Maigh Cuilinn march into the Connacht SFC final defeating Leitrim Gaels

Leitrim Gaels played in their first ever Connacht championship match.

CONNACHT FINAL BOOKED: Maigh Cuilinn march into the Connacht SFC final. Picture: Tyler Miller/Sportsfile

Connacht Club SFC semi-final: Maigh Cuilinn 4-13 (4-2-9) Leitrim Gaels 1-9 (1-0-9)

Maigh Cuilinn manager Cathal Clancy will chat with Galway player Peter Cooke this Monday morning to see if he will be able to return from work abroad to play in the Connacht final against Roscommon champions St Brigid’s.

The influential county player came back and made a big impact off the bench in Maigh Cuilinn’s county final win over Salthill/Knocknacarra but has not featured in their two games to date in the Connacht championship.

“We literally have to take a week to week when there's a man like that abroad,” said Clancy. “We'll sit down again now tomorrow, I speak with Peter kind of every Monday, we figure out a plan of what's happening and we'll do the same again tomorrow and just plan towards two weeks’ time.

“But it's just when you have someone like that who is working abroad and has been travelling a lot already this year between county and his work and back and over for all our games, you're kind of just taking it week to week and we'll do that again now this week. We'll sit down and we'll figure it out.” Clancy said they know they will need to dig deep if they are to claim a second ever Connacht club title when they take on Anthony Cunningham’s men.

“The one thing we know about Brigid’s is they come with a serious tradition in the Connacht club championship. They have a really outstanding team,” added Clancy.

“We can't forget either the Galway champions have lost to the Roscommon champions three of the last four times they've played, between Pearses and Brigid’s. We're going down to the Hyde, we're against a county that has beaten the Galway champions over the last few years. We've no doubt we will be underdogs.

“There's going to be sore bodies on both sides, I'm sure, but look, we're just glad to be in it now at this stage.” The McDonagh brothers led the way as Maigh Cuilinn, provincial winners three years ago, eased past the Leitrim side at Pearse Stadium.

Fionn McDonagh fired home two goals and his younger brother Fiachra also found the net in Salthill as Maigh Cuilinn bounced back from an untypical slow start to dominate the game.

Leitrim Gaels, playing in their first ever Connacht championship match, made a whirlwind start and raced into a 1-2 to 0-0 lead after less than five minutes.

David Regan and Stephen Goldrick landed the points while Fermanagh’s Garvan Jones drilled home the goal into the bottom right corner after soloing through.

But that was as good as it got and Leitrim Gaels didn’t score again in the opening half. Maigh Cuilinn, much more seasoned after winning three of the last six Galway titles having never won it before, didn’t panic and worked their way back into the game, getting level after 18 minutes thanks to a couple of points from Dessie Cooneely and one apiece from former Offaly captain Johnny Maloney, Fionn McDonagh and Niall Walsh.

Fionn McDonagh edged them in front for the first time but the key score came ten minutes from the break when he combined with Maloney to set Conneely up for the opening goal.

They added a second two minutes later when Maloney’s dipping shot was fisted to the net by Fiachra McDonagh and that helped them go in at the break with a commanding 2-9 to 1-2 lead, with Leitrim Gaels corner-back Shane Finn picking up a black card three minutes before the interval.

Liam Moreton got Leitrim Gaels’ first score in 28 minutes when he finished off a good move with a point before Maigh Cuilinn goalkeeper Pierce Greally did well to deny Jamie Rynn.

Any notion of a comeback was quickly dispelled as Fionn McDonagh rattled home two goals in just over two minutes to push the lead out to 4-9 to 1-3 after 47 minutes, with Maigh Cuilinn afforded the luxury of taking off Galway captain Sean Kelly as they emptied their bench.

Leitrim Gaels did likewise as this semi-final ambled to an inevitable conclusion with Conneely landing a two-pointer after 49 minutes before Aidan Flynn, Garvan Jones and Shaun Chandler had late points for the Leitrim champions who failed to convert several goal opportunities as a season where they claimed their first ever senior county title.

Scorers for Maigh Cuilinn: D Conneely 1-7 (1 2pf, 1 2p, 0-1f), Fionn McDonagh 2-3 (0-2f), Fiachra McDonagh 1-0, S O’Connor, J Maloney and N Walsh 0-1 each.

Scorers for Leitrim Gaels: G Jones 1-4 (0-3f), D Regan, S Goldrick, L Moreton, A Flynn and S Chandler 0-1 each.

MAIGH CUILINN: P Greally; A Claffey, M Moughan, E Kelly; S O’Connor, S Kelly, D Wynne; P Kelly, T Clarke; J Maloney, N Walsh, G Davoren; Fionn McDonagh, Fiachra McDonagh, D Conneely. 

Subs: K Gallagher for Walsh (41), C Corcoran for S Kelly (43), E McGuire for Claffey (46), M Hynes for E Kelly (49), C Cox for Fionn McDonagh (50), M Bradley for Maloney (56).

LEITRIM GAELS: B Cull; L Chandler, F Cullen, S Finn; S Chandler, A Flynn, J Rynn; R Jones, C Jones; J Flynn, G Jones, S Goldrick; D Regan, L Moreton, M Connolly. 

Subs: C Guckian for Moreton (39), E Tracey for Farrell (39), M Connolly for Rynn (43), B Finn for Cullen (52), J Flynn for Goldrick (56).

Referee: Jerome Henry (Mayo).