Annaduff end Smith Monumentals IFC finals torment as Darren Cox shines in battle with Melvin Gaels

Never mind the quality, feel the title may well be the motto in Annaduff this week as they finally ended their wait for the Smith Monumentals IFC title with a hard fought victory over Melvin Gaels in an intense, engrossing if dour decider in Avant Money Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada on Sunday.

This wasn’t an old fashioned shootout or helter-skelter encounter but rather a perfect example of modern day gaelic football as Annaduff and Melvin Gaels mirrored each other’s strengths and focussed on stopping the other doing real damage to their championship aspirations.

It was a big departure from the normal swashbuckling style we see from Annaduff but after three defeats in Intermediate finals in recent years and a heavy loss at the hands of Melvin Gaels in the group stages, it was completely understandable and it certainly worked for Joe Cox’s men.

Annaduff wildly celebrate long awaited Smith Monumentals IFC Final victory - GALLERY (UPDATED)

After heartbreak in three previous finals, Annaduff finally tasted glory in the Smith Monumentals IFC Final on Sunday in Avant Money Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada when they held off Melvin Gaels 0-9 to 0-7 to claim the 2023 title. Observer photographer Willie Donnellan was there to catalogue the celebrations .... see who you can spot!

Of course, it helps if you have a genuine game changer in your attack and Annaduff had that in Darren Cox who gave an exhibition of freetaking, some breathtaking scores that severely punished Melvin Gaels’ tendency to leave a hand in and foul when ran at directly.

Gary Clancy did much the same for Melvin Gaels at the other end, hitting five points but Annaduff, somewhat careless with fouls and disciplined in the first half, tightened up considerably in the second to cut down on the Gaels’ main source of scores.

Cox was the cutting edge of Annaduff’s victory but it was their defensive resilience that was the rock the Melvin Gaels ship floundered on - Hugh Moylan, Eoin Gill, Dillon Keane, Conor Reynolds, Aaron Duignan all had huge impacts as their workrate knocked Melvin Gaels out of their rhythm.

Annaduff started on the front foot, Melvin Gaels keeper Kevin McGloin doing well to punch clear a long delivery from Eoghan Ridge under pressure from Daniel Bosquette. A foul on Ray Cox out in the right hand corner saw Darren Cox open the scoring with a wonderful free from the 14 yard line.

The Annaduff team who defeated Melvin Gaels to win the 2023 Smith Monumentals IFC title in Avant Money Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada Picture: Willie Donnellan

Joseph McGloin looked set to equalise but Matty Cox made a huge block on the Melvin Gaels players to set the tone for the game while Gary Clancy shot wide after a quick free. Annaduff doubled their lead when Eoin Gill took a lovely pop pass into the space between Melvin Gaels defenders and he fired over quickly from 35 yards.

Another Cox free, for a foul on Gill, put Annaduff three points to the good after just ten minutes but Melvin Gaels were starting to find a bit of rhythm. Patient play resulted in JJ Lipsett firing over a well taken Gaels point on 13 minutes and five minutes later, a foul on Conor Sheridan was moved in for dissent, Gary Clancy converting.

Shane Morrison was booked for blocking off the ball while Gero Gilmartin fired wide. Matty Cox took off on a powerful run to cut through the Gaels defence but his pass was too long and the Kinlough defence cleared the danger.

A foul on the charging Gill led to a yellow for Shane McGloin and a successful Cox free on 26 minutes before a costly Declan Clancy foul and subsequent dissent gave Cox an easy tap over a minute later. Gary Clancy hit back with a free that was also moved in for dissent on 28 minutes.

Then Darren Cox really came front and centre, first booming a 52 yard free high over the crossbar before then scoring a magnificent free six minutes into added time some five yards in from the left sideline on the 14 yard line, the youngster ignoring the run from Ray Cox to score a truly magnificent point that drew gasps of awe from the crowd.

In between the scores, Cillian McGloin was on the run but a flying defender blocked the shot as Annaduff led 0-7 to 0-4 at the break. That lead was quickly doubled inside the first two minutes as Darren Cox fired over a 40 yard free after a foul on himself while Dillon Keane converted a fifty after Daniel Bosquette’s fisted effort came off the post and Ray Cox forced a defender across the endline.

The Melvin Gaels team who were defeated by Annaduff in the 2023 Smith Monumentals IFC Final last Sunday in Avant Money Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada Picture: Willie Donnellan

However, Annaduff then started to miss chances with Cox missing three placed balls although Gary Glancy also missed the target from a free. The Gaels freetaker did cut the gap back to four on 40 minutes but time was now becoming a factor as sub Declan Roper left an effort short into keeper Caolan Quigley.

With both teams bringing on subs and players going down for treatment, the game became fractured with no real rhythm although Melvin Gaels were beginning to exert more pressure. Unfortunately for them, they couldn’t show it on the scoreboard with Gero Gilmartin shooting wide and Michael Ferguson seeing a shot blocked after a low Clancy free.

A heavy hit on Darren Cox resulted in a yellow for Ferguson and a yellow for Dillon Keane for retaliation but time was just as great an enemy for Melvin Gaels as the resilient Annaduff defence. Gary Clancy converted a free to leave three points in it with just over three minutes of normal time remaining, the Gaels’ first score in 16 minutes.

Michael Ferguson should have closed the gap but hit wide from 30 yards out in front of the posts. The wides were confined to Melvin Gaels as Darren Cox put a free wide after a strong Keane run won a free. 

The pressure mounted as a long ball into the Annaduff area came back to Declan Roper for a fine point over a minute into added time but Annaduff refused to buckle, breaking out of defence before Kenny Cox was taken down by sub Jamie Moore who received a black card for the offence.

Darren Cox saw his free, from over 50 yards, incredibly come off the post in a let-off for the Gaels but the Kinlough men couldn’t engineer the goal chance they so desperately needed with the final whistle sparking off wild Annaduff celebrations as they finally won the long awaited Intermediate title.

ANNADUFF

Scorers: Darren Cox 0-7, 7f; Dillon Keane (50) & Eoin Gill 0-1 each

Team: Caolan Quigley; Frank Shanley, Dillon Keane, Matty Cox, Eoin Gill, Hugh Moylan, Eoghan Ridge, Aaron Duignan, Shane Morrison, Niall Quigley, Darren Cox, Conor Reynolds, Ray Cox, Daniel Bosquette, Alan Glancy. Subs: Kenny Cox for R Cox (42); Jason Ward for N Quigley (49)

MELVIN GAELS

Scorers: Gary Clancy 0-5, 5f; JJ Lipsett & Declan Roper 0-1 each

Team: Kevin McGloin; Patrick McGowan, Kieran Clancy, Peter Connolly; JJ Lipsett, Cillian McGloin; Shane McGloin; Conor Sheridan, Peter McGowan; Philip McGowan, Michael Ferguson, Declan Clancy; Gary Clancy, Gero Gilmartin, Joseph McGloin. Subs: Declan Roper for Philip McGowan (35); Matthew San Pedro for D Clancy (40); Paul Simpson for Peter McGowan (42); Jamie Moore for Patrick McGowan (44); Adam Dolan for Gilmartin (60)

Referee: Enda Egan