Coláiste Mhuire successful after strong showing

Coláiste Mhuire 3-11, St Peter's Dunboyne 1-10

By Gerry Buckley

Despite going in at half-time very grateful to their goalie Adam Buckley for only trailing by three points to a very good side from St Peter’s, Dunboyne, the senior footballers from Coláiste Mhuire, Mullingar showed their undoubted class on the change of ends to ultimately win their second – and last – round robin game of the Bro Bosco Cup by a comfortable seven-point margin in Dunganny last Tuesday afternoon.

The holders – albeit short the services of their injured marquee forward Will Scahill – were very much off-colour in the first half, and could easily have trailed by double-figures at the break. However, they were much the better side on the change of ends and they now march on to a home tie in the preliminary quarter-finals in early December with a pep in their step.

A strong wind blowing across one of the new pitches at Meath GAA’s centre of excellence favoured last year’s ‘B’ champions from Dunboyne in the first half and they were by far the better team in the opening quarter, with points from the outstanding Harry Healy (one) and three from the equally-impressive Seán Delaney (a two-pointer and a single) putting them 0-4 to 0-0 ahead after 12 minutes. Indeed, were it not for two brave saves from the aforementioned Buckley in the second and ninth minutes from Delaney and skipper Eoin McCrudden respectively, the underdogs would have been very significantly in front.

At the other end, rare Mullingar attacks usually ended with wild shooting, before a lucky break got the boys in green and black on the scoresheet in the 19th minute, uncertain handling by ‘keeper Alex Donnelly teeing up Finn Higgins and Eoin Meehan to force the ball over the line, with the latter blasting the ball home from point-blank range. St Peter’s responded with three unanswered points from the boots of Healy, James McCaghy and McCrudden before Buckley again did very well to prevent Delaney from finding the net. Stephen McWade then raised the holders’ first white flag of the contest, and they were very fortunate to be in arrears by just 0-7 to 1-1 at the interval.

Thankfully, for the handful of fans present supporting Coláiste Mhuire the second half was an entirely different proposition, and five well-taken points without reply in as many minutes had them two clear with 35 minutes elapsed. The scores came courtesy of McWade, Conor Cleary, Rory O’Brien, Ronan Byrne, and McWade again. They always looked the more likely winners thereafter, despite a 38th-minute black card for Paul Keating and a yellow for a member of the winners’ management for expressing his displeasure at the decision.

Healy and Higgins traded points from routine frees before Eoghan McDonald rounded off a fine move by the lads in yellow, green and black with a neat point. Coláiste Mhuire then took control with a great goal from McWade and a point apiece from the same player and Meehan (a free) to lead by two clear goals (2-9 to 0-9) with ten minutes of normal time remaining. McWade and sub Rory McCaul (with his fist) tagged on points either side of James Lonergan being black-carded for St Peter’s. Sub Padraig Monaghan scored a great team goal for the champions approaching the hour mark, but a gutsy Dunboyne team plugged away and were rewarded in added-time with a great solo goal by sub Calbhach Ó Ceallaigh and a point from Delaney.

Scorers – Coláiste Mhuire, Mullingar: S McWade 1-5, E Meehan 1-1 (0-1f), P Monaghan 1-0, C Cleary, F Higgins (f), R Byrne, R McCaul, R O’Brien 0-1 each.

St Peter’s, Dunboyne: S Delaney 0-4 (1 2pt), H Healy 0-3 (1f), C Ó Ceallaigh 1-0, E McDonald, E McCrudden, J McCaghy 0-1 each.

Coláiste Mhuire, Mullingar: Adam Buckley; Ben Sheerin, Michael Moloney, Mikey Weir; Ronan Byrne, Ty Masterson, James Flynn; Criostóir Ormsby, Rory O’Brien; Eoin Meehan, Conor Cleary, Kian Loughlin; Stephen McWade, Finn Higgins, Paul Keating. Subs used: Rory McCaul for Byrne (51), Padraig Monaghan for Ormsby (54), Beau Greene for Higgins (54), Peadar Glennon for Moloney (57), Eoin Mullin for Meehan (60+1).

St Peter’s, Dunboyne: Alex Donnelly; Cian Tobin, Paul Magee, Paul Dempsey; Andrew Norman, Dominick Eaton, Eoghan Pearl; Eoghan McDonald, Eoin McCrudden; James McCaghy, James Lonergan, Barry Padden; Seán Delaney, Tadhg Brennan, Harry Healy. Subs used: Calbhach Ó Ceallaigh for Padden (48), Noah Whitton for Pearl (60).

Ref: Paul Fahey (Dublin).