Wednesday, March 08, 2023

North Leinster Junior Football ‘B’ Quarter-Final

Coláiste Íosagáin Portarlington  6-14

Dunshaughlin Community College        1-2

By Mark Comerford

COLÁISTE Íosagáin Portarlington have made it safely through to the North Leinster Junior Football ‘B’ semi-final with an emphatic win at home to Dunshaughlin Community College. It was a beautiful Tuesday afternoon in the college grounds and the hosts took full advantage of the pleasant conditions, playing some glorious football, especially in the first half.

Jordan Downey opened the scoring for Coláiste Íosagáin before Ultan Dunne showed a touch of class for their second and made it three with a placed ball in the seventh minute. Paddy Murray got a great score shortly afterwards and Downey made it 0-5 30 seconds later.

Dunshaughlin were clearly struggling to deal with Downey’s strength, Murray’s speed and Dunne’s skill and that bore out in the ninth minute when the trio combined to raise the first of six green flags, smashed home by Murray.

Darragh Lawrence and Sean Michael Ward added a point each to make it 1-7 to no score. Downey then dropped an inviting ball in front of the Dunshaughlin goal where Hugh Connolly, arriving from midfield, took the ball out of the sky and placed it in the bottom corner.

Coláiste Íosagáin slowed down for the next ten minutes, registering two scores through Dunne and Craig Weldon but got their third goal in the 27^th minute when Matthew O’Sullivan picked out Hugo Emerson who made no mistake.

Rory Burke was next to score for the home side before Oliver Moloney finally got Dunshaughlin off the mark in the 29^th minute. Ward pointed just before the whistle to leave it 3-11 to 0-1 at the break.

Moloney opened the scoring in the second half as the visitors upped their performance considerably. Evan O’Connor came in at half time and made a big difference for the Meath school.

It was Coláiste Íosagáin who picked up the next two scores until Dunshaughlin finally got a goal of their own. Uncertainty in the back line allowed the ball to spill free where the waiting Rian Collins prodded it beyond Conor Maher.

Coláiste Íosagáin wasted no time in returning fire, with Dunne racing through the middle, determined to get his goal, finally beating Aidan Thorpe at the second time of asking.

There was another lull after that before Sean Michael Ward took the game by the scruff of the neck, scoring a fantastic 1-1 inside the 56^th minute. It was an emotional day for Ward, who’s father suddenly passed away just a few short weeks ago.

Substitute, Ben Stapleton rounded out the scoring with a sixth goal coming two minutes from time to give the hosts a whopping 27-point victory.

SCORERS

Coláiste Íosagáin: Ultan Dunne and Sean Michael Ward (0-1f each) 1-3 each, Paddy Murray 1-1, Hugh Connolly, Hugo Emerson and Ben Stapleton 1-0 each, Rory Burke and Jordan Downey 0-2 each, Darragh Lawrence, Craig Weldon and Ryan Phelan 0-1 each

Dunshaughlin: Rian Collins 1-0, Oliver Moloney 0-2 (0-1f)

COLÁISTE ÍOSAGÁIN PORTARLINGTON: Conor Maher (Portarlington); John Cooney (Portarlington), Jack Murphy (Portarlington), Liam Burke (Courtwood); Tom Corcoran (Portarlington), Matthew O’Sullivan (Portarlington), Hugh Connolly (Portarlington); Hugo Emerson (Portarlington), Rory Burke (Emo); Jordan Downey (Portarlington), Darragh Lawrence (Gracefield), Paddy Murray (Portarlington); Sean Michael Ward (Portarlington), Craig Weldon (Gracefield), Ultan Dunne (O’Dempsey’s).

Subs: Liam Ward (Courtwood) for Downey (h/t), Ryan Phelan (O’Dempsey’s) for Weldon (h/t), Finn Lyons (Portarlington) for O’Sullivan (38m), Ben Stapleton (O’Dempsey’s) for Emerson (38m), Ross McMahon (O’Dempsey’s) for Burke (45m)

DUNSHAUGHLIN CC: Aidan Thorpe; Eoin Leahy, Eoin Heffernan, Ben McGovern; Ryan Deehan, Ryan Malone, Harry Lynch; Barry Walsh, Cormac Pentony; Rian Collins, Sean Clancey, Oliver Moloney; Louis Keane, Ryan Bray, Ciaran Sheridan.

Sub: Evan O’Connor for Walsh (h/t)