Nicky Rackard Cup Final

DONEGAL 2-19 WARWICKSHIRE 0-18

By Michael Devlin at Croke Park

Declan Coulter was in inspirational form as Donegal put in a brilliant second half performance to overcome Warwickshire.

Mickey McCann’s men trailed by four points at halftime, but goals from Coulter and Gavin Browne helped steer the game in their favour and take the silverware back to the hills for the first time since 2013.

Antrim native Niall McKenna scored and impressive 12 of his side’s 0-18 total, but Warwiskshire couldn’t stop Donegal raising their game after the break.

Shane Caulfield got Warwickshire off the mark after just 18 seconds, before Coulter’s solo point opened Donegal’s account two minutes later. Things were all square again after five minutes when a Davin Flynn levelled after a Paul Hoban ’65.

Warwickshire then took a hold of the game and rattled off four points without response, McKenna (2) Niall Kennedy and Caulfield all splitting the posts before Donegal’s Gerry Gilmore struck over a fine sideline cut from under the Cusack stand.

Warwickshire pushed on again, though, McKenna again with two more points before Conor Robbins made it 0-9 to 0-3 after 14 minutes. Donegal’s Davin Flynn had a free matched by McKenna at the other end, before Coulter stepped up to mark to bring Donegal back into contention, landing three out of the next four points, with another fine Gilmore sideline the other score. 

A couple of McKenna scores put four points between the sides again as Gearoid McGrath sounded for halftime. 

Whatever Mickey McCann said to his Donegal players at halftime seemed to do the trick as they came racing out of the blocks, with centre-forward Coulter leading the charge. The Setanta clubman picked off the first four scores of the half to pull Donegal level. 

McKenna, though, was still on hot form at the other end, and he fired over two points either side of a Bernard Lafferty point for Donegal.

Then came the game’s turning point. Donegal wing back Gavin Browne collected a loose ball at the edge of the box and smashed an unstoppable shot past Philip Crean in the Warwickshire goal. From there Donegal never looked back, and when Caulfield was sent off for Warwickshire, the game seemed to be turning in the Tir Connaill men’s favour.

Another McKenna free was replied by Gerry Gilmore’s third point of the game, before that man Coulter came to the fore again to hit Donegal’s second goal of the game after cutting in from the right hand side.

Lafferty and Gilmore added points thereafter, and despite another point from McKenna, his 12th of the afternoon, and a Domhnall Nugent free, Donegal finished the game out strong with scores from Gilmore, Ciaran Matthewson, Ronan McDermott. 

In injury time, full forward Gilmore fittingly capped off a fine performance with a marvellous piece of skill on the sideline to evade his marker before roving infield to fire the sliotar over the bar.

Scorers for Donegal: Declan Coulter 1-9 (2fs, 1 ’65), Gerry Gilmore 0-5 (3 sidelines), Gavin Brown 1-0, Davin Flynn 0-2, Bernard Lafferty 0-2, Ciaran Mathewson 0-1.

Scorers for Warwickshire: Niall McKenna 0-12 (8fs), Shane Caulfield 0-2, Paul Hoban 0-1 (’65), Niall Kennedy 0-1, Conor Robbins 0-1, Domhnall Nugent 0-1 (1f)

DONEGAL: Paul Burns; Padhraig Doherty, Christer McDermott, Stephen Gillespie; Jamesie Donnelly, Sean McVeight, Gavin Browne; Ciaran Murtagh, Danny Cullen (c); Cairan Finn, Declan Coulter, Ronan McDermott; Bernard Lafferty, Gerry Gilmore, Davin Flynn. 

Subs: Niall Cleary for Jamsie Donnelly (HT), Lee Henderson for Davin Flynn (65); Mark Callaghan for Padhraig Doherty (69).

WARWICKSHIRE: Philip Crean; William Allen, Dean Bruen, Michael O’Regan; Peader Scully, Paul Hoban, Donncha Kennedy; John Collins, Shane Caulfield; Conor Robbins, Niall Kennedy, Niall McKenna; Domhnall Magee, Paul Uniacke, Garry Lennon. Subs: Kelvin Magee for John Collins (43), Robbie Curley for Michael O’Regan (58), Kieran Boxwell for Conor Robbins (65); Kieran Phelan for William Allen (70+2).

REFEREE: Gearoid McGrath (Wexford).