GAELIC GAMES: LEINSTER JFC ‘C’ FINAL
Mercy deny St Mac Dara’s
Daire Walsh
JORDAN McDonnell’s magnificent haul of 1-9 proved crucial on Monday at Kinnegad where St Mac Dara’s CC were narrowly defeated by Mercy Secondary School, Kilbeggan in the Leinster Junior ‘C’ Football Championship final.
Because of their impressive triumph in the Dublin Junior ‘C’ grade, Mac Dara’s progressed to this provincial stage. They struggled to contain Mercy in the opening moments of the contest as five points from the boot of McDonnell provided Mercy with a foothold on the play.
They started to get the measure of their Westmeath counterparts as the action developed, though, and a strong scoring burst propelled them towards a 2-4 to 0-8 interval cushion. With a strong wind at their disposal upon the resumption, Mac Dara’s increased their advantage by kicking three points without reply.
It was during this juncture that Kilbeggan discovered an extra gear, inter-county star Darragh Seery proving to be particularly influential. Evan Connell also came into his own, and it was his two-goal salvo that edged the Lake County outfit back into the ascendancy.
All the momentum was now with the rampant Mercy, whose added a third goal through McDonnell on the stroke of 50 minutes. Mac Dara’s continued to fight until the bitter end, but ultimately came out on the wrong side of a 3-9 to 2-8 final scoreline.