CURRAHA…3-15
BALLINLOUGH…1-12
Most of the time, if something looks too good to be true in life, it generally is. For one side in this Balreask Bar, Restaurant And Guest Accommodation Meath JFC Final at Bolliden Tara Mines Park on Friday evening, that’s exactly how it turned out. But for the other, things went completely according to script.
Now, I actually didn’t see what way the turf accountants had this one chalked up before same, but it probably suffices to say Curraha were already installed at a short price for the Leinster Club JFC before they had the Peter McDermott Cup secured.
And they might have won with quite a bit in hand regardless of what happened but – whether the following observation is popular or not – any chance of a decent contest was ruined by a constantly obfuscating match official.
With the sending off of Ballinlough wing forward Darren O’Higgins one of a number of frankly odd calls over the hour plus. The cumulative effect of which was to leave Andy McGovern’s team with too much of a hill to climb.
However, even with a full compliment and breaks going their way, the red and white were always going to be up against it tackling the Stephen Morgan and Gavin Coyle guided group.
A scenario which was even more the case when the green and gold got away to the exact start their opponents would have needed. As firstly Padraig O’Hanrahan and Brian Joyce pointing before Jack O’Connor started doing Jack O’Connor things. That is to say, putting the ball on his toe, scorching away from the north Meath defence and blasting to the net.
Seanie Geraghty eventually got the ‘Lough on the board. Joyce then pointed again before Diarmuid Moriarty pointed twice in a minute to push his side 1-05 to 0-02 clear.
Moriarty’s third score in a row, and others from Jack O’Connor and Ronan Flynn made it 1-08 to 0-05 before, as would only have been expected at the other end, the riposte coming in the form of Kit Og Lynch netting for the chasing pack.
Oisin McDermott and Daire Shine traded scores with O’Connor and Flynn, all of which meant that the 15 led the 14 by 1-10 to 1-07 at the break.
Harry Ryan and Daire Shine quickly cut the deficit to the minimum before the numerical circumstances left Moriarty in a dangerous amount of space and he duly rattled Senan McDermott’s net. Leaving it 2-11 to 1-09.
O’Connor and Tom Shine then swapped scores before an Andrew Coyle goal finally extinguished the last of the redoubtable Ballinlough spirit.
Leinster beware.
CURRAHA – L. McCarthy; S. Ronan, C. O’Farrell, S. Hogan; S. O’Hanrahan, O. Fay, P. O’Hanrahan (0-2); R. Flynn (0-2), D. Moriarty (1-5); J. O’Connor (1-5), N. Shortall, J. McEntee; N. McLarnon, C. O’Hanrahan, B. Joyce (0-2).
SUBS – E. Burke for Ronan, A. Coyle (1-0) for McLarnon, D. Toner (0-1) for Shortall, R. O’Sullivan for S. O’Hanrahan, C. Moriarty for Flynn.
BALLINLOUGH – S. McDermott; C. Fleming, F. Gibney, C. Rennicks; J. Connell, O. McDermott (0-4, 1×45, 1x2PT), S. Geraghty (0-1); M. McCullen, E. Briody; B. Brunton, D. Shine (0-2, 1F), D. O’Higgins; H. Ryan (0-2), T. Shine (0-2, 1F), K. Og Lynch (1-0).
SUBS – L. Harte for Brunton, R. Farrell for Rennicks, M. Geraghty (0-1) for McCullen.
Referee – Ian Dowdall (Bective).