Paddies Edge Past Gorts To Reach The Decider

Junior Hurling Championship

Semi Final

Sarsfields 0-19 Gort na Mona 0-17

Friday 25 September

Brendan McTaggart reports from Dunsilly

For the majority of this junior hurling championship semi final, it looked like there was a shock on the cards. Gort na Mona had come to Dunsilly to make a mockery of the pre-championship tag adorned on Sarsfields and were in pole position to book a final place.

Leading by three with a little over 10 minutes remaining, Turf Lodge’s finest would only register one more score and the Paddies found an edge in the closing stages.

***Daniel Smyth punches the air in celebration after sending over the final point of the game to seal Sarsfields place in the final***

The Stewartstown Road side were pushed to the pin of their collar on the night and the Gorts will feel like they let this one slip from their grasp. But that grasp was loosening from the start of the second half. The Paddies made some tweaks and introduced Garry Lennon at the interval and they reaped the rewards, eventually.

Desi McClean was at his imperious best from placed ball, 10 of his 13 points coming from placed ball, nine of those white flags coming in the first half. But as the Paddies defence tightened up and their discipline in the tackle also improved, the Gorts struggled for scores from open play.

The Paddies had no such problems to deal with. Six different scorers, just six of their final tally of 19 coming from placed ball with Kevin McKernan and Enda McCartan leading the charge.

The closing stages belonged to Sarsfields and as the pressure increased on the Gort defence, their discipline waned. Daniel Smyth took full advantage while Donal McKernan’s accuracy was on point from long range.

Both sides started the semi final brightly and were all square on two points each after five minutes. McClean and Kevin McKernan with frees while Donal McKernan and McClean split the uprights from side line cuts.

Daniel Smyth and McClean (free) dissected the posts before Kevin McKernan gave the Paddies an 11^th minute lead.

Gort’s first score from open play came from McClean, splitting the uprights with a lovely effort over his shoulder before Sean Doyle gave them the lead half way through the half.

Kevin McKernan scored his second point from play to restore parity to the sides and while the Paddies accuracy deserted them, the Gorts took full advantage. McClean firing over three points from frees in succession to give his side a three point lead for the first time in the game by the 27^th minute.

Kevin McKernan split the posts either side of McClean’s second point from play before Neil Henry restored the three point lead in the last minute of the 30.

Danie Smyth and McClean (free) fired over to leave the half time score 0-11 to 0-9 in Gort na Mona’s favour.

The Paddies began the second half with more urgency with Enda McCartan firing over a brace of points either side of McClean’s seventh free of the match. Fionn Jemfrey and Smyth (free) split the posts to tie the scores by the 41^st minute but it looked like the Gorts had saw off the Paddies purple patch when they fired over three unanswered points. McClean firing over a frees either side of a score from Patrick McCaffrey.

It was Sarsfields who found another gear with a quarter of the game remaining. McCartan and Ruairi O’Scollain split the posts by the 48^th minute but the Turf Lodge men would only register one further point in the time that remained.

Donal McKernan split the uprights from distance before Cormac Mulligan left the minimum between the sides with seven minutes remaining. Frees from Kevin McKernan and Caolan McKernan gave the Paddies the lead but McClean replied for the Gort’s with one minute of the hour remaining.

With all thoughts turning towards the potential of extra time, the Paddies pressure increased and Gort na Mona’s defence struggled. A brace of frees from Smyth in injury time ensured the Paddies would take the honours and seal their place in the junior decider with Armoy or Lámh Dhearg their next hurdle.

TEAMS

Sarsfields Starting XV: David Ward; Noah McGivern, David Johnston, Mark McCavanagh; Jay Ward, Caolan McKernan, Donal McKernan; Enda McCartan, Nicholas O’Mullane; Daniel Smyth, Kevin McKernan, Cormac Mulligan; Fionn Jemfrey, Niall Mac an Lia, Kevin Barry McArdle

Subs: Garry Lennon for N Mac an Lia (HT); Oisin Coleman for KB McArdle (47)
Scorers: K McKernan 0-6 (1f); D Smyth 0-5 (3f); D McKernan 0-3 (2f); E McCartan 0-3; C Mulligan 0-1; F Jemfrey 0-1

Gort na Mona Starting XV: Caolan McCrory; Conor Connolly, Mark Rea, Nathan Gibson; Gavin McKenna, Neil Henry, Niall Healy; Patrick McCaffrey, Tiernan Morton; Thomas McCaffrey, Sean Doyle, Darren Boyd; Ruairi O’Sollain, Desi McClean, Daire Keenan

Subs: Ciaran McMullan for R O’Scollain (51)
Scorers: D McClean 0-13 (10f); R O’Scollain 0-1, S Doyle 0-1, P McCaffrey 0-1, N Henry 0-1