Powerful Casement’s retain their Minor title

Antrim Minor Football Championship Final

Casement’s 0-23 St. Paul’s 0-8

A pacey and powerful Casement’s, Portglenone had little trouble in retaining their Minor Football Championship title when they proved too good for a battling St. Paul’s under the Dunsilly floodlights on Friday night.

Retaining all but one of last year’s winning side, the Bannsiders started this one as firm favourites and dominated right from the throw-in as they raced into an early lead through Conor Burns, Odhran Doherty and James McDonnell.

Dillon Rogers-Duffy got St. Paul’s off the mark with a point in the 10^th minute but the Shaw’s Road side were being suffocated by a hungry and talented Portglenone defence.

The fast, direct running of the Portglenone attack was beginning to open up their opponents defence and Eoghan McErlean got his name on the score card before Odhran Doherty punished a breach as he raised the first Orange flag of the evening to put his side five ahead.

McErlean, James McVeigh and Conor Burns added further points to move the Casement’s 0-9 to 0-1 ahead after 17 minutes as the best efforts of St. Paul’s floundered on the rocks of a hungry Portglenone defence.

Dillon Rogers-Duffy added a second point for St. Paul’s from a 13 meter free but the ‘Hoops’ were being forced to play a lot of cross-field ball as the Casement’s defence continued to deny them time and space.

Duffy’s second point of the evening heralded St. Paul’s best period of play and with Cormac Trainor urging them on from mid-field, they added further points through Jay Gault and another from Duffy to close the gap to five after 28 minutes.

The final score of the half would come from the boot of Odhran Doherty to send the Casement’s to the dressing room with a fairly healthy 6 point lead but St. Paul’s were guilty of a bad miss late in the half and must have felt that they could turn things around in the second half.

It never looked like materialising however as the reigning champions stepped up another gear on the restart with Conor McKeever creating and punishing a turnover with a point after 4 minutes and the sweet striking Doherty raising another Orange flag.

The South West side were flying as their pace and hunger began to open up gaping spaces in the St. Paul’s defence with McKeever adding a great point and Doherty continuing to impress from distance with his third 2 pointer of the evening.

Frank McAleese, and two more from the mercurial McKeever moved the Casement’s out of sight by the 20^th minute but to their credit, St. Paul’s were still giving it everything with Odhran Phillips, Jay Gault, Cormac Trainor and Jude Gamble to the fore.

They were rewarded for their efforts when Gamble finally opened their second half account with a point in the 23d minute as Portglenone began to empty their bench.

Odhran Doherty and Conor Burns brought the Portglenone total for the evening to 0-23 with St. Paul’s finishing with 2 pointed frees from substitute Matt O’Neill and another from play to put a better look on the final score-line.

Another great performance from an excellent Portglenone side who have been together up through the age groups and have won everything they have contested within Antrim.

They were a team without a weakness on this occasion with Cillian McKenna, Thomas Douthart, Tom Duffin, Odhran Doherty, Conor Burns and Conor McKeever outstanding.

It’s been a while since an Antrim team have made an impression in the St. Paul’s-Ulster tournament but there is a feeling if this Casement’s team can get a favourable draw then they might just give it a lash.

Casement’s: 1 Joe Duffin, 2 Ronan McAleer, 3 Cillian McKenna, 4 Cillian McDonnell, 5 Thomas Douthart, 6 Tom Duffin, 7 James McVeigh, 8 Odhran Doherty, 9 Dara Campbel, 10 Tom Convery, 11 Conor Burns, 12 Frank McAleese, 13 Phelim McCloskey, 14 Conor McKeever, 15 Eoghan McErlean

Subs: 16 Eoghan Smith, 17 Charlie Convery, 18 Oisin Convery, 19 Patrick John O’Boyle, 20 Patrick O’Boyle, 21 Conall Morgan 22 Rory O’Kane

St. Paul’s: 1 Shea Sands, 2 Tom Kearney, 3 Eamonn Kearney, 4 Darren Harmon, 5 Oisin McLaren, 6 Odhran Phillips, 7 Jay Gault, 8 Cormac Trainor, 9 Odhran Walsh, 10 Brendan McMorrow, 11 Oisin Gamble, 12 Jude Gamble, 13 Daire Thornbury, 14 James McDonnell, 15 Dillon Rogers-Duffy

Subs: 16 Cillian Richie, 17 Gerard Maguire, 18 Kaiden Farrell, 19 Oran Duncan, 20 Eoghan Coyle, 21 Cillian O’Neill, 22 Matthew Armstrong, 23 Matthew O’Neill, 25 Hayden O’Callaghan, 26 Kevin McCall, 27 Fionn 28 Aodhan McNally

Referee, Declan McLarnon (St. Agnes)