Gonoud two-pointer inspires winning Tyrrellspass surge

ACFL Div 2 final: Tyrrellspass 2-14, Shandonagh 0-15

Tyrrellspass are Division 2 league champions after a late surge earned them victory over a hesitant Shandonagh side, in the ACFL Div 2 final at TEG Cusack Park on Friday.

Shandonagh had one hand on the trophy when leading by seven points after 52 minutes, but Tyrrellspass staged a remarkable recovery to score an unanswered 2-6 and turn an uninspiring contest on its head. Shandonagh had midfielder Caelum Faughnan sent off on a black card after 57 minutes and finished the game with 14 men; they had just conceded 1-2 when that happened and it certainly contributed to their demise.

There was little to suggest Tyrrellspass would suddenly find their shooting boots; 12 wides seemed likely to taint their script, but a two-pointer from veteran wing-back Jamie Gonoud and a superb cameo performance from substitute Kieran Geraghty were key factors in a wonderful comeback.

Shandonagh will reflect on a missed opportunity and while they gain promotion to Division 1 in any event, losing another final at headquarters is not ideal preparation for the forthcoming intermediate championship, one they will be strongly fancied to win. They have quality to return and a seriously strong panel, but failure to get over the line here will dent confidence and they will need better composure and game management to atone for last year’s final defeat.

Tyrrellspass, meanwhile, are fortunate to have won this title. They survived a first-half scare when Shandonagh had a goal contentiously ruled out and in the second half, David Glennon could have picked up a black card rather than a yellow when he pulled down Tom Molloy. Manager Enda Monaghan and All-Ireland-winning coach Dean McNicholas have a lot of work to do in terms of improving accuracy and shooting drills will certainly be the main focus of attention after this display. The encouraging thing is that they never gave up the ghost, showing great persistence and the impact Geraghty and Mikie Mullen made off the bench, with 1-3 in total, justifies the changes up front at a crucial stage.

The upcoming senior championship will present major challenges, though.

At half-time it was Shandonagh who were in the driving seat, leading by 0-9 to 0-6, but that was after a profligate Tyrrellspass side kicked nine first-half wides. They controlled possession, but their shooting was below par and a late two-pointer free by ‘keeper Joe Hyland helped save their blushes somewhat.

Hyland was a key figure, saving twice to deny both wing-back Gareth Carr (25th minute) and wing-forward Mark Sugrue on the half-hour mark. A goal for Shandonagh, who were backed by the slight breeze in the opening half, would certainly have been a key score. Faughnan did home from close-range after 15 minutes following Kavanagh's high delivery, but the goal was cancelled and the referee awarded a free out.

Shandonagh full-forward Brian Kavanagh impressed with 0-9 of his side’s tally, including a two-pointer early on, and Ryan Donnelly’s excellent two-pointer (followed by a Kavanagh ‘45’) gave them a good cushion. In what was generally a tale of woe for Tyrrellspass, midfielder Cathal Dunne bucked the trend with a superb point from an acute angle on 23 minutes, after Neale Pierson and Gonoud combined.

Tyrrellspass could cling to the hope that they were completely dominant in the possession stakes throughout the opening half and eventually the pendulum swung. In the 22 minutes that followed the interval, Shandonagh outscored the winners by 0-6 to 0-2 and in truth could have wrapped it up in that period. Four unanswered points between the 42nd and 52nd minutes made it 0-15 to 0-8; that 10-minute spell would have been enough to win in the past, but the modern game is different.

Donnelly (free), wing-back Brendan Killian, Kavanagh and midfielder Rory O'Brien each hit the target for the Kilpatrick men during that period, but Killian was denied a goal, after a move involving Sugrue and substitute Conor McCrossan, in the build-up to the last of the quartet.

Tyrrellspass needed inspiration and it came from former Westmeath star Jamie Gonoud, who shot a terrific two-pointer when Darragh O’Brien and Evan Connell combined in the 53rd minute. It planted a seed of doubt and then the Shandonagh kickout creaked, allowing Connell in for a goal, his shot clinically dispatched to the net with five minutes remaining, leaving it 0-15 to 1-10.

The door was now ajar when it should have slammed shut. Shandonagh lost Faughnan to a black card and the extra man proved a factor. Wing-back Kai Harte kicked a point and Geraghty converted a free to level matters with two minutes remaining. Momentum was firmly with Tyrrellspass and Connell set up Mullen for the lead point in the final minute.

Kavanagh missed with an ambitious ‘outside of the boot’ effort as Shandonagh panicked. And two minutes into added time, David Hanlon and Val Sizychas combined to set up Geraghty for a terrific goal. Geraghty then applied the coup de grâce with the final point after Mullen’s pass. Shandonagh had a late chance of consolation, but O'Brien's goal effort was saved by Hyland as if to further reinforce the sense of a missed opportunity.

Afterwards, Joe Hyland was a worthy recipient of the Division 2 trophy from Westmeath GAA chairman, Paddy Wallace.

Scorers - Tyrrellspass: K Geraghty 1-2 (1f), E Connell 1-0, J Hyland 0-3 (tpt f; ‘45’), J Gonoud 0-3 (1tp), N Pierson 0-2, C Dunne, T Ryan, K Harte and M Mullen 0-1 each.

Shandonagh: B Kavanagh 0-9 (1tp; 3f; 2 45s), R Donnelly 0-3 (1tp), B Killian 0-2, R O'Brien 0-1.

Tyrrellspass: Joe Hyland; Conor Slevin, Mark Devine, Owen McIntyre; Kai Harte, David Hanlon, Jamie Gonoud; David Lynam, Cathal Dunne; Darragh O’Brien, Neale Pierson, Val Sizychas; Evan Connell, David Glennon, Tommy Ryan. Subs: Mikie Mullen for Ryan (46), Kieran Geraghty for Glennon (53), Brian Slevin for O’Brien.

Shandonagh: Cian Molloy; John Fry, Jack O’Brien, Rory McDonnell; Gareth Carr, Aaron Craig, Brendan Killian; Caelum Faughnan, Rory O’Brien; Mark Sugrue, Jake Costello, Luke Tynan; Ryan Donnelly, Brian Kavanagh, Tom Molloy. Subs: Conor McCrossan for Craig (35), Cathal Craig for McDonnell (inj., 56).

Referee: Ken Gunning (St Mary’s, Rochfortbridge).