Carrick CS dream dies at hands of impressive Dunmore

Carrick Community School’s dream of becoming the first Leitrim team to ever win the Mezzino Connacht PPS Senior B title were ruthlessly shattered by a dominant Dunmore Community School at Saturday’s Final at the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence.

The Leitrim school went into the final with justifiable belief that they could create their own slice of history but Dunmore, who has risen through the ranks of schools’ football in the province with almost supernatural speed, clinically ended that notion with a superb display of incisive football.

Seven unanswered points between the tenth and 22nd minute of the first half put the Galway side in control and while Carrick rallied with three points before the break, Dunmore brilliantly killed off the contest with a further 1-4 in the opening ten minutes of the second half.

Dunmore, who beat Ballinamore CS in last year’s Senior C Final, demonstrated a bewildering ability to find the gaps in the Carrick defence, their movement and clever passing leaving an overworked defence under huge pressure while their ability to win breaking ball was another big factor.

It didn’t help that Carrick had an attack of the yips in front of the posts - Josh Maye was desperately unlucky with a goal effort in the middle of Dunmore’s first half surge, his effort cannoning off a defender and heading for the goal only to come back off the base of the post.

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It was that sort of luck Carrick endured on the day but in all honesty, it would have made little difference as Dunmore’s dominance in the middle of the park and of the breaking ball meant they had a liberal supply of ball to the dangerous Colm Costello, Robert Heneghan and Padraig Martyn.

That trio caused Carrick’s defence enormous problems, their movement and ability on the ball was one thing but they were aided by some quality ball into them that left defenders in a quandary and it took some excellent stops from keeper Aaron Cox to deny them, scores that might have reflected their dominance much more accurately.

Carrick opened with a good deal of possession but a turnover, a swift move and a clever pass into Padraig Martyn saw him fire over after a minute. It was a pattern to be repeated often during the game as both sides traded wides before a good run from Martyn ended with Robert Glynn firing over.

Brian Keaney got the ball to Josh Maye who was fouled, the St Mary’s converting the free on eight minutes but Dunmore started to dominate and the scores started to flow. Another interception saw Glynn chip the ball to Niall Heneghan, a return pass led to a fine point on ten minutes.

Dunmore had a goal chance but it was blocked by Kilmore’s Aaron Cox and after a couple of wides at either end, the Galway school started to pull away with points from Niall Heneghan, Colm Costello and Robert Heneghan in a three minute spell.

Carrick had a chance to halt the Dunmore surge, Maye getting onto the end of a length of the field move. His shot cannoned off a defender and was heading for the goal only to hit the post and the danger was cleared on 17 minutes.

The Carrick CS team who were defeated by Dunmore CS Picture: Willie Donnellan

Glynn, Costello and Daithi Reddington all swept over points in the space of two minutes as Carrick CS appeared somewhat shell-shocked but they steadied themselves with two more placed balls from Josh Maye with Kyle Russell adding the Leitrim school’s first from play with two minutes left in the half.

Dunmore should have finished the half with a goal or at least a penalty when the two Heneghans and Costello combined to open up the Carrick defence. Robert Heneghan seemed poised to palm the ball to the net but under pressure from Cox and St Mary’s Darragh Gardiner, the ball went wide.

It looked as if the challenge merited a penalty but after consulting with his umpires, referee Brendan Healy waved play on and the half ended with Carrick facing into a 0-9 to 0-4 deficit, hardly the worst situation after a dominant first half from Dunmore.

But any dreams Carrick has to mounting a comeback were ruthlessly killed off early in the second half as Costello hit two points, one from a free, before a brilliant, swift counter attacking move involving Dylan Connolly and, Ruairi Walkin and Costello ended with Martyn palming the ball to the net just five minutes in.

Walkin fisted a ball over the bar seconds later before Aaron Cox made a wonder save when Martyn seemed certain to goal after just six minutes. Walkin would finish off another good move with a 40 yard point and now, 11 minutes into the second half, Carrick trailed by 12 points.

Josh Maye halted the Dunmore surge with a fine point, answered by a Jonathan Meehan score before Cox made another brilliant save from Martyn. The hard working Joe McKeon hit a fine effort from play on 51 minutes but with the game petering out, all that remained was two more frees from Maye and another Costello point to round out the scoring.

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Carrick did have one great chance late on but, typical of their luck all day, Cian Reynolds saw his shot cannon off the post while Brian Keaney had earlier seen a shot blocked by a vigilant Dunmore defence.

CARRICK-ON-SHANNON CS

Scorers: Josh Maye 0-6, 6f; Kyle Russell & Joe McKeon 0-1 each

Team: Aaron Cox, Alan Beirne, Nikita Berzins, Hugh Bracken, Cian Reynolds, Darargh Gardiner, Aaron Gardiner, Ruadhan Henry, Tadhg Regan, Joe McKeon, Josh Maye, Senan Bohan, Brian Keaney, Daire Shannon, Kyle Russell. Subs: James Shanley for Shannon (35); Niall Stenson for Henry (50), Cormac Regan for Bohan (54)

DUNMORE CS

Scorers: Colm Costello 0-5, 1f; Padraig Martyn 1-1; Robert Glynn 0-3; Ruairi Walkin 0-2; Jonathan Meehan, Niall Heneghan, Robert Heneghan & Daithi Reddington 0-1 each

Team: Christopher Donlon, Luke Dowling, Finnian Cronin, Scott Flynn, Dylan Hannon, Dylan Connolly, Jonathan Meehan, Ruairi Walkin, Niall Heneghan, Robert Glynn, Robert Heneghan, Daithi Reddington, Barry Murray, Padraig Martin, Colm Costello. Subs: Fionnan Coleman for Reddington (53); James Carr for Murray (54); John Cosgrove & Matthew Coleman for Hannon & R Heneghan (30)

Referee: Brendan Healy (Roscommon)