Feis na nGleann
U16 McMullan Cup Final
Cushendall 0-18 Dunloy 1-13
Sunday 5 July
Brendan McTaggart reports from Pearse Park, Dunloy
The opening game on Feis Sunday has been the McMullan Cup final for as long as I can remember and it rarely disappoints. Sunday was no different. Cushendall produced a brilliant second half, lead superbly by midfielder Connlaodh McNaughton to make a mockery of their underdog status and take the first honours of the day at Pearse Park against Dunloy.
In a game that had everything from brilliant scores, outstanding individual performances and late, late drama at the death, it was Cushendall who showed just that little bit more composure in front of the target when it mattered most. Connlaodh McNaughton with 11 white flags showed just why his reputation soars throughout the county while Paidi O’Kane was unlucky to be on the losing side. The young Dunloy star added 1-7 over the hour and was a constant threat for the Cuchullains.
The Ruairi’s had top performers in Lorcan Bradley and Lorcan McNaughton while Oliver Mooney covered every blade of grass on the Pearse Park surface, despite wearing 15 on his back.
Oisin O’Brien shone for the Cuchulllains, especially in the first half where his high catching of ball coming his way at the heart of the Dunloy defence was a delight to watch. He was helped in defence by Harry McQuillan and Lorcan Martin while Tom Richmond was commanding and assured in goals.
The Cuchullains will rue their missed chances to build any momentum though, especially in the second half. A number of missed frees breathed life into the Cushendall challenge while doing little to help the Dunloy cause. Yet, it took the Ruairi’s to score the last three scores of the half and survive a disallowed goal at the death to get over the line.
The opening 10 minutes gave us a glimpse of what was to come with Connlaodh McNaughton and Paidi O’Kane leading the challenge for both sides. McNaughton would score three of Cushendall’s opening four points with Jayden McNaughton scoring the other. Dunloy’s response was a brace of scores from O’Kane but the early stages looked ominous for Cushendall as the Cuchullains looked sharp all over the pitch.
Ronan Elliott split the uprights for his first of five frees throughout the game in the 13th minute before the only goal of the final followed moments later. O’Brien with a trademark fetch in the air before spreading the play into the path of Ronan Elliott. He would find Paidi O’Kane haring through the middle and while the Dunloy star still had work to do, his finish was top drawer.
Ronan Elliott added another free with the next Dunloy attack but Cushendall responded with three unanswered scores of their own. Connlaodh McNaughton with a brace of scores, his first coming after a brilliant run to evade challenges while his second was his second free of the contest, Lorcan Bradley adding the third white flag of the sequence to tie the scores with a little over nine minutes of the half remaining.
It was the Cuchullains who finished the half on top however. A brace of white flags from Paidi O’Kane and scores from Lorcan Martin and Ronan Elliott (free) were followed by a Connlaodh McNaughton free with what was the last act of the half.
With the half time score 1-8 to 0-8 in Dunloy’s favour, both sides would have been content. Dunloy should have been further ahead given the number of chances they squandered while three points was far from an insurmountable lead for the Ruairi’s to reel in.
The opening exchanges of the second half brought Cushendall back on terms with a brace from Connlaodh McNaughton (frees) and a fine score from Lorcan McNaughton meant the Ruairi’s had four points unanswered and the scores were tied.
Frees from Paidi O’Kane and Ronan Elliott either side of Lorcan Bradley’s second white flag of the afternoon had Dunloy ahead again but they were indebted to the brilliance of ‘keeper Tom Richmond. He denied Connlaodh McNaughton with a top save after the Cushendall star cut through the Dunloy defence.
The Cuchullains response felt like it was match defining. Another brace of scores from Paidi O’Kane, the second a quite sumptuous score from wide on the right restored their half time lead going into the final ten minutes.
It was the Ruairi’s who finished the final strongly however with Dunloy missing a number of frees in those closing stages. A trio of points from Connlaodh McNaughton, Lorcan McNaughton and a huge free from Rian Laverty had the sides tied again with a little over five minutes to go.
Ronan Elliott’s fifth free of the game edges Dunloy ahead once again but that was the Cuchullains last score as Cushendall pushed for the finish line. A brace of points from the brilliant Connlaodh McNaughton were followed by an insurance score from Tiernan McKeegan as Cushendall took the lead at the death.
Dunloy pushed for another goal and were denied when referee Declan Carey called for a square ball infringement as an Oisin O’Brien free dropped into the net, much to the dismay of the Dunloy players and management.
A tense ending to a brilliant final with the Ruairi’s edging Dunloy to take the honours.
TEAMS
Cushendall starting XV: Patrick Harris; Thomas McGarry, Joseph O’Hara, Riley Steer; Rian Laverty, Sean McAuley, Shayne Dorrity; Cabhan McKeegan, Connlaodh McNaughton; Lorcan Bradley, Harry Blaney, Tiernan McKeegan; Lorcan McNaughton, Jayden McNaughton, Oliver Mooney
- Scorers: C McNaughton 0-11 (7fs), L Bradley 0-2, L McNaughton 0-2, J McNaughton 0-1, T McKeegan 0-1, R Laverty 0-1 (1f)
Dunloy starting XV: Tom Richmond; Noah Bradley, Aaron Richmond, Harry McQuillan; Cayden McGuckian, Oisin O’Brien, Lorcan Martin; Tiernan O’Reilly, Paidi O’Kane; Blaine Mullan, Peadar Doherty, Sean Johnston; Ronan Elliott, Pearse McMullan, Caden Doherty
- Scorers: P O’Kane 1-7 (1f, 1’65), R Elliott 0-5 (5fs), L Martin 0-1
Referee: Declan Carey (Glenravel)
To see more of Brendan’s photos from the game, follow the link below…..
https://myalbum.com/album/LjeK9njNC2WfCD/?invite=bf599b2a-d867-4ea8-a432-832f7b5d8d9d