Talismanic Scahill produces the goods as Coláiste Mhuire secure Leinster PPS title
It was Coláiste Mhuire – who last contested a final in 1988 and won their only title five years before that secured the title.
Paul Keating’s improvised goal in extra time and a stunning performance from transition year student Will Scahill were the vital ingredients in Coláiste Mhuire edging out Ardscoil na Tríonóide after a tumultuous 80 minutes of action in Tullamore this afternoon.
The decider was the culmination of a fascinating Leinster championship where up to a dozen schools and combinations would have felt like they were championship contenders at the start of the campaign, but throughout the knockout stages, it was Coláiste Mhuire – who last contested a final in 1988 and won their only title five years before that – and debut finalists Ardscoil na Tríonóide who emerged as the leading lights.
That inexperience showed in the early stages of the game, when both sides were guilty of some errant shooting.
Good scores from St. Joseph’s club colleagues Robbie Murphy and Darragh Farrell were the exception to that rule as they gave Ardscoil na Tríonóide an 0-3 to 0-1 lead with 12 minutes on the clock, while Coláiste Mhuire saw their talismanic corner forward kick two early wides.
They didn’t have to wait long for Scahill to show his class however as he cut in from the left corner and fired a low shot inside Oisín Groarke’s near post.
Two minutes later the Ardscoil na Tríonóide net rippled again, and again it was Scahill who did the damage, getting on the end of a breakaway move and sprinting through 25 metres of open space before slipping a precise low shot into the bottom left corner.
For the next 30 minutes either side of half-time however, Ardscoil na Tríonóide were dominant.
They didn’t have long to wait to get themselves right back into the game as rampaging defenders James Donnelly and Calum Keaveny broke forward and combined to set up Colm Moran, whose subtle sidestep was crucial in opening up a clean look at the goal.
After Moran fired in his goal, the power of Donnelly, Murphy and team captain Eoin Johnson around the middle third was crucial to the Athy school taking control of the game, and working their way to a 1-7 to 2-2 half-time lead, a lead they doubled when Murphy and Farrell shot the first two points of the second half.
Farrell’s strength and power at full-forward made life much easier for Ardscoil na Tríonóide throughout the game, as he was superb at winning his own ball, regardless of how it was sent in.
Oisín O’Hara and Donnacha Maguire made some fine catches to give Coláiste Mhuire some good possession, but in part because they lost full-forward Eoin Meehan to injury, they struggled to create the same space and scoring chances close to the opposition goal.
That made it all the more crucial that Ardscoil na Tríonóide were guilty of some rash fouls, scores that allowed Scahill to kick pressure frees that helped bring the game back to level terms with a few minutes to play.
In a dramatic finale to the hour, Farrell won a free that Ronan Kelly converted, Ben Sheerin was the unlikely hero for Coláiste Mhuire as he hooked over a shot in injury-time to force an additional 20 minutes, while the outlook for that extra-time changed completely when Farrell hit Scahill with a frontal charge, drawing a straight red card.
That left Ardscoil na Tríonóide short a player and visibly stretched for extra-time and while the first two points of overtime were traded, they were dealt a hammer blow in the last minute of the first period of extra-time when Paul Keating ghosted into the edge of the square to get under a partially-blocked shot that dropped short, and perhaps sensing the advance of Oisín Groarke, he gave the ball a volleyball-style reverse flick to the net, making it 3-9 to 1-11 at the interval.
A black card for Michael Moloney levelled up the numbers and allowed Ardscoil na Tríonóide to halve the gap with Kelly’s sixth free and a point from Sam Lynch, but there was still time for Scahill to show his talent as he broke through three tackles as he devoured 50 metres of ground before setting up Seán Byrne for a fisted insurance point, putting the seal on a magical afternoon for the Westmeath school and confirming their place in a Hogan Cup semi-final against St. Colman’s of Claremorris in a fortnight.
Will Scahill 2-6 (0-5f), Paul Keating 1-0, Seán Byrne 0-2, Matthew Thornton 0-1, Ben Sheerin 0-1.
Ronan Kelly 0-6f, Colm Moran 1-1, Darragh Farrell 0-3 (0-1m), Robbie Murphy 0-2, Sam Lynch 0-1.
A Buckley (Mullingar Shamrocks); D Smith (The Downs), C Daly (Erin’s Own), T Masterson (Mullingar Shamrocks); M Moloney (The Downs), M Weir (St. Loman’s), B Sheerin (Mullingar Shamrocks); E Conlon (Shandonagh), D Maguire (Mullingar Shamrocks); O O’Hara (St. Loman’s), M Thornton (Multyfarnham), C Heffernan (Mullingar Shamrocks); S Byrne (St. Loman’s), E Meehan (St. Loman’s), W Scahill (Shandonagh).
B McNamee ( Mullingar Shamrocks) for Meehan (25), P Keating (Mullingar Shamrocks) for Heffernan (58), A Glynn (Mullingar Shamrocks) for Smith (60+2), J Murtagh (Mullingar Shamrocks) for Sheerin (h-t in e-t), Heffernan for Thornton (80).
O Groarke (Castlemitchell); L Byrne, M Grufferty (St. Laurence’s), D Henry; C Keaveny, J Donnelly (St. Laurence’s), C Pedreschi; R Murphy (St. Joseph’s), E Johnson (St. Joseph’s); R Kelly, C Moran, P Kelly (Castlemitchell); H Grainger, D Farrell (St. Joseph’s), S Lynch (St. Joseph’s).
E Coffey (Castlemitchell) for Grufferty (40), S Rowan (St. Joseph’s) for Grainger (47), N Hickey (Ballylinan) for Lynch (57), R Brennan (St. Joseph’s) for Keaveny (60+2), Lynch for Murphy (72), C O’Rourke (Castlemitchell) for Byrne (80).
Eamon O’Connor (Offaly).
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