Dominant Gaels endure nervy late Carrigallen rally to claim Masonite Division 2 title

A dominant Allen Gaels had to endure a few nervy moments before the finish of Friday's Masonite Division 2 Final in Avant Money Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada as a defiant Carrigallen threatened to rise from the dead in the closing minutes.

The Drumshanbo men were well worth their eight point lead midway through the second half as they looked a stronger all round outfit than a gutsy Carrigallen who couldn't match the physical power of the Gaels. However, the script got flipped on its head in the final quarter as Carrigallen outscored Allen Gaels 1-5 to 0-2 to almost bring off a remarkable recovery.

Carrigallen will have regrets over this one - a fortunate Ciaran McMorrow goal, or one of the greatest goals we ever witnessed, when his 30 yard shot crept underneath the crossbar for the Gaels' second goal put them in command and that good fortune contrasted with missed goal opportunities for Marc Dolan less than a minute into the game and Matt Hackett in the second half.

Allen Gaels celebrate emotional Masonite Division 2 Final victory over Carrigallen - GALLERY

Allen Gaels held off a fierce late challenge from Carrigallen to claim the 2023 Masonite Division 2 title 2-12 to 1-13 on Friday evening in Avant Money Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada. In an emotional moment, joint captain Shane Beirne dedicated Allen Gaels victory to their late teammate and friend, Ronan Moran. Observer photographer Willie Donnellan was there to capture some great images of fans taking in the action ..... see who you can spot!

Carrigallen did get a late goal but it was nothing more than a consolation score, coming in deep into injury time as the greater physical power and all round strength in depth of the Drumshanbo men told its tale on the evening.

Ciaran McMorrow and Ciaran Walsh gave the Gaels a real cutting edge upfront while the two Shanes, Walsh and Beirne, were equally impressive around the field. Brian Mulvey, Caleb Duffy, Kyle Flynn, Emmet Moran and Mark Gunning also made important contributions to the Gaels' win.

For Carrigallen, the loss of Eoin Ward to injury early on hampered them badly but that didn't stop Gary Reynolds, Marc Dolan, Colm Kiernan, sub Brian O'Rourke and Daniel Lyons from impressing on the night.

The victory, not that it was needed, confirms Allen Gaels place among the favourites for the Smith Monumentals Intermediate Championship title but they will have learned a good lesson about the importance of pushing to the finish thanks to Carrigallen's late surge for victory.

Ciaran McMorrow opened the scoring after just 15 seconds with a nice curling shot from 30 yards but Allen Gaels had a real let-off when Colm Kiernan’s ball in behind their defence saw Marc Dolan bear down on goal but he blasted the ball into the side net. Kiernan did add a point when he burst through a tackle on a long run to score.

Allen Gaels, however, were making the early pace and a good Brian Mulvey point from the corner was followed by a McMorrow free. Carrigallen were giving as good as they got with Aaron Skelly firing over a free before they turned over the kickout and worked the ball to Eoin Ward for a fine point.

That would be Ward’s last involvement in the game as the former Leitrim man was forced from the game with injury in a real blow to Carrigallen and as they adjusted, Allen Gaels struck forcibly to set themselves on the road to victory. Shane Beirne first nipped in to intercept a Carrigallen past before pointing.

The Carrigallen team that was defeated by Allen Gaels in the Masonite Division 2 Final Picture: Willie Donnellan

Then Brian Mulvey found Emmet Moran in attack, a pass to Ciaran Walsh saw him through on goal and he made no mistake with a wonderful finish to suddenly put the Gaels four points up.

That gap stretched to five when the impressive Shane Walsh fired over from distance on 18 minutes. Marc Dolan halted the run of scores against Carrigallen when he reacted well to a short free going astray to point but it was the Drumshanbo men who would finish the half strongly with three unanswered frees from the boot of Ciaran McMorrow.

That left Allen Gaels with a commanding 1-8 to 0-4 lead, a lead soon increased by a Ciaran Walsh point almost straight from the throw-in. Carrigallen responded well with two quick points from a Skelly free and a long range Gary Reynolds effort that he curled in from the right wing on three minutes.

Another McMorrow free halted the Gaels charge temporarily but a Jake Hackett mark gave Carrigallen some life. They almost got a goal when Matt Hackett worked a great goal chance 13 minutes into the second half but Mark Gunning and keeper Dan Curran did extremely well to block the shot.

Skelly put over a free seconds later and the Gaels seemed to be struggling when McMorrow saw a shot blocked at the expense of a fifty. A low ball found McMorrow and whether he was attempting it or not, his low shot from about 30 yards flew over the head of Darren Kenny but under the crossbar for a killer goal.

That left Allen Gaels eight points clear with less than 14 minutes to go but Carrigallen only seemed to be getting going - two Skelly frees cut the back back to six before Caleb Duffy scored a wonderful point from a tight angle in the right corner. 

Another Skelly free followed before a great Gary Reynolds catch led to a Marc Dolan run and eventually a point for sub Derek Reilly with just over five minutes to go.

The always dangerous Ciaran Walsh broke through on the Carrigallen goal but opted to fist the ball over the bar as the Gaels were again six points clear with less than four minutes to go.

Daniel Lyons scored an excellent point from the corner under fierce pressure to cut the gap to five points before Marc Dolan had a late scrambled effort for a goal following a Skelly fifty cleared.

A goal did come for Carrigallen but unfortunately for them it was too late, nearly two minutes into added time when they lobbed a ball into the area, Gary Reynolds forced it on and Aaron Skelly knocked it home. The final whistle sounds moments later to spark off very happy Allen Gaels celebrations.

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ALLEN GAELS

Scorers: Ciaran McMorrow 1-6, 5f; Ciaran Walsh 1-2; Shane Walsh, Brian Mulvey, Caleb Duffy & Shane Beirne 0-1 each

Team: Dan Curran, Adrian Sorohan, Mark Gunning, Martin Raftery, David Wynne, Kyle Flynn, Shane Walsh, Emmet Moran, Radek Oberwan, Shane Beirne, Ciaran Walsh, Caleb Duffy, Ciaran McMorrow, Brian Mulvey, Colin Moran. Subs: Brian Beirne for C Moran (54); Cathal McGourty for Rafferty (60)

CARRIGALLEN

Scorers: Aaron Skelly 1-6, 6f; Daniel Lyons, Gary Reynolds, Marc Dolan, Colm Kiernan, Matt Hackett, Jake Hackett (M) & Derek Reilly 0-1 each

Team: Darren Kennedy, Barry Reilly, Daniel Lyons, Patrick McCann, Barry Dolan, Gary Reynolds, Daniel Hackett, Marc Dolan, Fionnan Harte, Aaron Skelly, Colm Kiernan, Matt Hackett, Jake Hackett, Eoin Ward, Aodan Harte. Subs: Kalum McLoughlin for Ward (14); Brian O’Rourke for F Harte (HT); Derek Reilly for A Harte (43); Daniel McCann for M Hackett (51); Harry Wilson for McLoughlin (56)

Referee: Mark McCloskey