LEINSTER PP SCHS JUV FC ‘A’ FINAL: GOOD COUNSEL 5-20 ST AIDAN’S 1-5
NEW ROSS ON TOP IN ‘A’ FINAL
Aidan’s have no answer to powerful Counsel outfit
Daire Walsh
IT was a day to forget for the St Aidan’s CBS U14 footballers at Killeshin GAA on Tuesday afternoon, after they were comprehensively defeated by Good Counsel, New Ross in the Leinster Schools Juvenile Football ‘A’ Championship decider.
This was the Collins Avenue side’s first competitive fixture since their county final success over Maynooth PP at Russell Park last November.
They actually led during the early stages of this encounter, but with Conor Foley and Gary Porter leading the way, Good Counsel secured the provincial silverware with 27 points to spare.
Thanks to goal-laden victories against St Benildus College and Ardscoil Ris, Aidan’s booked their place in that Dublin ‘A’ final.
Whitehall Colmcille midfielder Sean Gannon was their top-scorer with an outstanding haul of 1-5, while James Maloney and Sean Stone also produced strong performances for the north Dublin school.
Gannon is one of seven Whitehall stars within an Aidan’s squad that also includes players from St Vincent’s, Craobh Chiarain, Na Fianna, Ballymun Kickhams, Erin’s Isle and St Margaret’s. They were coming up against a Good Counsel outfit that had already claimed a South Leinster title at the expense of Scoil Mhuire, Clane, and had recently overpowered St Pat’s of Navan in the semi-final of this competition.
Aidan’s were playing with the aid of a strong breeze in the opening period, and edged in front with a well-taken goal from Ballymun’s Lee Rafferty. They also had a subsequent penalty turned away by Good Counsel netminder Michael Kirwan, which may well have given them the confidence to push on for the remainder of the half.
IMPRESSIVE
As it transpired, it was their Slaneyside counterparts who found an extra gear during the third-quarter. In addition to a plethora of impressive points, a goal by Gusserane’s Shane Culleton guided them towards a commanding 1-10 to 1-1 interval cushion.
This left Aidan’s with an uphill task when the action resumed in the Laois venue. Indeed, the Wexford school (who featured five Kilkenny players in their starting line-up) placed the outcome beyond the reach of their Metropolitan counterparts in the opening moments of the second half.
With Porter, Culleton and Kyle Rankin all ‘making hay’, they registerED 2-3 without reply in the space of three minutes. Goalkeeper Luke Garland was under constant pressure as the play progressed, although Rhys McCarthy and Daniel Day persevered at the heart of the Aidan’s defence.
This was Good Counsel’s seventh Leinster final at this grade in just eight years, and the school have also tasted All-Ireland success at U16 level in recent times. Foley and Porter finished with a combined tally of 2-8, and there were strong scoring contributions from Rankin, Culleton and wing-forward Darby Purcell throughout the course of the proceedings.
Though this was ultimately a disappointing way for Aidan’s to conclude their season, their magnificent triumph in the Dublin championship gives the squad plenty of cause for optimism in the years to come.
GOOD COUNSEL COLLEGE (Squad): M Kirwan; K Dunleavy, E Kennedy, A Kehoe; C Doyle, D Glennon, C Gamble; E Whelan, B Reid; D Purcell, C Foley, E O’Brien; R Delaney, G Porter, C Parker, S Culleton, J Murphy, C Arthurs, M Sheehy, J Devlin, K Rankin, C Byrne, C Whelan, C Phelan, A O’Grady, J Molloy, E Runsel, R Liu, T MacDonald, M Harpur, J Redmond, F Mullally, A Whelan, E Power, T Mullally, S Nolan, O Hayes.
ST AIDAN’S CBS (Squad): L Garland; O Quinn, R McCarthy, F Markey; S Grehan, D Day, C Hill; S Gannon, S Stone; D Kane, C Mullins, J Maloney; P Daly, D Toro, L Rafferty, A McLoughlin, A Neville, R Falls, L Williams, M Young, D Maher, C Madigan.
REFEREE: B Hickey (Kildare).