were ready to make an all-or-nothing burst for the finishing line at that stage, and their supporters erupted when Daire Bolger fisted them into the lead at the end of a move featuring the influential Robert Murphy twice just under 60 seconds later.
Substitute Luke O’Connor hit the post with a point attempt before the insurance score did arrive one minute into the three added on.
While Eoin Porter’s passing and link play had been generally up to scratch, his finishing had let him down, but when he received the ball in open space he made no mistake when it mattered most and the cheers that followed were probably heard back in Ballinaboola.
There was still time for a heart-stopping piece of action at the other end, as a Chris Daly shot for goal was blocked in a sea of bodies.
Twenty seconds later the fulltime whistle was blown, and the monkey was finally off Rathgarogue-Cushinstown’s backs. It was no more than they deserved, but full credit is also due to Monageer-Boolavogue for the part they played in an absorbing final.
Rathgarogue-Cushinstown: Jonathan Kelly; Ollie Bolger, Bryan Cody, Paddy Murphy; Peadar Cody (0-1), Brian O’Neill, Matthew Cody; Daniel Martin-Carroll (0-1), Bernard Furlong (capt.); Tadhg Cody, Daire Bolger (0-5, 1 free), Jason Dunne; Robert Murphy (0-2), Eoin Porter (0-1), Nicky Sinnott (0-1). Subs. - Eric Cummins (0-2) for Sinnott, inj. (18), Luke O’Connor for O. Bolger (50), Aaron Ryan for Furlong (58), also Fionn Slattery, Ricky McGrath, Pádraig McGrath, Paddy Barron, Ian Kennedy, Liam O’Shea, Neil Merrigan, Mark Carroll, Chris Kent, Eoin Burke, Jack Murphy, Eoghan Whelan, Liam Roche, Shane O’Connor, Brendan Fitzpatrick.
Monageer-Boolavogue: Niall Finn; Niall O’Reilly, Brian O’Loughlin (0-1), Morgan Gahan; Mark Gahan, Chris Daly, Paddy Breen; Seán Roche (02), Stephen Murphy; Ian Hawkins (capt.), Mark Walsh, Cathal Walsh (0-2, 1 free); James Sweeney, Matthew Dunne (0-3, 2 frees), Mick Sweeney. Subs. - Micheál Gahan for Mark Gahan (HT), Tommy Breen for Hawkins (HT), Damien Fenlon (1-0) for M. Walsh (41), Shane Kehoe for Roche (57), also Colin Hawkins, Ger Daly, Karl Rowsome, Ray O’Brien, Robbie Donnelly, Arran Breslin, Seán McCabe, Conall Nolan, Bertie Gahan, Dean Fenlon.
Referee: Kevin Kehoe (Our Lady’s Island).