Ballymac and An Ghaeltacht advance to their respective All-Ireland Finals – Match Reports
AIB All-Ireland Club Intermediate Football semi-final
Courtesy of GAA.ie
An Ghaeltacht 0-18
Sallins 1-14 (AET)
Pilgrimages will be made to Croke Park from the north west and south west corners of Ireland next Sunday after An Ghaeltacht (Kerry) and Glenullin (Derry) secured their spots in the AIB All-Ireland Intermediate final with thrilling wins this afternoon.
Éanna Ó Conchúir was the match-winning hero for An Ghaeltacht against Sallins in SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, hoisting over a two-point free with the last kick of the game to secure an 0-18 to 1-14 win after 80 minutes of action.
Leinster clubs have a surprisingly poor record in this competition with just three semi-final wins and no All-Ireland victories in the history of the intermediate All-Ireland series, but such was Sallins’ dominance in Kildare and in Leinster, with no team getting within two goals of them in any championship match this year, they were expected to go very close against their talented West Kerry opponents.
Operating without four starters from the Munster final, An Ghaeltacht were efficient and controlled in the first half, hitting just one wide while exerting huge pressure on the Sallins kickout.
Luke Killian kept the Leinster side in the game but former Cork star Aodán Breathnach was thriving on familiar soil to control the game at midfield, with Pádraig Óg Ó Sé and Seán Ó Gairbhí also thriving in the middle.
It looked like the Kerry side’s path to Croke Park was secured when they led by four with ten minutes to play, but a Stephen Kelly’s fisted goal, which was quickly followed by another Killian point, tied the game up.
Éanna Ó Conchúir split the posts from a very tight angle to nudge An Ghaeltacht back into the lead but the contest was sent to extra-time by James Dalton in the third minute of stoppage time.
Sallins played some of their best football in the additional 20, Luke Kelly scoring a fine point and Seán Ó Domhnaill making a heroic block to deny a likely Ghaeltacht goal, but a couple of wides once again left the door open, and the bravery shown by Ó Conchúir to kick the winner will be celebrated for generations around the Dingle peninsula.
With Sallins one point ahead, a free at midfield was brought forward and the attacker had the option of shooting for an equaliser from less than 30 metres out, or coming back out to try and take all the marbles.
On a pitch with 30 exhausted legs, Ó Conchúir’s right peg had the power and precision to steer the kick through the posts for the win.
AIB All-Ireland Club Junior Football semi-final
Courtesy of GAA.ie
Ballymacelligott (Kerry) 2-13
Grangelovin (Kildare) 0-16
For the third time in four years, the AIB All-Ireland Junior club football final will see the Munster and Ulster champions go head to head after Ballymacelligott (Kerry) and Clogher Éire Óg (Tyrone) came through their semi-final battles this afternoon.
Grangenolvin of Kildare were the side hoping to become the first Leinster team since Rathgarogue-Cushinstown (Wexford, 2020) to reach this final and for long stretches of the game they were more than a match for a stylish and slick Ballymacelligott side who also had their sustained periods of dominance.
One of those spells was right at the start when Niall Collins and then Adam Sheehy found the net to give them the dream start. They undid that good work by helping Grangenolvin back into the game by their own indiscipline, conceding fouls, a black card and a score from a breach.
Dylan Costigan took control of the game from centre back while brothers Cillian and Conall Bergin were imperious at midfield to give the Kildare club a strong foothold in terms of possession, while another brother Fionn had 0-7 scored from dead balls in the opening half.
Jack Joy hit a couple of crucial points with Aidan Breen showing all his experience around the middle to steady the ship and leave five points between the teams with a little over a quarter of an hour remaining, but true to form, there was still time for one more purple patch each. Grange got back to a couple of points adrift, but Ballymacelligott had the legs and the quality to see out a 2-13 to 0-16 win.
By Sinead Pigott Sat 3rd Jan
