Danske Bank Mageean Cup Group A
Gaelcholáiste Dhoire 3-9 St Louis Ballymena 0-14
Gaelcholáiste Dhoire secured their position at the summit of Group A in the Danske Bank Mageean Cup with a hard-fought 3-9 to 0-14 victory over St Louis Ballymena at Slaughtneil this Tuesday. Capitalizing on a favorable wind in the first half, the Derry squad delivered an explosive opening performance, surging to a commanding 10-point advantage within the first 21 minutes of play. Their formidable attack was ignited early by a point from Cormac Ó Catháin, which was quickly followed by a spectacular solo goal from Kian Ó Ceallaigh just three minutes into the match. Despite retaliatory points from St Louis’s Joe Casey and Dylan O’Boyle, Gaelcholáiste maintained a relentless pace. Brógan Ó Dubhghail-Ó Cinnéide broke through for their second goal, and Ó Catháin found the back of the net for a third time in the 18th minute, stretching the lead to a daunting 3-4 to 0-3.
Facing a significant deficit, St Louis Ballymena mounted a fierce comeback anchored entirely by the sharpshooting of Joe Casey. Closing out the first half with five consecutive points—three of them from frees—Casey managed to cut the Derry side’s lead in half by the break. The Ballymena defense then tightened their ranks on the restart, completely neutralizing the Gaelcholáiste attack until Dylan Ó hÉireamhóinn finally relieved the pressure with a 38th-minute free. Casey continued his masterclass from dead balls, methodically chipping away at the lead and ultimately accumulating an impressive 12 points, 10 of which were frees. With just four minutes remaining on the clock, Casey set up O’Boyle for a crucial score that narrowed the gap to a tense two points.
Faced with immense late-game pressure, Gaelcholáiste managed to hold their nerve in the dying moments to claim the win. A critical point from Ó Dubhghail-Ó Cinnéide, gathered after the sliotar broke from an Ó hÉireamhóinn 65, gave the Derry team vital breathing room, and Ó hÉireamhóinn officially sealed the game with an injury-time free. Looking ahead, Gaelcholáiste now requires only a draw in next Wednesday’s final group stage clash against St Killian’s Garron Tower to secure a direct path to the semi-finals. Meanwhile, the competition continues in Group B this Thursday afternoon as Cross and Passion host the reigning champions, St Patrick’s Maghera, in a highly anticipated rematch of last year’s final.
Gaelcholáiste: B Ó Dubhghail-Ó Cinnéide 1-2, C Ó Catháin and K Ó Ceallaigh 1-1 each, D Ó hÉireamhóinn 0-5fs.
St Louis: J Casey 0-12, 10 fs, D O’Boyle 0-2.
Gaelcholáiste: Odhrán Ó Giolláin, Killian Ó Dubhghail-Ó Cinnéide, Conán Ó Giolláin, Ailbhe Mac Conmidhe, Oisín Mag Uiginn, Emmet Mac Íomhaire, Odhrán Ó Cléirigh, Dylan Ó Ceallaigh, Aaron Mag Uiginn, Cormac Ó Catháin, Dylan Ó hÉireamhóinn, Fionn Ó Conaire, Brógan Ó Dubhghail-Ó Cinnéide, Pádaí Mac Ainmhire, Kian Ó Ceallaigh.
Sub: Damhnaic Ó Ceallaigh for P Mac Ainmhire (50).
St Louis : Shane McGilligan, Joe Connolly, Cillian Scullion, Brian Agnew, Oisín O’Brien, Dylan McMullan, Liam McKee, Charlie Dunne, Lorcán Martin, Dylan O’Boyle, Neill Rodgers, Joe McFadden, Joe Casey, Domhnall McKay, Harry Blaney
Subs: Oisín Sisk for B Agnew and Ciarán Corr for L McKee (both ht)Rory Blaney for S McGilligan (34)
TO SEE MORE OF DYLAN’S PICS FROM THIS GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
https://myalbum.com/album/MLYMuM8fVHE8De/?invite=feedbe53-379c-4347-b7a0-9740dc587799