Coláiste Mhuire triumph in Leinster Schools decider

Leinster Schools Senior Football Final

Coláiste Mhuire, Mullingar 3-16 Marist College, Athlone 2-13

By Kevin Egan at TEG Cusack Park

Marist College showed incredible efficiency to score 2-13 from scant rations of possession in the Brother Bosco Cup final at TEG Cusack Park in Mullingar, but with endless supply of front foot ball, Coláiste Mhuire retained their Leinster senior schools championship crown on the back of scoring 3-10 in a landslide second half.

For 43 minutes, Marist College dined on scraps and somehow feasted, nudging into a 1-9 to 0-11 lead despite playing second fiddle to their Westmeath rivals in the kickout and turnover battle.

Their work was undone when one stray pass was seized by Will Scahill and the prodigious inside forward made no mistake, sliding the ball past Zac Mullally for the goal that set the Mullingar school on the road to victory.

There was an element of inevitability about the breaking of the dam, as Coláiste Mhuire controlled the ball and spent the majority of the game probing and moving, carving out opportunities. It just took time for that to show on the scoreboard.

An incredible shooting performance from James McHugh and two stunning first half saves from goalkeeper Zac Mullally, not to mention a defensive masterclass from Diarmuid O’Higgins up against Scahill, had kept Marist in contention up to the midway point of the second half, but they couldn’t fight the tide any longer and were a beaten side by the time McHugh snatched their second goal late on.

It was a completely different game when the Garrycastle forward burst past his marker and slammed a low shot to the Coláiste Mhuire net midway through the first half. The contest was lively from the start, with McHugh and Rory O’Brien trading two-pointers to really get the atmosphere going in front of a crowd of around 3,000 supporters, including Westmeath senior manager Mark McHugh.

James McHugh’s goal was the key score in Marist’s 1-4 to 0-6 interval lead, though Coláiste Mhuire’s wasting 10 clear scoring chances was no less pertinent. Mullally’s near-post save to deny Scahill was as good a piece of goalkeeping as will be seen anywhere, but in other instances Coláiste Mhuire went for shots from range, largely to no good end.

By half-time, Marist would have said that their lack of possession was a problem. After the interval, despite the mild breeze now blowing at their backs, it was a crisis.

Críostóir Ormsby was a powerhouse at midfield in ensuring that they devoured the Marist kickout, setting up the platform for the half-back line of Michael Weir, Seán Byrne and Michael Moloney to control the game.

That trio kicked two points from play each as Coláiste Mhuire started out after the interval with five points in a row. Marist had produced some amazing comebacks in this competition already, arriving in the final after beating Ardee CS in extra-time and Terenure College on penalties, and when James McHugh hit two doubles in a row, the latter an incredible kick from play while he was being pushed over, they briefly went 1-9 to 0-11 in front.

Just when it looked like a smash and grab raid was on and that Marist might be about to win this title for the first time after five unsuccessful attempts, including a loss to Coláiste Mhuire back in 1983, the game’s momentum shifted completely.

Will Scahill pounced on a stray pass across the full-back line to intercept and find the net in the 45^th minute, making it 1-12 to 1-9. It was as if a weight was lifted off the shoulders of the champions and Coláiste Mhuire didn’t look back from there, with Conor Cleary and Eoin Meehan scoring late goals to rubber stamp their progression to an All-Ireland semi-final against either Abbey CBS (Newry) or St. Patrick’s Dungannon, who meet in tomorrow’s MacRory Cup final.

Scorers for Coláiste Mhuire: Will Scahill 1-2 (2fs), Conor Cleary 1-1, Eoin Meehan 1-1, Rory O’Brien 0-4 (1tp), Michael Weir 0-2, Seán Byrne 0-2, Michael Moloney 0-2, Criostóir Ormsby 0-1, Finn Higgins 0-1.

Scorers for Marist College: James McHugh 2-8 (2tpf, 1tp, 2f), Darragh Murray 0-2 (tp), Seán Whittaker 0-1, Darragh Lough 0-1, Darragh Glennon 0-1.

Coláiste Mhuire, Mullingar: Adam Buckley; Ben Sheerin, Ty Masterson, Eoin Donohue; Michael Weir, Seán Byrne, Michael Moloney; Críostóir Ormsby, Rory O’Brien; Paul Keating, Kian Loughlin, Conor Cleary; Will Scahill, Finn Higgins, Pádraig Monaghan.

Subs: James Flynn for Sheerin (48), Seán Hayes for Monaghan (53), Eoin Meehan for Keating (56), Ronan Byrne for S Byrne (58), Stephen McWade for Higgins (60).

Marist College, Athlone: Zac Mullally; Tadhg Fallon, Seán McDonnell, Diarmuid O’Higgins; Darragh Murray, Jacob Bourke, Seán Keegan; Adam Smyth, Donal Dawson; Cian Duffy, Darragh Glennon, William Geraghty; Seán Whittaker, James McHugh, Darragh Lough.

Subs: John Timlin for Lough (39), Daire Burke for Geraghty (44), Gary Staunton for Keegan (55), Andrew Cotton for Duffy (58), Rory McMickan for Smyth (60).

Referee: Marius Stones (Offaly).