Saturday September 2
Cuchullains, Dunloy 5-10 St Comgalls 2-9
By Brendan McTaggart
Dunloy overcame the spirited resistance of St Comgalls on Saturday afternoon to progress to the last four of the Intermediate championship. The Cuchullains ran out 10 point winners after the hour but in truth the score line probably flattered the Antrim town side who came into this tie with high aspirations of causing an upset. They defeated the Cuchullains by nine points in the league at the end of July but the Dunloy men blazed five goals throughout the hour to ease any notions of an upset.
The Cuchullains are starting to get the tag of being championship experts. Bidding to at least reach the final of the intermediate grade for the third year in succession despite their late league form and they started this quarter-final looking to show that they will once again be a forced to a reckoned with. Three points in as many minutes from Conal Cunning (free) and Keelan Molloy (two) gave them the start they would have discussed in the changing rooms before throw in.
It took until the eighth minute for St Comgall’s to register their first scored and their first effort at goal, Peter McAuley converting a free but the score settled the St Comgall’s men into the tie. McAuley and his brother Conor fired over points to make it four unanswered for the Antrim town side and give them the lead for the first time in the match in the 16th minute.
St Comgall’s were on top in midfield and were pressurising the Dunloy kick-outs and were finding gaps in the Cuchullains defence but Conor McAuley’s second score of the match in the 16th minute was to be St Comgall’s last of the half as the Cuchullains turned the screw.
A Conor McKinley point from close to 50 yards gave the Dunloy men their first score in 12 minutes and when Captain Nigel Elliott mirrored McKinley’s effort moments later, the Cuchullains had started to go through the gears.
They scored their first goal of the match in the 24th minute, veteran Kevin McAllister getting on the end of ball played into the danger area from Molloy. The remainder of the half proved to be a major purple patch for Dunloy with points for Coby Cunning and Molloy before they added their second goal of the tie. Eoin O’Neill and Deaglan Smyth combining before O’Neill found Cunning in space. The Dunloy forward made no mistake with his effort, finding the bottom corner of Kieran Quinn’s goals in the 30th minute.
Elliott had the final say of the half when he dissected the posts for the second time to give the Cuchullains a 10 point lead at the interval.
The Cuchullains scored 2-5 in the last 13 minutes of the half to undo the good work St Comgall’s put into the opening quarter. The speed of the Dunloy forward line and accuracy of supply was too much for the Antrim men to handle and half time certainly came at the right time for them.
Two scores in the opening four minutes from Paddy O’Connor and Ruairi Griffin restored the St Comgall’s challenge but Dunloy found the back of their net again with their first meaningful attack of the second half. Cunning went to collect a long ball into the full forward line and made the most of a slip in the St Comgall’s defence. ‘Coby’ showed plenty of composure to apply the finish and all but end the tie as a contest in the 36th minute. ‘Woody’ McKinley added his second point of the match to increase the Cuchullains advantage to 12 points before St Comgall’s managed to find the back of the net themselves. Dunloy man Ryan Elliott was judged to have put in a foot block in the square by referee Eamon McAuley and Conor McAuley made no mistake from the spot, firing to the right hand side of Kevin McQuillan in the Dunloy goals.
Oisin Crilly split the posts in the 42nd minute for the Antrim men but Dunloy were finding gaps in the St Comgall’s defence at will and managed to score their fourth and fifth goals inside two minutes. Karl Fitzpatrick finishing a good team move before Molloy took his tally to 1-3 with a more fortuitous effort in the 46th minute.
With the result secured, the Cuchullains emptied their bench to give their panel a taste of championship action but the play became more broken with both sides lacking fluency in the last quarter.
St Comgall’s defender James McLornan did manage to score his sides second goal of the match in the 58th minute but it was little more than scant consolation as Dunloy ran out comfortable winners after the hour and advance to a meeting with Moneyglass in the last four.
TEAMS
Dunloy: Kevin McQuillan; Oran Quinn; Karl O’Kane; Kieran Hughes; Miceál Murphy; Gabriel McTaggart; Deaglan Smyth; Conor McKinley (0-2); Karl Fitzpatrick (1-00); Ryan Elliott; Nigel Elliott (0-3); Kevin McAllister (1-00); Keelan Molloy (1-3); Eoin O’Neill; Conal Cunning (2-2, 1 free)
Subs: Chrissy McMahon for M Murphy (35 mins); Peter McQuillan for C McKinley (48 mins); Oisin McPoland for C Cunning (52 mins); Paul McNally for R Elliott (54 mins)
St Comgalls: Kieran Quinn; Danaan O’Hare; Josh Henry; James McLarnon (1-00); Ruairi Griffin (0-1); Niall Taggart; Shane Og Gribbinl Oisin Crilly (0-1); Patrick Hasson; Peter McAuley (0-3, 2 frees); Conor McAuley (1-2, 1 free, 1-00 pen); Paddy Quinn; Patrick O’Connor (0-1)
Subs: Ryan McAuley for D O’Hare (HT); Callum McCabe for N Taggart (HT); Rory McLarnon for P Hasson (HT)
Referee: Eamonn McAuley (Erins Own, Cargin)
