Mackie on the mark for South
DAIRE WALSH – 10 APRIL 2014 03:30 PM
DUBLIN SOUTH 2-13
DUBLIN NORTH 3-5
Two second-half goals from centre-forward Robert Mackie provided Dublin South with a vital edge last Friday afternoon at O’Toole Park, where Cian Waldron’s side secured the Leinster Schools Juvenile Hurling ‘A’ League trophy at the expense of rivals Dublin North.
With midfielder Ben Coffey and Coláiste Eoin’s Fionn ó Ceallaigh in fine form, Dublin South were always one step ahead of their Sky Blue counterparts.
Goals from David Hawkshaw, substitute Enda Donnell and Sean Currie during the course of the action kept North in touch, but Mackie’s 59th-minute major eventually secured the silverware for South.
The aforementioned ó Ceallaigh had opened the scoring two minutes in following tremendous build-up play by centre-back James Madden, but the green flag was subsequently raised for the very first time by North three minutes later.
A delivery from the right-wing by Conor Carberry hung invitingly in the air, and after the ball broke loose, industrious centre-forward Hawkshaw pulled clinically beyond the reach of O’Donoghue.
Though this was an early set-back for the southsiders, they responded impressively with unanswered scores by Coffey (two) and ó Ceallaigh, before Ardscoil Rís’ inside forward Currie levelled matters on 13 minutes.
Michael Noonan had an ideal opportunity to give North some breathing space when Currie was fouled inside the area towards the end of the first quarter, but much to the relief of their opponents, his powerful drive came crashing off the woodwork and away to safety.
A second goal may well have ignited their challenge, but with Noonan struggling to find the target from a series of placed-ball situations, South registered four points on the trot from Coffey (two), Andrew Carroll and ó Ceallaigh to lead 0-8 to 1-1 at the midway point.
South were full value for this lead, but two minutes after his half-time introduction, North’s Donnell squeezed a right-angled shot to the back of the net via the stick of St Colmcille’s netminder O’Donoghue. This was a clear indication that Martin Rabbitte’s outfit were not prepared to throw in the towel, but their rivals did settle once again with a point on the run courtesy of Tom Ahearne.
A superb Mackie three-pointer on 35 minutes also helped South to re-assert their authority, and although Carberry added a brace of points to an earlier Luke Hughes effort, scores by ó Ceallaigh, Emmet Allen and Luke McDwyer kept South in command moving into the final ten minutes of play.
Currie found the bottom left-hand corner in devastating fashion eight minutes from the end, however, and when Carberry recorded his third point of the encounter, the North deficit had suddenly been reduced to a minimum.
This was as close as they came to forcing the outcome in their direction, though, as a late 1-1 salvo from CUS’ Mackie placed the tie beyond doubt.
Scorers – Dublin South: R Mackie 2-1, B Coffey (3f, 1 ’65’), F ó Ceallaigh 0-4 each, T Aherne, A Carroll, E Allen, L McDwyer. Dublin North: S Currie 1-1, D Hawkshaw, E Donnell 1-0 each, C Carberry 0-3 (1f), L Hughes 0-1.
DUBLIN SOUTH: C O’Donoghue; J Dillon, K Reddy, E McKay; L Walsh, J Madden, R Ward; B Coffey, T Ahearne; D O Floinn, R Mackie, A Carroll; K Desmond, E Allen, F O Ceallaigh. Subs: L McDwyer for O Floinn (45), K Kirwan for Ahearne (62).
DUBLIN NORTH: C McLoughlin; K Burke, C Murphy, S Lambe; M Murphy, D O’Boyle, R Harte; R O’Sullivan, C Carberry; L Hughes, D Hawkshaw, D Lacey; S Grenham, M Noonan, S Currie. Subs: D Kelly for Harte (h-t), E Donnell for Grenham (h-t).
REFEREE: J Brennan (Thomas Davis).