St Killian’s centre back Charlie McAuley is the only doubt in the starting fifteen for Saturday’s Paddy Buggy All Ireland Colleges B final against Munster champions Blackwater Community College at Abbotstown.
McAuley injured his ankle nearing the end of the semi-final win over Portumna CS in Darvar two weeks ago and since them has done only light training in the build up to Saturday game. He has been receiving treatment and is almost there, but the physiotherapist has advised the management not to make a decision until the last minute and see how Charlie fares in the warm-up.
The rest of the team should line out in the same positions as they played when beating Portumna CS in the semi-final at Darvar two weeks ago. Tomas McLaughlin will guard the St Killian’s goals, behind a full back line of Colla Ward, Cailin Devlin and John Scullion, all three of whom played well in the semi-final. The half back line will see Charlie McAuley pivot the defence if fit with Austin Birt on his right and Niall Magee, one of the real stars of the semi-final, on his left.
Calum McIlwaine and Callagh Mooney formed the midfield pairing against Portumna and should team up again on Saturday while Cormac McKeown, Joseph McLaughlin and Orrin O’Connor form a potent half forward line. Oran McCambridge, Michael Furey and Niall Hynds should be the full forward line, though which one of the three is on the edge of the square is a thing the management will probably just decide on the day.
It goes without saying that Blackwater will go into the game as favourites, that is in the southern press anyway, but we all know that if St Killian’s play as they did against Portumna then they need fear nobody.
St Killians have waited a long time for this day. All Ireland finals won’t come around too often for the school and obvious won’t come again for this current team, so it is important they grab their chance with both hands.
Antrim travel to Cusack Park in Ennis this Saturday (16th March) to face a Clare team riding high in division 3. A point for Andy McEntee’s Saffrons would guarantee them division 3 safety for another year but this looks a difficult fixture for the Antrim men.
A season that started with great promise and a win over Limerick in Rathgael was followed by a win over Offaly at Corrigan Park and a push for a promotion place looked to be heading in the right direction.
The Saffrons suffered their first defeat against a strong Down side at Corrigan in round 3 though for three quarters of the contest Antrim were well in contention but were hit by a late scoring burst by a Down side who have been installed as favourites to win the league
Declan McLarnon who has established himself in the Antrim mid-field this season and JohnMorgan who made a solid debut at right-back against Westmeath at Corrigan Park
The wheels came off the wagon in round 4 when Antrim travelled to Markievicz Park to face a Sligo team who had won promotion from division 4 the previous season. Antrim, inspired by Paddy McBride, led the Yates County at half time but capitulated in the second half.
Westmeath have matched Down all the way in the race for the division 3 title and had handed out a chastening defeat to Antrim in Mullingar the previous year and were installed as firm favourites when they travelled to Belfast in Round 4.
Antrim produced a much improved performance and were right in contention until late in the game. Four points separated the sides in the end but on another day Antrim might have had three goals.
Full-back, Eunan Walsh had his shot cleared off the line early in the contest and Dominic McEnhill rattled the crossbar late in the contest after being sent clear by Marc Jordan.
So in a season of ‘might have been’ Antrim make the long trip to Ennis on Saturday hoping to get back on track but looking over their shoulder at the chasing pack and in search of the point that would ensure division 3 football for next season.
Declan Lynch and Paddy McBride bring a wealth of experience to the Antrim side
Clare maintain promotion ambitions themselves with their only defeat in this year’s campaign coming at the hands of Westmeath back on the 4th February with only a point separating the sides in Mullingar on that occasion.
Unbeaten Down and Westmeath meet in Mullingar this weekend while Clare travel to Newry for the final fixture of their league campaign so a win in Ennis over Antrim would keep their promotion hopes very much alive going into the final game of the season.
Once again Antrim are likely to be without a number of their more experienced players through injury with Paddy McAleer the latest to be added to that list and the All Saints man is unlikely to feature on Saturday after making a successful return to the side this season.
Antrim are likely to feature along similar lines from the Westmeath game and Andy McEntee has been forced to give debuts to a number of youngsters this season as a result of that injury list and can feel pleased about their progress.
