GAA Allianz Football League Division Three Final
Shine and Kilbride give Cavan the blues as Roscommon take title
ROSCOMMON…………………………………………. 1-17
CAVAN…………………………………………………….. 0-18
Daire Walsh
The twin force of Donie Shine and Senan Kilbride combined at Croke Park on Saturday evening, as a strong second-half display helped Roscommon to secure the Allianz FL Division Three title at the expense of Terry Hyland’s Cavan.
While the switch of Clanna na nGael’s Shine to the ‘40’ means that the duo are no longer partners on the Rossies’ inside line, the duo nevertheless contributed a handsome overall tally of 0-11 to their side’s cause. David Keenan’s goal at the tail end of the opening period also proved decisive for the Connacht men, and with centre-back Niall Daly raise white flags in both halves, Roscommon had a number of influential performers throughout the field.
This was the second meeting between the teams in 2014, and John Evans’ charges were hoping to gain revenge for their 0-14 to 1-8 reversal against their Ulster counterparts in Kingspan Breffni Park on March 29. The two sides had already ensured their promotion to the second-tier by this point, but with a Connacht quarter-final date against close rivals Leitrim on the horizon, Ros’ were eager to produce a commanding display in GAA HQ.
Much had been made of the defensive style that Cavan have adopted in recent times, but with an average concession rate of just ten points, it has been extremely effective during the spring months.
The ability to kick points from distance has also benefited the Breffni County, and they raced into a four-point lead with eight minutes gone on the clock courtesy of scores by Gearoid McKiernan, Niall McDermott (two) and Martin Reilly (‘45’). Darren O’Malley’s fine save from a 6th minute Martin Dunne penalty – after a retreating Cathal Cregg had impeded McKiernan – limited the damage during the early exchanges, but Cavan were proving to be more economical with their possession.
Following a series of wayward shots, Daly joined the attack to finally open the Rossies’ account nine minutes in, before Cavan regained the momentum with superb efforts from Martin Dunne and James McEnroe.
David O’Gara (Roscommon Gaels) and the increasingly prominent McKiernan swapped points, before Donie Shine finally got in on the act with scores in the 22nd and 23rd minutes respectively. A fine individual contribution soon arrived from Kilbride to make it three points on the spin.
Cavan weathered this storm initially via Eugene Keating (free) and Martin Dunne, but Roscommon’s challenge was boosted considerably three minutes before the mid-way point, as Conor Gilsenan was left to pick the ball out of the back of his net.
St Barry’s star Keenan displayed great desire in powering up the field on a solo run, and though his subsequent effort off his weaker left-foot was unorthodox, it was enough to deceive the stranded Gilsenan. This was the final meaningful opportunity in the opening period, and with just one point separating the teams (0-9 to 1-5), there was cause for optimism in the Roscommon camp.
Indeed, within three minutes of the restart, they had turned the table on Cavan with a quick-fire Kilbride brace. A previously composed Cavan were now feeling the strain to a degree, but they quickly addressed this problem thanks to eye-catching points by dynamic half-forward duo Cian Mackey and McDermott.
An exceptional point by corner-back Feargal Flanagan (who had been shadowing the roving Cathal Cregg to great effect) arrived immediately after Shine’s third of the day. Inside the closing 25 minutes, however, the Rossies found an extra gear.
For a second time they registered three consecutive points, and it was no surprise that Kilbride and Shine (two) were the key instigators for this latest scoring burst. Shine was imperious from dead-ball situations and struck between the uprights for a sixth time on 49 minutes to cancel out a much-needed Reilly score for Cavan.
The northerners were not prepared to throw in the towel just yet, though, and moving into the final-quarter, they levelled matters for a fifth time through Keating and Mackey. They were beginning to squander a succession of chances, however, and having seen Roscommon kick several wides before the break, they were starting to become every bit as wasteful.
This opened the door for Roscommon (who fielded without their U21 contingent) to take advantage, and with Colin Compton and the experienced Michael Finneran both introduced just shy of the hour mark, there was a fresh impetus to the team. Kilbride and Daly (free) provided the Rossies with a slender edge with seven minutes remaining, and despite conceding scores to Reilly and Martin Dunne, an inspirational Kevin Higgins point from distance in between kept them marginally in the ascendancy with the final whistle quickly approaching.
They were the sharper side during the conclusion to an absorbing finale, and late scores by substitutes Finbar Cregg and Compton helped them to seal a morale-boosting victory.
McDermott did kick his fourth point for Cavan deep into stoppage-time, but even though tenacious corner-back Seanie McDermott was fortunate to only receive a yellow-card for a high tackle on David Givney, they were full value for their triumph.
Scorers – Roscommon: D Shine 0-6 (0-4f, 0-1 ‘45’), S Kilbride 0-5 (0-3f), D Keenan 1-0, N Daly 0-2, K Higgins, D O’Gara, C Compton, F Cregg 0-1 each. Cavan: N McDermott 0-4, M Reilly (0-1 ‘45’) M Dunne 0-3 each, E Keating (0-1f), G McKiernan, C Mackey 0-2 each, F Flanagan, J McEnroe 0-1 each.
Roscommon: Darren O’Malley; Seanie McDermott, Niall Carty, Neil Collins; David Keenan, Niall Daly, Ciaran Cafferkey; Cathal Shine, Kevin Higgins; David O’Gara, Donie Shine, Darragh Donnelly; Senan Kilbride, Cathal Cregg, Ciaran Murtagh. Subs: Ronan Stack for Donnelly (32), Colin Compton for Murtagh (59), Michael Finneran for O’Gara (60), Finbar Cregg for D Shine (64), Craig Burns for Higgins (70).
CAVAN: Conor Gilsenan; Joshua Hayes, Rory Dunne, Feargal Flanagan; James McEnroe, Alan Clarke, Damien O’Reilly; Gearoid McKiernan, Killian Brady; Cian Mackey, Niall McDermott, Martin Reilly; Jack Brady, Martin Dunne, Eugene Keating. Subs: Killian Clarke for K Brady (27), Michael Argue for McEnroe (52), Michael Lyng for J Brady (55), Robert Maloney-Derham for A Clarke (65), David Givney for Lyng (67), Kevin Tierney for Keating (69).
Referee: Sean Hurson (Tyrone).
in a nutshell
Player of the match
Donie Shine (Roscommon). On a night when David Keenan and Kevin Higgins offered plenty of drive and determination, alongside ever-dangerous attacker Senan Kilbride, the influence of Donie Shine cannot be underestimated. With a personal haul of 0-29 to his name during the group stages, he was once again the scorer-in-chief for the Rossies’ latest trip to the capital.
Turning Point
With his team facing into a four-point deficit close to the midway point, David Keenan embarked on a lung-bursting run into enemy territory, and with an element of fortune on his side, he managed to find the back of Conor Gilsenan’s net to reduce the gap to the bare minimum, thus enhancing the confidence levels of the 2010 Connacht champions.
Key moment
In a fruitful opening, Cavan displayed the quality that helped them to register seven straight Division Two successes by racing into an early four-point lead. Roscommon may well have been in an even more perilous position, but Martin Dunne’s 6th minute penalty was turned away by Darren O’Malley, and the netminder’s goal remained unbreached for the duration of the tie.