Minor B’s overcome Trinity Gaels in cliffhanger Semi Final!!
MINOR B’s OVERCOME TRINITY GAELS IN CLIFFHANGER SEMI FINAL!!
Kilmacud Crokes Minor B’s 4-10 Trinity Gaels 2-11
(Match Report by Diarmuid Coogan, Photos Peter Axelsson.)
Scorers: Kilmacud Crokes: Conor Mullin 2-3(3 f), Oisín Gormley 2-0, Hugh Leahy 0-3, John Mullin 0-3, Mark Beggins 0-1(65).
Trinity Gaels: Cathal Barrett 2-11 (5 f).
Kilmacud Crokes Minor B Hurlers overcame a formidable Trinity Gaels team today on UCD Church pitch to clinch a place in the Minor D Championship Final in a match that went right down to the wire. They showed great character to win as they saw their early 2nd half lead of 9 points gradually “whittled away” and all the momentum was with Gaels in the last 10 minutes.
Gaels came to Belfield in confident mood of completing a “double”, having won the Minor Football E Championship the previous Sunday. However, they opted to play against the wind in the 1st half and Crokes used this to their advantage with an early goal by captain Conor Mullin. U16 Dublin player Hugh Leahy was buzzing and scored 2 fine points which were added to by the “Elder Mullin”, John, and goalie Mark Beggins who scored a “signature 65”. Conor Mullin also scored 2 frees. In the “move of the half”, Leahy carried the ball in from the left wing and gave a great horizontal pass to “goal machine” Oisín “Buzzo” Gormley who deftly sidestepped a defender before driving a low shot to the bottom right corner from the edge of the large square.
Crokes’ early dominance owed a lot to the solid defence of full back line Charlie Grehan, Ross Gargan(who could go into the Undertaking business – “he’d never let you down”!) PJ Phelan and the half back line of Hugh Brosnan, Davin Tighe and Cian Cooper and tireless midfield duo of Jonny Axelsson and Tadhg Ó Cáthasaigh which also launched many attacks. Beggins made an early excellent save to stop a certain goal and this proved crucial in the overall context of the match.
Although Gaels’ talented Dublin Minor Cathal Barrett looked extremely dangerous whenever he got the ball (and scored all 4 points in the ½), he was closely marked by Crokes’s centre back Davin Tighe and the tigerish Colm Buckley. This greatly reduced his threat although he amassed all of Gaels 2-11 haul!
Half Time KC 2-6 TG 0-4.
Crokes appeared to have a healthy lead going into the 2nd half but Gaels quickly used the wind and Barrett scored 2 great points to reduce the deficit. However Beggins pucked out long and sub midfielder Andrew Blanker worked the ball to Conor Mullin who got in behind the defence to score his 2nd goal 5 minutes into the 2nd half. Blanker’s introduction was important as he has a “big engine” and was tireless in (KC 3-6 TG 0-6)
Barrett scored 2 more either side of a Leahy point before he caught the Crokes defence “napping” and drove a 30 metre free to the top corner of the net to reduce the deficit to 5. (KC 3-7 TG 1-8)
Conor Mullin halted the slide with a point but Barrett scored his 2nd goal to make it a one score game with 15 minutes left. (KC 3-8 TG 2-8)
The momentum was all with Gaels now and Barrett added 3 more points to equalise with only 8 minutes left. ( KC 3-8 TG 2-11)
Crokes now faced a major mental challenge; facing the wind, the fact that they’d let a 9 point lead slip and a rampant opposition but they adopted a “No Paseran” attitude and put their bodies on the line, with sub defenders Adam Faughnan, Harry Lynch and Seán Ó Maonaigh making some crucial interventions. One particular siege was lifted when lion hearted corner back PJ Phelan threw himself into “harms way” to gain possession and won a free into the bargain.
Beggins launched the free into the Gaels half where John Mullin scored a wonderful point from 60 metres to restore Crokes lead. (KC 3-9 TG 2-11).C
The game was still on a knife edge but following a long ball into the Gaels left corner, Conor Mullin played a clever ball into the square where “Buzzo” Gormley showed his predatory instincts to bat the ball into the net! (KC 4-9 TG 2-11)
Gaels seemed to lose their composure with this goal and following pressure from sub forward Jack Flynn, Crokes regained possession from the puck out and Mullin(The Elder) added another great point. (KC 4-10 TG 2-11).
From this point Gaels turned down some simple points as they threw the sink at Crokes in search of a goal but the Purple and Gold defence stood firm. The final whistle sounded shortly after much to the delight of the Crokes lads who’ve now reached 3 finals in a row (U15 Féile D6 in 2022, U16 D in 2023 & Minor D 2024). It was a particularly happy day for wing forward Gavin King as he had also played a key part in the U16B’s Championship Final victory the day before!
Crokes : M.Beggins, C.Grehan, R.Gargan, PJ.Phelan, H.Brosnan, D.Tighe, C.Cooper, J.Axelsson, T.Ó Cáthasaigh, G.King, H.Leahy, J.Mullin, C.Mullin(Capt),O.Gormley, C.Buckley.
Subs: A.Blanker f King, S.Ó Maonaigh f Grehan, H.Lynch f Cooper, A.Faughnan f Ó Cáthasaigh, J.Flynn f Leahy.
Subs not used: Eoin Lynch, Conor Kennedy, Lochlainn Kennedy.
