Late Gallen surge too much for Clon

THE All-Ireland Vocational SAFC trophy arrived in the West Offaly town of Ferbane for the first time on Saturday evening after a powerful late burst saw Gallen CS dethrone champions Clonakilty CC in Croke Park.

As the clock wound down, Clonakilty looked on the cusp of retaining their title despite an indifferent display. When wing-forward Cillian Cullinane crowned a fine team move with a lovely point in the 53rd minute and sub James Clancy added another soon after, they were 1-7 to 0-8 to the good.

But Gallen CS finished with a flourish. Their outstanding centre-forward Aaron McDonagh kick-started their scoring spree when he blasted a venomous drive to the net with five minutes remaining. Then corner-forward Eoghan Lowry strode forward to clip over a point before registering his team’s second goal.