Malone masterminds shock defeat for Shandonagh

AIB Leinster Club IFC: Mullinavat (Kilkenny) 3-9, Shandonagh 0-15

Robert Cribbin reports

Westmeath intermediate football champions Shandonagh fell at the first Leinster hurdle when going down to a shock three-point defeat against Mullinavat of Kilkenny on Saturday afternoon.

Shandonagh needed two bites of the cherry to emerge victorious in Westmeath and the hangover of that notable success seemed to be still in their system as they struggled for long periods in this quarter-final tie.

Shandonagh did make a bright start but when Mullinavat got going, there was no answer from Kevin Hickey’s side.

Brian Kavanagh scored eleven points in total for Shandonagh and he was a big threat in attack but while Tom Molloy also got three points from play, it was an all too predictable two way attack that Mullinavat eventually got on top of.

Mullinavat won the Kilkenny senior football championship back in May as well as reaching a Leinster Intermediate Final in 2019 and the experience of that provincial campaign told as they wore down their opponents.

Mullinavat got the better of Bracknagh in the opening round and it was their goal scoring threat on that occasion that set them apart and it was more of the same in John Locke Park on Saturday afternoon with efforts from Kilkenny senior football captain Michael Malone and Ger Malone seeing them over the line for a famous victory.

Brian Kavanagh and Michael Malone shared early points before the Ballinea club took control when moving into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead by the 11th minute.

Malone kept Mullinavat in touch with a pair of frees but Shandonagh were playing all the football at this stage and with Kavanagh knocking over a series of superb efforts from play, the visitors led by three points.

After Ian Duggan reduced the deficit on the back of a well worked move, Mullinavat began to get their game going and while Kavanagh replied with his fifth point of the half, the home side soon got the opening goal of the game.

With Liam Fennelly and Adam Mansfield finding a hole in the Shandonagh defence, the ball found it’s way to Mick Malone and he found the bottom corner with a precisely taken left-footed attempt.

The goal put Mullinavat into the lead for the first time although Tom Molloy did equalise before the end of the half. Then, 1-1 without reply at the beginning of the second half pushed Mullinavat into a commanding lead when a brilliantly palmed goal from Ger Malone was followed up by a point from Liam Fennelly.

Kavanagh kept Shandonagh ticking over with a free in the 39th minute but after the Westmeath side squandered a number of opportunities, Mullinavat took full control with 1-2 on the trot as Michael Malone’s second goal gave the winners a 3-8 to 0-9 lead.

A black card to Mullinavat midfielder Tom Aylward allowed Shandonagh to form a late revival as they aimed to overturn the sizeable deficit.

A pair of points from both Kavanagh and Molloy left three points between the sides but the clock was on Mullinavat’s side as they held on to secure another big win.

The Kilkenny side are now only 60 minutes from a Leinster Final and they will have another home game in the semi-finals against Wexford’s Fethard St Mogues while for Shandonagh they can only concentrate on senior football in 2023 after a very frustrating day at the office.

Scorers – Mullinavat: M Malone 2-5 (0-3f), G Malone 1-0, I Duggan 0-2, T Aylward and L Fennelly 0-1 each. Shandonagh: B Kavanagh 0-11 (6f), T Molloy 0-3, L Tynan 0-1.

Mullinavat: Killian Dunphy; Joe Fennelly, Simon Aylward, Mikey Jones; Shane Kelly, Ger Malone, John Walsh; James Culleton, Tom Aylward; Adam Mansfield, Michael Malone, Oisín Knox; Ian Duggan, Liam Fennelly, Padraig Dempsey. Subs: Conor Duggan for Jones (49), Padraic Gahan for Knox (54), Brian Phelan for Fennelly (56), Peter McDonald for I Duggan (59).

Shandonagh: Conor Craig; Ben Treanor, Daire Conway, Jenson Nagle; Gareth Carr, Daniel Scahill, Adam Treanor; Aaron Craig, Brendan Killian; Luke Tynan, Ryan Norris, Alan Hickey; Tom Molloy, Brian Kavanagh, Aaron Flanagan. Subs: Martin Scully for Craig (15), Kevin Boyle for Flanagan (36), Cormac Coyne for Norris (36), Ryan Donnelly for Hickey (45), Darren McWade for Norris (47).

Ref: Eamon O’Connor (Offaly).