LEINSTER SCHS SF ‘A’ ROUND 2
EOIN HOLD NERVE TO TOPPLE MHUIRE
COLAISTE EOIN……………………………….. 1-10
COLAISTE MHUIRE…………………………….. 1-7
Daire Walsh
A STRONG final-quarter display paid dividends for Colaiste Eoin in UCD last Friday, as the gaelscoil booked their place in the next round of the Leinster Schools’ SF ‘A’ Championship at the expense of Colaiste Mhuire, Mullingar.
The Booterstown school have been highly competitive in this competition in recent years (they secured Leinster honours against Marist College, Athlone in March of last year), but they were certainly made to work for their win against Mhuire.
With nominal wing-forward Jake O’Meara acting as a sweeper at the heart of the visiting team’s defence, scoring chances were at a premium for Eoin during the early moments of the tie.
Mhuire were struggling to convert the opportunities that came their way, however, and it wasn’t until the 12th minute that the deadlock was broken.
Tom Molloy split the posts from a distance of 35 metres, but courtesy of quick-fire scores by Pádraig Ó Cadhla and adventurous corner-back Eoghan Seoighe, Eoin developed a slender cushion.
Mhuire inside forward Ciaran Nolan subsequently levelled matters, though, and after Eoin full-back Peadar Ó Cofaigh-Byrne fouled Molloy inside the square, full-forward Troy Maher coolly fired a 22nd-minute penalty beyond the reach of opposition netminder Tadhg Ó Braonáin.
This created some daylight between the teams, and even though they added well-worked scores through Micheál Ó Cróinín and Eoghan Mac Giolla Phádraig, a successful Maher free ensured that Eoin were facing into a 1-3 to 0-4 interval deficit.
With a strong breeze at their backs upon the resumption, the southsiders were still in contention, but the concession of a brace of Daire Hynes scores for Mhuire did leave them in a slightly worrying position.
Yet, a Niall Ó Ceallacháin free on 34 minutes settled their nerves, and when Mhuire netminder Michael Drury failed to gather his long-distance effort four minutes later, Conor MacNíocláis was on hand to flick the rebound to the net.
At this point, it appeared that momentum was with the hosts, but thanks to a majestic Maher place-kick, Mhuire held a narrow lead (1-6 to 1-5) 15 minutes from time.
This increased the pressure on Eoin, but after Ó Ceallacháin (who is a brother of Dublin senior hurler Cian O’Callaghan) restored parity, a 0-2 salvo by the excellent Ó Cróinín meant that the Metropolitan outfit were in pole position during the closing stages.
They did suffer a set-back when MacNíocláis received a black-card 54 minutes in, and Molloy’s second point ensured that Mhuire weren’t out of sight heading into stoppage-time. Eoin held their nerve, though, and points from Marc Ó Treasaigh and Ó Cadhla helped them to seal a three-point triumph.
SCORERS – Colaiste Eoin: C MacNíocláis 1-0, M Ó Cróinín 0-3, N Ó Ceallacháin (2f), P Ó Cadhla 0-2 each, E Seoighe, E Mac Giolla Phádraig, M Ó Treasaigh 0-1 each. Colaiste Mhuire, Mullingar: T Maher 1-2 (1-0 pen, 0-2f), D Hynes (f), T Molloy 0-2 each, C Nolan 0-1.
COLAISTE EOIN: T Ó Braonáin; E Seoighe, P Ó Cofaigh-Byrne, M MacEoin; S Ó Duibhir, J Lahert, C Ó Ceallaigh; J Ó hAirtnéade, E Mac Giolla Phádraig; P Ó Cadhla, M Ó Treasaigh, D de Poire; C MacNíocláis, N Ó Ceallacháin, M Ó Cróinín. Subs: D Ó Laoghaire for de Poire (48), C Ó Duibhir for MacNíocláis (54, BC).
COLAISTE MHUIRE, MULLINGAR: M Drury; C Gavin, J Maxwell, D Mimnagh; L Hynes, E Nally, S Lancaster; S O’Brien, C Craig; T Molloy, B Kavanagh, J O’Meara; D Hynes, T Maher, C Nolan. Subs: E Mullarkey for O’Meara (40), C Gilbert for Kavanagh (46), L Price for Craig (53).
REF: B Hickey (Kildare).