Kinnegad side lay down big marker as ‘Castle rally falls short

Coralstown/Kinnegad 1-24 Garrycastle 1-16

By Robert Kindregan

Coralstown/Kinnegad laid down a serious marker in their pursuit of the Flanagan Cup with an eight-point victory over Garrycastle in Saturday evening’s Westmeath Senior Football Championship opener at TEG Cusack Park.

In what was a game of two halves, the Kinnegad men stunned their Athlone opponents by outscoring them 13 points to one inside the opening quarter before Garrycastle’s second-half charge reduced the deficit to three, when Cathal Mannion was black-carded with five minutes remaining.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man as Brían Cooney stood up, scoring two quick points to restore a five-point lead and kill the contest. Coralstown/Kinnegad kept Garrycastle scoreless thereafter and added three more points before the final whistle. The men in red and white have clearly put in the work since last year’s final defeat, with 11 players getting on the scoresheet in the opening half and 15 contributing over the hour.

Fresh from league final defeat, Garrycastle posed little threat before the break beyond Alex Gardiner’s placed balls and Jason Nugent’s direct running, but James Dolan’s goal and a series of second-half two-pointers briefly turned this into a contest. Overall, there were some quality scores, dramatic momentum swings and a spirited Garrycastle comeback that kept the contest alive until the closing stages.

Playing with a strong wind, the Kinnegad men began at pace with Cooney kicking over after ten seconds, followed by a point from full-back Podge Quinn inside the opening minute after winning the kickout. Sustaining the pressure, Quinn teed up Ger Leech for an excellent score from outside the arc before Rory Cole added another after Darren Giles’ goal chance was cleared.

Garrycastle finally escaped their own half after six minutes and were rewarded for a patient build-up when Cathal Mannion found the space needed to score through the middle. Cooney then chased a long ball into the danger area, kicking to the net as a couple of players collided, with the umpire initially raising the white flag before referee Barry Kelly, following a brief consultation with his umpires, awarded the goal.

Jack Torpey and Dan Leech twisted the knife further with excellent two-pointers, while Ciaran Daly and Darren Giles also tagged on scores as Garrycastle struggled to cope. Cooney was denied by Sean Brennan after Eoghan Bracken played him through, but Stephen McNevin converted the resulting 45 before Gardiner replied with a free after Jason Nugent was fouled. Darren Giles then finished off a slick Kinnegad move with Ger Leech to underline their dominance.

Gardiner added another free before Eoin O’Brien and James Maxwell replied with a point apiece to replied to leave it 1-15 to 0-4 at the break.

Jason Macken struck on the restart before McNevin, Eoghan Bracken and Cooney cancelled out scores from Michael Monaghan and Alex Gardiner. Garrycastle made a breakthrough when Gardiner picked out Monaghan, whose clever pass set up James Dolan to fist home.

Coralstown/Kinnegad were then held scoreless for over ten minutes as Garrycastle finally found their rhythm. Jason Nugent landed a two-pointer, Monaghan added a point and Gardiner fired over another two-pointer to reduce the deficit. Monaghan converted a close-range free before Gardiner split the posts with a two-point free and Conor Cosgrove raised another orange flag to leave just three points between the sides.

With three points separating the teams and all the momentum with the 'Castle men, the game swung once more when Cathal Mannion received a black card five minutes from time for an off-the-ball challenge. Pouncing on the opportunity, Cooney kicked over a free against the wind before adding another excellent point to restore a five-point lead.

Garrycastle wilted and points from Rory Cole, Josh Gahan and Conor Callaghan went unanswered as the men in red and white closed out an ultimately comfortable eight-point victory.

The Kinnegad side's spread of scorers, dominance around kick-outs and athleticism suggest they will take plenty of stopping this season. Garrycastle deserve credit for a second-half response that yielded 1-12 before Mannion’s black card halted their comeback.

Scorers - Coralstown/Kinnegad: B Cooney 1-4 (0-1f); R Cole, D Giles (1f), G Leech (tp), D Leech (tp), S McNevin (2 45s) and J Torpey (tp) 0-2 each; P Quinn, C Daly, J Maxwell, J Macken, E Bracken, J Gahan, C Callaghan and E O’Brien 0-1 each. Garrycastle: A Gardiner 0-7 (2tp, 3f); J Dolan 1-0; M Monaghan 0-3 (1f); C Cosgrove (tp) and J Nugent (tp) 0-2 each; E Mulvihill and C Mannion 0-1 each.

Coralstown/Kinnegad - Stephen McNevin; Eoin O’Brien, Podge Quinn, Eoghan Bracken; Jason Macken, David Giles, James Maxwell; Ciaran Daly Jnr, Brían Cooney; Rory Cole, Darren Giles, Liam Daly; Jack Torpey, Dan Leech, Ger Leech. Subs: Josh Gahan for J Maxwell (47), Conor Callaghan for D Leech (57).

Garrycastle - Sean Brennan; Cathal Mannion, Jack Donohue, Gary McCallon; James Dolan, Mark McCallon, John Gaffey; Eoin Mulvihill, Conor McKiernan; Oisin Mulvihill, Michael Monaghan, Jason Nugent; Cian McCarthy, Alex Gardiner, James McHugh. Subs: Eoin Monaghan for J Gaffey (h-t), Conor Cosgrove for C McCarthy (h-t), Rory McGowan for M McCallon (59).

Referee - Barry Kelly (Mullingar Shamrocks).