Masita GAA All-Ireland Post Primary Schools Paddy Drummond Cup Final

ROSCOMMON CBS 1-12 SCOIL PHOBAIL SHLIABH LUACHRA 1-11

By Michael Devlin at Croke Park

James Fitzpatrick was the hero for Roscommon CBS after his point deep into additional time clinched a one-point win over Scoil Phobail Shliabh Luachra in a thrilling Paddy Drummond Cup final in Croke Park this afternoon.

After an uninspiring first period, the game sprung into life in the second half, with Roscommon racing out of the blocks with 1-7 in six minutes.

The Rathmore boys however never threw in the towel however, and they hauled themselves back into the game courtesy of a purple patch of their own, substitute Aaron Cronin grabbing their goal.

The game was tied, but ultimately it was Fitzpatrick and Roscommon who held their nerve to prevail in a dramatic finale.

It was a tentative first half with Rathmore shading the early openings and opening up an early two-point lead through frees from David Dineen and Cathal Ryan.

Liam Ormsby got Roscommon off the mark with a score in the sixth minute, before Ryan replied for Rathmore with another point from a placed ball.

Ormsby found some room shortly after to land another score into the Hill 16 end, but other than that they were having little joy forging scoring opportunities against a rigid Rathmore rearguard, with full back Alan Dineen snuffing out three high balls into the area with authority.

Shliath Luachra weren’t exactly firing on all cylinders up front either, but they did open up a four-point lead with a free from Dineen and good scores from Eoghan O’Rahilly and Denis O’Connor.

Roscommon would argue that they could have been level going in at the break but for some wayward shooting, but Cian Murray found the target for the Connacht men for the last score of the half with the score at the break 0-6 to 0-3 to Shliabh Luachra.

Whatever Roscommon manager Eoghan Coll said to his troops at halftime must have done the trick as they notched five points within four minutes of the restart.

First Ormsby popped over a free, before midfielder Keith Doyle kicked two points either side of an inspirational score from captain Ciaran Lawless. Murray raced through to put Roscommon two up with Rathmore still to catch their breath.

Darragh Reilly quelled Roscommon’s lighting restart momentarily in the 36th minute with a well-taken point, but back came their opponents at the other end with Ormsby kicking his fourth of the afternoon, followed by an Albert Looby effort.

The goal the game had craved from the beginning came moments later when the rampaging Murray raced onto a through ball to slip the ball past Ian O’Connor in the Rathmore goal, and suddenly Roscommon were six ahead.

David Dineen added his third free in the 43rd minute, but the momentum looked to be with Roscommon CBS as the game entered the final quarter. They did though lose the services of half back Jack Lohan due to a nasty injury, with Orin Walsh coming into the game.

Cronin then threw the Kerrymen a lifeline. Rathmore patiently worked the ball to the substitute who applied the finishing touch with an assured finish to the net past Gustavo Rodrigues. Dineen then kept his nerve to land two frees thereafter, and the game was all square at 1-10 each.

There was plenty of action left in the game as a lengthy spell of eight added minutes was announced due to the Lohan injury. Lawless nudged Roscommon back in front from a free, but that man Dineen cancelled it out with a pressure kick as the match ticked into the final two minutes.

A moment of composure was needed to win it, and up stepped Fitzpatrick to landing the deciding point after a patient build-up, and clinch the glory for the Roscommon lads.

Scorers for Roscommon CBS: Cian Murray 1-2, Liam Ormsby 0-4 (1f), Keith Doyle 0-2, Ciaran Lawless 0-1 (1f), Albert Looby 0-1, James Fitzpatrick.

Scorers for Scoil Phobail Shliabh Luachra: David Dinneen 0-6 (6fs), Aaron Cronin 1-0, Cathal Ryan 0-2 (1f), Eoghan O’Rahilly 0-1, Denis O’Connor 0-1, Darragh Reilly 0-1.

ROSCOMMON CBS: Gustavo Rodrigues; James Browne, Colin Walsh, John martin; Cian Glennon, Jack Lohan, Cian Murray; Albert Looby, Keith Doyle; Tim Lambe, Ciaran Lawless, Richard Walsh; Liam Ormsby, James Fitzpatrick, Jack McGahon.

Subs: Charlie Carthy for R. Walsh (29), Orin Walsh for J. Lohan (49).

SCOIL PHOBAIL SHLIABH LUACHRA: Ian O’Connor; Patrick Brosnan, Alan Dineen, Damien Cronin; Eoghan O’Rahilly, Owen Fitzgerald, Paul O’Leary; Ronan Collins, Sean O’Keeffe; Anthony Darmody, Dan Murphy, Darragh Rahilly; Cathal Ryan, David Dineen, Denis O’Connor.

Subs: James Darmody for E. O’Rahilly (HT), Aaron Cronin for P. O’Leary (43).

REFEREE: Martin McNally (Monaghan)