Naomh Eoin 0-15 Kilmurry Ibrickane 1-11
at Kilrush 15/10/17.
Naomh Eoin secured passage to the Junior A Football decider with a hard-fought win by the minimum over Kilmurry Ibrickane in front of a vocal crowd in Kilrush. Buoyed by their Senior teams success in the SFC semi final the previous day, KIb were fully intent on making back-to-back Junior and Senior final appearances. Naomh Eoin started with the aid of the slight breeze and after three minutes Niall Bonfil was slipped through on goal by a Michael Liddane pass but his shot screamed just over the bar. Kilmurray Ibrickane responded and after Darren Callinan opened their account, wing back Darragh Pender raided for a brace of points. Conor Downes replied with a long-range score before Callinan had his second score, this one from a free.
Naomh Eoin dominated the second quarter, moving well and scoring four unanswered points. Conor Downes started the rally with a left-footed effort, and Lorcan Lynch then marked the kick-out before feeding Niall Bonfil who found space to turn and score the equaliser. Mikey Liddane fielded a long delivery to the square and rounded his man, but goalkeeper Peter O'Dwyer made the first of a few vital saves when deflecting the shot with his foot. Conor Downes landed the resultant 45, and Gearoid Lynch atoned for a missed free with a fine point from 35m out making it 0:6 to 0:4 after 25 minutes.
Kilmurry then revived their challenge, when a series of hand-passes up the middle led to the unmarked Callinan getting on the end of an overlap and he slotted home giving John Keating no chance in the Naomh Eoin goal. Naomh Eoin responded through Seamus Boland, now operating as full forward, when he gathered a long delivery and slotted over from the right wing, making the half time score 0:7 to 1:4.
The first chance of the second period fell to Mikey Liddane, but his effort struck the post and was cleared away. He made no mistake with the next chance, and after a laboured build-up, Lorcan Lynch took the initiative and landed a good score. Partick Foley was introduced for Naomh Eoin in place of Eoin Hanrahan, and his experience was immediately evident when he picked up a couple of interceptions and earned frees. A long delivery to Liddane from one of those led to his second score, from the right corner. Kilmurray Ibrickane worked the possession to a shooting chance but that was wide, and a minute later the ball was back with Liddane, this time finding space in the left corner, and the thirty-something slotted another to put the peninsula side four ahead.
Kilmurry Ibrickane finally got a second-half score when a free was moved to within scoring range for dissent and Callinan duly obliged. He missed the next chance from play but undeterred, took on the next shot and landed that from distance. A free won from the kick-out was within his range and he raised another white flag, reducing the margin to a single point mid-way through the second half, 0:11 to 1:7. Seamus Boland with a 30m free got Naomh Eoin back on track, but the response was almost directly from the kick-out, that man Callinan again, this time from play. Naomh Eoin were then denied two goal chances, from Liddane and Boland, before the latter took his point to restore the two point margin.
The next score fell to Kilmurry Ibrickane, again Callinan from a free, earned by veteran sub Odhran O'Dwyer. Liddane had another goal-bound effort denied, and at the other end Callinan had a free that tailed just wide as the tension grew. Odhran O'Dwyer then equalised, and center-back Thomas O'Connor burst onto the feed from the kick-out and fired the lead score for KIb, 1:11 to 0:13. Naomh Eoin's hard-working wing back Douglas Lynch earned a vital free, and referee Wayne King moved the chance 13m forward when the defenders didn't heed his instruction to move back, and Boland then had an easy tap-over to level. As the game entered three minutes of stoppage time, great tracking by Liddane to intercept a pass and turn-over possession and feed Boland in the corner, and he pinged a pass to Lorcan Lynch who gathered inside the 13 and pointed the winner from an acute angle. Kilmurry Ibricane earned a late free, again moved within range by referree King for an altrication near the sideline, but Callinan's effort this time stayed outside the right post and wide.
Jubilant scenes ensued amongst the Naomh Eoin supporters who hope to see their side capture a fifth County JFC A Title since their maiden success in 1991. The opponents will be Eire Og, Inis, who overcame Michael Cusacks by two points in the other semi final later on Sunday. This is a repeat of the 2015 Intermediate Championship Relegation decider, which the Ennis side won, and also a repeat of the 2005 County Final, which Naomh Eoin won after a replay. The game is expected to be scheduled for Sunday 29th October, potentially as a curtain-raiser to the SFC Final.
