Photo: Clonard's Eoin Treacy
Junior Championship Semi Final
Clonard 0-8 St. Moylagh 0-12
County semi-finals are where every club wants to be come September, and Clonard and Moylagh had the privilege of contesting this one in a breezy Athboy grounds with heavy underfoot conditions on a mild Saturday evening.
No Meath GAA expert or bookmaker would have predicted this pairing at the start of the year. Both sides were in bonus territory and only 60 minutes away from a county final. Clonard were not just in bonus territory but also in familiar territory, with several players having lined out for the 2014 semi-final, three years earlier, when they succumbed to eventual winners Cortown in Pairc Tailteann, and were hoping to go one better in 2017.
Referee Bernard Heaney was the man in the middle as these two familiar foes commenced battle in front a large crowd in Athboy. All in attendance were eagerly anticipating a tight affair between the sides. Moylagh were first to register a point but Clonard replied a with well worked team score, finished off by roving half-back Paul Boland. The super fit veteran was showing why he was still playing first team football in his forties, as he rode the challenge of two tough tackles to point from 35 meters out, while under pressure.
Moylagh added another from the boot of the very impressive Sean Reilly but Gary Raleigh added two frees from close range to edge Clonard in front. It was end to end stuff with both teams giving their all but nervousness was showing from both sides as possession was given away needlessly on several occasions, particularly in the Clonard defence. A crucial moment came on 19 minutes when great work by Mikie Mullen saw him burst past two Moylagh defenders as he bore down on goal, however the second defender dived to hand-trip Mullen when a goal seemed certain, with Kenneth Darby unmarked in front of goals had he not chosen to finish it himself. The Moylagh player received a very justified black card but many would question whether it was enough punishment for intentionally denying a clear goal at a crucial stage of the half, but such are the rules.
The next three scores came from the men in green as they took a two-point lead after 28 minutes, 0-5 to 0-3. Jason Moore then added a fine effort from play as he continued his recent good scoring form, with his strength dispossessing Moylagh players on several occasions. There was time for one more score before the break and it came from Moylagh, as the two Reillys were proving a real handful for Clonard’s Ger Foley and Brian O’Reilly. The half time whistle sounded, with the score-line reading Clonard 0-4 Moylagh 0-6.
The second half started just like the first with Moylagh registering the first score. Clonard hit another frustrating wide, this time from the boot of Gary Raleigh as once again Moylagh punished Clonard with their second score of the half on 38 minutes. Jason Moore added his second of the game to bring the deficit back to three but Moylagh were not phased and hit two more scores of their own within a minute, to stretch their lead out to five points after 43 minutes.
Just like in many championship games previously this year when the game seemed to be slipping away, Clonard responded with great passion and determination and completely took over possession all around the large Athboy pitch. A great interchange of passes split open the Moylagh defence and Eoin Treacy was one-on-one with the keeper inside the six-yard box, but the angle proved too difficult as the Moylagh netminder advanced to prevent the goal. Two minutes later a typical Ger Foley run with his long strides made his way past the 21-yard line, but his hand-pass to Jason Moore was intercepted by the Moylagh defender when Moore seemed certain to test the Moylagh keeper.
Paul Sheridan registered a point from a well hit ’45 following Treacy’s denied goal chance but Mikie Mullen hit wide from a long range grounded free. Clonard were dominating and they added another point from a dead-ball followed by Dylan Flanagan’s effort from play which sailed over the cross bar to leave just two points between the sides with 5 minutes left to play. All them momentum was with Clonard.
Moylagh cleverly tried to keep possession when they did win the ball in an attempt to stem the Clonard flow but chances still came for Clonard as Dylan Flanagan’s two well struck efforts fell just short in to the grateful goalkeeper’s hands. The stiff breeze playing it’s part in the two agonisingly close attempts.
As Clonard continued to push forward the inevitable space opened up at the opposite end for Moylagh and on 58 minutes they added a point to put a goal between the sides. Clonard kept trying in their typical style but two more wides were all they could muster as Moylagh added the insurance score with time almost up. Two minutes of injury time followed as the ball seemed to have taken permanently residency in the Moylagh half, but it wasn’t to be Clonard’s day. The final whistle sounded on a scoreline of Clonard 0-8 Moylagh 0-12, and the winners celebrated, they are now 60 minutes away from intermediate status in Meath football. The very best of luck to them in the final.
Clonard players and management spent time discussing and contemplating the result in a solemn dressing room. Bainisteoir Damien Griffin payed compliments to the players, his selectors and the club, while team captain Adam Flanagan expressed the players thanks to him and his management team of David Campbell, Niall Walsh and Brian Coleman.
The Clonard supporters left the Athboy pitch and grounds as dejected figures contemplating an emotional season. There’s been some wonderful days this year and today it just didn’t happen for this talented and young team, as deep disappointment was the overriding emotion. When the dust settles in the coming weeks and months the players will reflect on the great games and performances this year and realise how close they are to that elusive Junior championship title. It’s a prize that has evaded every hopeful team in the club’s long history but they can now truly believe that they have the talent to be the ones to achieve it.
TEAM: 1.Paul Sheridan (0-1 0-1’45) 2.Brian O’Reilly 3.Paddy Daly 4.Stephen Connolly 5.Paul Boland (0-1) 6.Ger Foley 7.Eoin Connolly 8.Adam Flanagan 9.Jason Dowdall 10.Dylan Flanagan (0-1) 11.Eoin Treacy 12.Jason Moore (0-2) 13.Gary Raleigh (0-3 0-3f) 14. Ken Darby 15.Mikie Mullen
Subs: Johnny Fitzsimons for K.Darby, Adrian Boland for G.Raleigh
