Champions Clonguish back in Longford senior hurling final as Wolfe Tones bow out

A masterclass display from centre-back Joe O’Brien propelled reigning champions Clonguish Gaels to a six-point victory over Wolfe Tones at Michael Fay Park on Saturday evening, a result that means that the Newtownforbes side will now face Longford Slashers in the County decider for the second consecutive year.

Senior Hurling Championship Round 3: Clonguish Gaels 1-16 Wolfe Tones 1-10 

Although Wolfe Tones rallied in the last ten minutes hitting 1-3 without reply, Clonguish never looked like losing this contest once Stephen Gregg raised a green flag in the thirteenth minute. Indeed, the Edgeworthstown men trailed by twelve points at the fifty-minute mark, 1-16 to 0-7, before fighting back in determined fashion to put some gloss on the scoreboard.

Despite Wolfe Tones’ Cathal Mullane top-scoring with 1-7, and good performances from Clonguish Gaels duo Stephen Gregg who scored 1-4, and midfielder Gerard Moore, it was the talismanic O’Brien who was the man-of-the-match. As well as scoring eight points, he was also superb defensively and produced an excellent all-round display.

It took the Clonguish defence about eight minutes to settle into the game as some sloppy defending presented possible goal opportunities for Wolfe Tones, but crucially, they could not raise a green flag.

The best of those chances to rattle the Clonguish net came after six minutes. John Mulhern surged forward on a brilliant run but his hand pass to an unmarked Michael Savage was too high, and the sliotar went wide in what was a lucky escape for Clonguish.

Clonguish were four points to three up after eleven minutes. Joe O’Brien twice from play, Matthew Flynn from a narrow angle on the right, and a Stephen Gregg free kept the scoreboard ticking over for the winners, while Wolfe Tones responded with a point from John Mulhern and two Cathal Mullane frees.

The best of those scores came on seven minutes when O’Brien slipped past his marker Liam Browne and impressively split the uprights from long-range.

Clonguish then went on a scoring spree as they registered 1-4 without reply in a six-minute spell to lead by 1-8 to 0-3 by the eighteenth minute.

Gerard Moore and O’Brien slotted over points, but the crucial game changing moment came in the thirteenth minute. A long ball into the forward line was brilliantly fielded by Gaels centre-forward Stephen Gregg, he turned and raced in on goal before blasting the sliotar to the roof of the Wolfe Tones net. Two more scores from O’Brien including a free, gave Clonguish an eight-point advantage.

Mulhern responded for the Edgeworthstown side with a superb long-rang curling point, and although Mullane added two more frees including a spectacular free from seventy-five yards out, Flynn and a brace from O’Brien restored the eight-point cushion for Clonguish at the interval, as they led by 1-11 to 0-06.

It could have been much worse for Wolfe Tones as deep into stoppage time, a close-range effort from Alan Sorohan was brilliantly saved by Tones’ keeper Evan Tully.

The first four points of the second half went to Clonguish. Stephen Gregg and O’Brien both converted a free each, while Gregg and Dan Crossan also added scores from play to leave twelve points between the sides approaching the forty-second minute mark.

Wolfe Tones almost scored a goal in the thirty-ninth minute. A brilliant weaving run in on goal from Mulhern was brilliantly stopped by Clonguish corner-back Padraig McGuinness just as Mulhern was about to fire off a shot.

Wolfe Tones had another good goal chance on forty-three minutes when a long ball in from Mullane caught out the Clonguish backs, allowing Ronan Courtney to zone in on goal from the left, only for his low diagonal shot across the goal to whistle just inches wide of the far post.

Mullane slotted over his sixth free of the match as the contest entered the final quarter only for Stephen Gregg to respond when he fired over Clonguish’s last score with ten minutes to go.

Although the game was well over as a contest, Wolfe Tones finished the stronger with an unanswered scoring burst of 1-3, as Mullane converted 1-2 and Adam Quinn got the other point. Mullane’s goal came from a twenty-five-yard free that he rifled to the roof of the net.

In a desperate bid to score goals, Mullane dropped two frees into the danger area, but despite a couple of testing minutes including a goalmouth scramble, a resolute Clonguish defence held firm as they secured the victory that keeps their two-in-a-row bid on track.

Clonguish finished the game with fourteen players as Padraig McGuinness was dismissed deep into stoppage time for a foul on Savage.

CLONGUISH GAELS: Eanna Daly; Michael Devlin, Oisin Gately, Padraig McGuinness; David Gregg, Joe O’Brien (0-8, 3f’s 1 65’), Raymond O’Brien; Paul Barden, Gerard Moore (0-1); Dan Crossan (0-1), Stephen Gregg (1-4, 2f’s), Declan Lee; Ciaran Corcoran, Alan Sorohan, Matthew Flynn (0-2).

Subs: Brian Gordon for Barden (24 minutes), Brian Brady for Corcoran (half-time), Conor Carroll for Matthew Flynn (48 minutes), Eamon Nertney for A Sorohan (58 minutes).

WOLFE TONES: Evan Tully; Niall Doone, Cian McLoughlin, Pearse McNally; Ronan Courtney, Adam Quinn (0-1), James Connell; Martin Coyle,Maitiu Donoghue; Jude McGuinness, Cathal Mullane (1-7, all frees), Iain Campbell; Liam Browne, Michael Savage, John Mulhern (0-2).

Sub: Daire Duggan for Jude McGuinness (half-time).

REFEREE: Francis Kelly.