St Patrick's, Maghera finish strongly

Masita All-Ireland Post-Primary Schools Senior ‘B’ Final

St Patrick's, Maghera 3-19 Tralee CBS 2-14

By Kevin Egan at Kinnegad

Six points down midway through the first half and four adrift at the interval, St. Pat’s of Maghera produced a dominant second half display that saw them finish with 1-6 unanswered in the final quarter, earning the Derry school their fourth All-Ireland Senior ‘B’ title in their history.

In a meeting between the six-time Hogan Cup champions and a Tralee CBS side that had significant crossover with the team that narrowly lost this year’s senior football showpiece fixture last Tuesday, the two sides produced a contest full of quality, with the first two points of the game – one at each end – being struck from over 80 metres out.

St. Pat’s were on the front foot for most of the first quarter with Odhran Doherty and Peadar Pio Peoples hugely impressive in their half-back line, but four wides in that period left the door open for ‘The Green’ to stay well in touch, and then take the lead through a well-worked Rory O’Halloran goal.

Brandon Leen’s clearance was brilliantly fielded by Oisín Heaton to set up the Ballyheigue player’s first time pull to the net and Heaton’s aerial ability came back to the fore shortly afterwards when he rose highest to get a touch on Eoin O’Flaherty’s high ball, briefly putting six points between the sides.

The Maghera students hit back with four points in succession, three from full-forward Rian Collins, and while Tralee CBS landed a couple of frees, Pádraig O’Kane’s clinical low finish reduced the gap to the bare minimum.

Tralee hit the last three scores of the half, including a fine catch and finish from a tricky angle from Heaton, and with a slight breeze at their backs, they looked well-poised to build on their four-point lead and secure a historic breakthrough win.

A contest that barely took a moment’s breath for the first 30 minutes lost momentum a little after the interval, until two points in a minute from Cathal McCloskey and Seán O’Kane raised the temperature and the tempo once again.

Excellent play from Rian Collins helped to set up Fionn Cartin for an equalising goal in the 41^st minute and while Tralee CBS had their noses in front by the midway point of the half, the Mageean Cup winners were about to move into overdrive and deliver a sensational finish.

Odhran Doherty at centre back continued to be the team’s talisman with PJ Glover also doing well after he was switched back into a more defensive role, and despite an eye-catching cameo role from 15-year-old substitute Jason Gaynor, St. Pat’s effectively put the Tralee CBS forwards on lockdown.

Doherty rained over a series of long range frees, with Rian Collins’ stoppage time penalty serving as one final point at the end of a superb performance and another wonderful season from one of the most consistently successful dual-code schools in the country.

Scorers for St. Patrick’s: Rian Collins 1-4 (1-0 pen, 0-3f), Odhran Doherty 0-6 (6fs), Pádraig O’Kane 1-3, Fionn Cartin 1-1, Seán O’Kane 0-2, Cathal McCloskey 0-1, PJ Glover 0-1, Niall McNicholl 0-1.

Scorers for Tralee CBS: Eoghan Costello 0-7 (6fs), Oisín Heaton 1-1, Rory O’Halloran 1-0, Matthew O’Sullivan 0-2 (2fs), Stephen Shanahan 0-2, Jake Rochford 0-1, Eoin O’Flaherty 0-1.

St. Patrick’s, Maghera: Donnacha Collins; Odhran Burke, Caileann Gallagher, Dan McEldowney; Darragh O’Neill, Odhran Doherty, Peadar Pio Peoples; Daithi McCloskey, Niall McNicholl; Cathal McCloskey, Rian Collins, PJ Glover; Pádraig O’Kane, Seán O’Kane, Fionn Cartin.

Sub: Ronan O’Loughlin for C McCloskey (47).

Tralee CBS: Cian Harris; Brandon Leen, John O’Donovan, Ryan Hurley; Matthew O’Sullivan, Mikey Corridon, Luke Hanafin; Brody Leen, Cillian Hurley; Eoghan Costello, Rory O’Halloran, Eoin O’Flaherty; Stephen Shanahan, Jake Rochford, Oisín Heaton.

Subs: Jason Gaynor for Rochford (37), Alex Relihan for O’Halloran (50), Darragh O’Flaherty for Hanafin (52), Rochford for Hurley (54), Luke Fitzmaurice for Brody Leen (57).

Referee: Cian Ryan (Tipperary).