CORN AGHAIS
DIARMUID LEAVES IT LATE FOR RATHCOOLE RESCUE ACT
SCOIL CHRONAIN, RATHCOOLE…………………2-5
SCOIL LORCAIN, PALMERSTOWN……………….1-7
Daire Walsh
DIARMUID BREATHNACH was the hero of the hour in a pulsating Corn Aghais decider on Tuesday morning as his last-gasp point helped Scoil Chrónáin, Rathcoole to edge out the stubborn challenge of Scoil Lorcáin, Palmerstown by the slenderest of margins.
When Lorcáin midfielder Justin Marnier fired superbly to the net with just under 50 minutes gone on the clock, it looked like the two sides were destined to share the silverware.
Breathnach had other ideas, however, and he popped up with a nerveless score in stoppage-time to ensure the Rathcoole side emerged with the spoils.
It was tough on Lorcáin, who hurled with considerable courage and no little skill throughout.
While Breathnach wore the No 6 jersey with distinction, his opposite number Robert O’Hanlon also stood out for their Palmerstown counterparts.
This was the first game to take place at the Cusack stand end of GAA HQ and, following an initially tentative start, it eventually took flight in fine style.
After Breathnach and Marnier had traded early frees, a speculative strike from Chrónáin attacker Oisín Ó Brádaigh raised a green flag in the seventh minute.
A Breathnach ’65’ subsequently increased the gap, but Lorcáin found their feet as the action wore on.
Supplementing O’Hanlon’s superb long-distance free, Marnier registered a brace of points to leave the bare minimum on the scoreboard on 16 minutes.
The increasingly influential O’Hanlon also contributed back-to-back scores to propel his side into a 0-6 to 1-2 interval lead.
This set the game up nicely heading into the second period – and although momentum appeared to be with Lorcáin, their rivals for the Corn Aghais had plenty left in reserve.
ENHANCED
A Marnier free one minute after the resumption enhanced Lorcáin’s cushion, before Chrónáin rediscovered their attacking groove.
Off Breathnach’s enticing delivery towards the square just past the half-hour mark, Aodh Mac Giolla Fhiondáin scrambled home to edge the Rathcoole outfit back into the ascendancy.
This offered them a much-needed jolt of energy and with goalkeeper Fionn Ó hUirlithe and Oisín Ó Fógartaigh marshalling a watertight defence, the gauntlet had suddenly been thrown down to Lorcáin.
Breathnach’s two-point salvo left them needing a goal to keep their hopes alive, but Marnier came up trumps at the end of normal time.
Negotiating a difficult free at a left-hand angle, the dependable midfielder drilled a magnificent shot to the bottom corner that consequently restored parity to the proceedings. However, there was just enough time left for Breathnach to split the uprights and ultimately determine the outcome of a thrilling end-to-end affair.
SCORERS – Scoil Chronain, Rathcoole: D Breathnach 0-5, O Ó Brádaigh, A Mac Giolla Fhiondáin 1-0 each. Scoil Lorcain, Palmerstown: J Marnier 1-4, R O’Hanlon 0-3.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Diarmuid Breathnach (Scoil Chronain, Rathcoole).