Declan Lynch has returned to the side for the last two games and adds a bit of experience while Dermot McAleese, Marc Jordan, Paddy McBride and Ruairi McCann (Creggan) bring a wealth of experience to the side.
Ballymena’s Kavan Keenan has thrived in the man-marker role while Eunan Walsh has performed well in a full-back role that was previously foreign to the Aghagallon man and St. Brigid’s John Morgan made a solid debut against Westmeath last day out.
Colm McLarnon of St. Paul’s and Conor Hand of St. John’s formed a new mid-field partnership while Cargin’s Pat Shivers made his first start in attack where Ronan Boyle made an impressive switch from defence to attack.
Marc Jordan who’s driving runs can trouble ClarePat Shivers could get his second start of the season in Ennis
What of Clare ?
Clare are a solid outfit and were unfortunate to suffer their only loss to Westmeath in Mullingar with Westmeath manager Dessie Dolan agreeing that his side were fortunate to overcome the Banner.
Dermot Coughlan particularly impressive at wing forward and he fired over a hat-trick of quality points. Ciaran Downes also scored three points, including a ’45’ in the seventh minute. Arguably the best point of the half was a wonderful long-range shot from goalkeeper Stephen Ryan in the 19th minute and Clare deservedly led by 0-10 to 1-1 at the interval.
Couglan received a second yellow late in the game but Brian McNamara sent over a great equaliser and Mark Fitzgerald’s side had a goal ruled out before Roan O’Toole kicked a late winner for the Lake County.
So Antrim will go into Saturday’s game in Ennis as rank outsiders but certainly not without hope and if they can put their best game together for the full 70 plus minutes then a win is certainly not beyond them.
It’ll be an early start on Saturday morning for Antrim and their supporters but if they can get something from the game then it will all have been all worth and will make the long journey home less daunting.
Paddy Buggy Cup final preview – St Killian’s Garron Tower v Blackwater CS Waterford
How Blackwater CS got there
St Killian’s final opponents on Saturday are Blackwater Community School of Lismore, Co Waterford, who beat Banagher College from Offaly in the All Ireland semi final. Conditions were not good for that game in Johnstown, Co Kilkenny and the physical strength of the Waterford boys proved a decisive factor on a heavy pitch.
In a low scoring game, the Waterford side showed greater sharpness in the second half to edge away from their opponents and claim their place in Saturday’s All-Ireland final against the Ulster champions.
While St Killian’s and Portumna were scoring highly on the astroturf at Darvar, Co Louth in their semi-final, Blackwater and Banagher were slogging it out in conditions that were not suitable for hurling. The weather the previous day had left the pitch very soft and then a diagonal crossfield wind made things even more difficult. There was torrential rain in the ten minutes up to half time which made any kind of fluent hurling almost impossible and it was no surprise that scores were scarce in that opening period, which ended 0-4 to 0-3 in favour of Blackwater.
Banagher College had to line out without their captain Shane Rigney, following his red card in the Leinster Final, and his absence was certainly felt by the Leinster champions. They played into the diagonal wind in the first half and weathered the first half storm – literally – to trail by only a point at half time and they looked to be in a reasonably good position at that stage.
However they struggled to get productive ball into their forward line in the second half as Blackwater began to take control of the game. Three unanswered points increased their lead to four 12 minutes into the half but Banagher then got a lifeline with the game’s only goal midway through the half to leave just a point in it. However they were unable to build on that and although a point still separated them going into injury time, three quick points for Blackwater were enough to seal their place in the decider against the Tower.
Blackwater midfielder Joseph O’Keefe was the best player on the field that day. From the very start he had an impact, scoring the first point of the game, and he continued to contribute strongly around the middle of the park, winning valuable possession and driving forward at the Banagher defence. He was the only player on the field to score more than once from play.
There was only a point between the sides at the interval but Blackwater played much more cohesively after the break. The attacked well, using a short passing game very effectively and that led to a number of their second half points. Joint captain O’Keefe led the way for them from midfield and was their most influential player from the very start, contributing three points from play.
