GAELIC GAMES: LEINSTER JUVENILE FOOTBALL ‘B’ FINAL
Brave Mac Dara’s come up short against Ashbourne in their Leinster ‘B’ title quest
ASHBOURNE CS……………………………………… 3-10
ST MAC DARA’S CC………………………………… 2-06
Daire Walsh
THEY attempted a brave fight back in the latter stages of the contest, but in near-perfect conditions at Parnell’s GAA last Friday afternoon, St Mac Dara’s Community College ultimately came up short in their quest for Leinster Schools Juvenile Football ‘B’ glory against an impressive Ashbourne Community School.
A brace of second-half goals had reduced the Templeogue side’s deficit to four points, but thanks to a three-pointer of their own from Killian Hogan, Ashbourne claimed the silverware on offer. Mac Dara’s had progressed to the provincial stage following their hard-earned 1-4 to 0-3 success over Terenure College in the Dublin decider in December.
Michael O’Keeffe, Alan Connolly and Dylan Ryan were key performers on that day, and if they were to emerge victorious in Coolock, they would need to replicate their strong displays.
Ashbourne proved to be formidable opponents, though, and despite their school’s location in north Meath, they had a number of players from St Margaret’s GAA, Kilreesk in their squad.
Mac Dara’s kept in touch during the early exchanges, before a Kevin Skelly goal offered a platform to their Royal County rivals. This three-pointer was followed by a 0-2 salvo from Jack O’Connor, as Ashbourne held a five-point cushion after ten minutes of play.
The Wellington Lane outfit did make more an impact in attack as the half wore on, and were twice denied goals from close-range by opposition netminder Harry Wilson. Ashbourne breathed a huge sigh of relief on these occasions, and owing to a brace of fine scores by Josh Watters, they held a 1-6 to 0-3 lead at the break.
Indeed, when a Dylan O’Brien goal helped to open up a ten-point cushion on the resumption, an Ashbourne triumph seemed inevitable. However, Mac Dara’s did make life difficult for their counterparts with their green flag contributions, and Ashbourne required a third goal from Hogan to keep a safe distance between the teams.