First half goals propel Shamrocks to Under 21 final

A three-goal spree, shared equally between their potent full forward line, in a five-minute period towards the end of the first half, was the springboard for Mullingar Shamrocks to ease their way into the final of the Westmeath Under 21 football championship at Springfield on Saturday afternoon last, ultimately defeating a gallant Bunbrosna side by four clear goals.Played in miserable conditions, with an ongoing and occasionally heavy drizzle present, the winners had the advantage of a very strong wind in the first moiety.After a sluggish and uncertain start, the home side eventually made use of the elements and this semi-final was all over bar the shouting at the interval, when the lads in the green and white hoops led by 13 points. Try as they might on the change of ends, there was no way back for the men from Bun, who simply lacked the firepower of their opponents.Ironically, Bunbrosna opened the scoring, courtesy of a great solo point from Simon Moorhead after only 90 seconds. It was to be a further 12 minutes before either side troubled the umpires, with the losers faring quite well, whereas Shamrocks missed a glut of opportunities as they struggled to gauge the strength of the wind. Eventually, a brace of converted frees from Conor Moore in the 14th and 16th minutes, from 35 and 25 metres respectively, gave the Mullingar men a lead they were never to relinquish.Ciaran Curley followed up with a terrific individual point but, from a Bunbrosna perspective, the next five minutes were to prove a real horror story. Alan Cashman found himself in acres of room to rifle home the first Shamrocks goal and an alert Conor Moore was on hand to slot home the second, when the ball broke kindly for him. Towering midfielder, Darragh Daly then set up Ciaran Curley for a third, the full forward finishing in style from close range.In reality, there was no way back for a shell-shocked Bunbrosna team and an on-fire Shamrocks side proceeded to rattle over a further three unanswered points as the half drew to a close. Conor Moore got the first of these, finding the target after his initial shot was blocked, and Ciaran Curley added another almost immediately, briefly considering going for a three-pointer as he bore down on goal. The winners were now playing with a swagger and Denis Corroon lofted over a fabulous point, after playing a one-two with Alan Cashman. Remarkably, having secured the contest"s first point, the boys in blue were to wrap up first half scoring from a tap-over free with the last kick in the 31st minute from Andrew Whitney. At the break, Mullingar Shamrocks had already one foot in the county final, leading by 3-6 to 0-2.With the wind in their backs, it was inevitable that Bun would throw the proverbial kitchen sink at their opponents on the change of ends but, in truth, they never remotely looked like they would claw back the yawning gap. A well-taken free from Barry O"Meara gave them a small glimmer of hope in the third minute but, with team captain Aaron Purcell and Westmeath senior star, Kieran Gavin manning the pivotal defensive roles, Shamrocks were rock solid for most of the second moiety. Indeed, Conor Moore could easily have notched his second goal in the 11th minute before a Bun counterattack yielded a fine point from Kevin Mitchell. Repeated Bunbrosna attempts to manufacture a goal ended in failure, with Darragh Daly doing particularly well to hold a dangerous inswinging free from Andrew Whitney.In the 18th minute, the losers" persistence was rewarded when Kevin Mitchell and Kenny Conroy combined well for Jamie Shaw to rifle home an unstoppable shot past his namesake, Philip. Another routine free was converted by Conor Moore in the 21st minute and substitute Adam Corroon soon added his side"s fourth goal, a splendid individual effort. Jamie Shaw almost replied with a Bun goal but his stinging shot was deflected over the bar by an outstretched Shamrocks hand. Some four minutes from the end of normal time, Denis Corroon lobbed the home team"s fifth goal, albeit after the losers were unlucky not to have been awarded a free out. Late well-taken points from Kevin Mitchell and Jamie Shaw were merely consolation scores for Bunbrosna, who nonetheless deserve great credit for battling against the odds right to the final whistle.Mullingar Shamrocks: Philip Shaw; Enda Morris, Aaron Purcell (capt), Robert Ryan; David McNamee, Kieran Gavin, Kyle Maguire; Denis Corroon (1-1), Darragh Daly; Stephen Noonan, Simon Quinn, Brian Melody; Conor Moore (1-4, 0-3 from frees), Ciaran Curley (1-2), Alan Cashman (1-0). Subs: Conor McEntee (for Maguire, half-time), Adam Corroon (1-0) (for Noonan, 36 mins), Paddy Loughrey (for Quinn, 55mins).Bunbrosna: Paudie Maher; Sean Walsh, Darren Geerah, Ronan Scally; Conor Lyons, Liam Mitchell, Ciaran Murphy; Andrew Whitney (capt) (0-1, from a free), Simon Moorhead (0-1); Fintan Connaughton, Kevin Mitchell (0-2), Jamie Shaw (1-2); Kenny Conroy, Alan Maguire, Barry O"Meara (0-1, from a free). Subs: Liam Walsh (for O"Meara, 54 mins), Michael Connell (for Scally, 54 mins).Referee: Sean Carroll (The Downs).