TITLE IS DUNNE AND DUSTED
Lucan comeback is completed as Chaitriona let their lead slip
DUBLIN SCHOOLS JHC ‘C’ FINAL
LUCAN CBS 0-13
SCOIL CHAITRIONA 1-5
Daire Walsh
JOSEPH DUNNE produced a star turn at the National Games Development Centre in Abbotstown on Tuesday to help Lucan CBS overcome the challenge of Scoil Chaitriona in a tense Dublin Schools Junior ‘C’ Hurling Championship decider.
The dynamic forward amassed a personal haul of 0-10 over the course of the action and led by example throughout for the Ballydowd outfit. Chaitriona were previous champions at this grade in 2017 and found themselves in the driving seat at the midway point in the contest.
The Gaelscoil remained in the ascendancy during the early stages of the second half but, following the dismissal of influential skipper Tadhg Ó Gormáin on 40 minutes, they were eventually reined in by a resilient Lucan.
Although the sun was shining for the duration of the proceedings, Chaitriona played with the aid of a gale force breeze in the opening period. Nevertheless, it was Lucan who hit the ground running in the Fingal venue.
Dunne broke the deadlock via a 50-metre free and swiftly bolstered his tally with a fine point from play. Having initially struggled to find their feet on a pristine all-weather surface, Chaitriona inevitably settled into the tie.
Ó Gormáin was exerting his influence at centre-back and finally opened his side’s account on 13 minutes with a long-distance free. This served to galvanise the Glasnevin brigade, who edged in front on the first-quarter mark.
When Lucan netminder Conor McDonagh batted down Eoin Mac Eachráin’s attempt at a point, inside forward Nathan Mac Gearailt was on hand to pull to the net. Mac Gearailt swiftly increased their advantage with a close-in effort, only for Lucan’s Darragh Lyons to fire over at a tight-angle at the opposite end.
Chaitriona were starting to grow in confidence, however – something that was exemplified by back-to-back points courtesy of Mac Gearailt and Conor Mac Raghnail. Dunne once again found the target to keep Lucan in touch, but as the half drew to a close, both teams were guilty of wayward shooting.
Scoil Chaitriona brought a three-point cushion into the break, 1-4 to 0-4, and the game remained finely balanced on the resumption. Eager to make the most of the elements, Lucan narrowed the gap through another Dunne free in the 34th-minute.
Chaitriona continued to hold their own, though, and an inspirational Ó Gormáin score maintained their three-point stranglehold on the scoreboard. Yet they suffered a significant set-back when their defensive lynchpin, Ó Gormáin, was dismissed on a second yellow card.
Dunne immediately raised another white flag from the resulting free and thanks to three points in succession for the attacking maestro, Lucan dramatically reclaimed the lead with 15 minutes remaining. The combination of their numerical supremacy and a strong breeze gave Lucan the upper hand as the final whistle approached, even if the Chaitriona defence coped admirably in Ó Gormáin’s absence.
Liam Garrigan and Dunne created further daylight between the teams, before a skirmish on 54 minutes led to the additional dismissals of Chaitriona duo Oliver Moreau and Caolán Mac Diarmada, as well as Lucan’s Rian Fortune. Once the dust settled, Lucan gave themselves extra breathing space with points from the outstanding Dunne and the marauding Michael Young.
To their credit, Chaitriona didn’t allow their heads to drop and substitute Eoghan Ó Moráin forced a fine save from McDonagh. Nonetheless, Lucan had done enough to secure the spoils on the day.
Scorers – Lucan CBS: J Dunne 0-10 (3f), M Young, L Garrigan, D Lyons 0-1 each. Scoil Chaitriona: N Mac Gearailt 1-2 (0-2f), T Ó Gormáin 0-2 (1f), C Mac Raghnail 0-1.
LUCAN CBS: C McDonagh; K Quinn, E Kilduff, J Ryan; M Young, L Garrigan, M Cunningham; S Coffey, R Fortune; D Lyons, J Dunne, C Clements; C Gleeson, J O’Leary, M Duffy. Subs: C Flood for Ryan (33), C Devlin for Clements (59).
SCOIL CHAITRIONA: O Ó Feinneadha; E Ó Ceallachain, C Ó Reachtaire, T Ó Ceallaigh; E Taillúir, T Ó Gormáin, D Ó Gormáin; C Ó Laoire, O Moreau; L Ó Deasunaigh Lowndes, E Mac Eachráin, F Ó Gaibhín; N Mac Gearailt, C Mac Raghnail, C Mac Diarmada. Subs: R Tirial for Ó Gaibhín (49), E Ó Moráin for Ó Deasunaigh Lowndes (59).
Referee: J Dunning (St Brigid’s).