BLACKWATER CS LISMORE: Billy Murphy; Jack Twomey, Tomas Ahern, Conor Lynch; Tadhg Duffin, Jake Henley, Joseph McDonnell; Callum McCarthy, Joseph O’Keefe; Charlie Lineen, Adam Cummins, James Hickey; Ben O’Sullivan, Ben Cummins, Stephen Murphy. Subs. Shane Barry (for Stephen Murphy, 33 mins), Conor Henley (for James Hickey, 66 mins).
Blackwater CS scorers; Ben Cummins (0-5, 0-4 frees), Joseph O’Keefe (0-3), Adam Cummins, Tadhg Duffin, James Hickey (0-1 each)
Blackwater Community School 1-19 High School Clonmel 1-14
In a high scoring provincial decider a goal and ten points from full forward Ben Cummins helped Blackwater Community School to an historic Munster final win over High School Clonmel on the astroturf at Fethard, Co. Tipperary
It was nip for tuck for the opening 10 minutes with Fourmilewater and Waterford under-20 county duo Evan Spellman and Michael Morrisey leading the fight for the high school while Cummins was tapping over the frees for Blackwater.
Perhaps the decisive moment of the game came in the 12th minute, when centre-back Jamie O’Keefe let the ball slip out of his hand from a Blackwater clearance. Adam Cummins pounced on the mistake and ran through the heart of the Clonmel defence before laying the ball off to Ben Cummins, who rattled it into the net to leave the Lismore school leading 1-5 to 0-3.
The goal left the Clonmel boys chasing for the rest of the game, but to their credit, they stayed battling and only trailed by four going into halftime, 1-9 to 0-8.
The deficit was back to three in the 41st minute when sub-Mikey McGuire kicked the sliotar into the back of the net after James Powers’ shot was initially saved to give the Clonmel school a lifeline of 1-13 to 1-10.
However, that was the closest the Clonmel school would get as joint captains Joseph O’Keefe and Ben O’Sullivan upped the gears for Blackwater as they scored the next five points before Cummins finished the scoring with a free-to-secure a famous win.
Scorers for Blackwater: Ben Cummins 1-10 (0-9 frees), Ben O’Sullivan (0-4), Joseph O’Keefe (0-3), Shane Barry (0-2)
Scorers for High School: Evan Spelman 0-8 (0-7 frees), Michael Morrisey (0-5 ), Mikey McGuire (1-0), Adam Cagney 0-1 (0-1 65)
Blackwater Community School Lismore (All Waterford): Billy Murphy (Cois Bhride); Jack Twomey (Cappoquin/Affane), Tomas Ahern (Ballyduff Upper), Conor Lynch (St Oliver’s); Tadhg Duffin (Lismore), Jake Henley (Cois Bhride), Shane Barry (Lismore); Joseph McDonnell (Cois Bhride), Joseph O’Keefe (Lismore); Charlie Lineen (Lismore), Adam Cummins (Lismore), James Hickey (Naomh Brid/ Modeligo); Stephen Murphy (Cois Bhride), Ben Cummins (Lismore), Ben O’Sullivan (Lismore).
Subs: Killian English (Ballyduff Upper) for Hickey (54 mins), Aidan Murphy (Cois Bhride) (60 mins).
Old rivals Loughgiel and Dunloy will meet in Sunday’s McAuley Cup Senior Hurling final in Armoy after the two north Antrim rivals came through last week’s semi-finals. Dunloy beat Cushendall while the Shamrock had too much for Ballycastle and although all the teams were badly understrength they still produced some good fare.
In last year’s Antrim Senior Hurling Championship the Shamrocks caused a shock when they ended Dunloy’s ‘drive for five’ in the semi-final in Ballycastle. Winning the McAuley Cup may not be high on either manager’s wish list for this season, but you can be sure both sets of fans will be keen to see their teams do well. Wins against your arch rivals is what makes sport special!
The McAuley Cup is named after Paddy McAuley, who was one of the key people involved in reformation of Armoy Glen Rovers Hurling Club and a few year after he passed away the club members came up with the idea of a competition in his memory. It was initially a pre-season tournament for clubs building up for the hurling year ahead. The timing has changed a few times over the years so it is good to see it back to its original timing.
The match gets underway at 2pm with piper Eamon Downey leading the teams in a pre-match parade around 1-50
