SENESCHALSTOWN TAKE KEEGAN CUP FOR THE FIRST TIME
Seneschalstown annexed the prized Keegan Cup for the first time ever on Sunday when they swept aside the challenge of Navan O’Mahonys to emerge victorious by 0-11 to 1-5 in a replay of the senior football championship final at Navan.
Without doubt the laurels rest in the proper place. A winning margin of three points is a poor reflection of the overall superiority enjoyed by Seneschalstown for most of the hour. Perhaps their total of 14 wides, as compared with 7 for O’Mahony’s presents a fairer picture of the trend of play.
Apart from a couple of bad-tempered incidents in the second half, the match was contested in a tough but sporting manner throughout. Although the game never reached great heights, some exhilarating passages of football and a dynamic last-gasp effort by O’Mahony’s to stave off defeat kept the spectators on their toes to the final whistle. As a spectacle, the match proved much more entertaining than the drawn game.
Despite Seneschalstown’s dominance, it would be unwise to write off this Navan team. During the championship campaign they produced many young players of outstanding ability such as Pat Duffy, Fergus Duffy, Joe Cassells, Christy Blake, Dermot Dalton, Alan Burns and Paul Murphy. Several of these young stars were not at their best on Sunday and it was left to experienced campaigners Seamus Murphy, Willie Shiels, Eamon Giles and Harry Ratty to produce the goods. Navan’s troubles started at centrefield where Cassells and Blake, although getting through quite an amount of work, never struck up a profitable partnership. O’Mahonys’ overworked defence stood up well to intense Seneschalstown pressure but their attack, cumbersome and hesitant throughout, never functioned as a unit.
BRILLIANT DEFENCE
The foundations of Seneschalstown’s victory, in this writer’s view, were laid in their brilliant defensive set-up. Navan’s attack were never given an inch by a rock solid full back line of Tom Finnegan, Sean Bowens and Larry Kearns. But the most vital contribution came from a magnificent half back line of Sean Finnegan, Mick Collins and Mick McCabe. This combination snuffed out the Navan half-forward line and still found time to produce one of the finest displays of attacking half-back football witnessed at this venue this season.
Seneschalstown stamped their authority on the match from the beginning. Most of the action was centred around the Navan goal in the early stages as they launched attack after attack on a bewildered O’Mahonys. Billy Collins opened the winners’ account in the second minute with a well-taken point. The Seneschalstown blitz continued and the O’Mahonys had a narrow escape when Joe Brien strode through a hesitant defence and fired in a blistering low shot which brought a magnificent save from Navan custodian, Ronan Giles, in the third minute. Sonny Carter consolidated Seneschalstowns’ lead with a point from a free in the fifth minute. O’Mahonys jerked into life after this score and Harry Ratty opened their account with a beautiful point in the ninth minute. Two minutes later Alan Burns converted a close-range free to level matters.
Seneschalstown snuffed out this short-lived Navan revival with minors from Ollie Geraghty (4) and Sonny Carter, stretching their lead to five points with one minute remaining for play in the first half. Suddenly O’Mahonys, who seemed to have drifted out of the match completely, snapped back into the reckoning with a typical goal. Eamon Giles, who was working himself to a standstill in an effort to stem the Seneschalstown tide, started the move with a perfect angled pass to the inrushing Paul Murphy. With a superb burst of speed, Murphy left a couple of defenders trailing in his wake before swinging over a beautiful punched centre. As backs and forwards tussled for possession the ball ran loose to midfielder Christy Blake who fisted it past the Seneschalstown ‘keeper to leave the interval score: Seneschalstown 0-7, O’Mahonys 1-2.
CONSTANT PRESSURE
On the resumption Seneschalstown continued where they left off by subjecting the Navan rear-guard to constant pressure. O’Mahonys simply had no answer to the winners’ power as they surged further ahead with points from Billy Collins and Pete Cromwell. Another Harry Ratty minor in the ninth minute signified a Navan revival. Alan Burns cut the deficit further with a point from a free in the 14th minute. At this stage O’Mahonys, moving with great verve and purpose, played their best football of the hour, but they simply had not the power or thrust up front to beat the solid Seneschalstown defensive screen. Sonny Carter emphasised the winners’ supremacy with points from frees in the 15th and 16th minutes. Burns raised a white flag for Navan three minutes from time. O’Mahonys threw everything into a last-ditch assault but the magnificent Seneschalstown defence stood firm to the end.
As stated earlier, the Seneschalstown backs turned in a superb performance with right-full Tom Finnegan and centre-half Mick Collins outstanding. Ollie Geraghty and Terry McDonagh had the better of the midfield exchanges with Geraghty’s ability to pick off long range scores a decided asset. The Seneschalstown attack was not entirely satisfactory. The finishing of the forwards was often careless, but they still managed to build up a creditable score with Pete Cromwell, Paddy Duggan and Billy Collins posing most of the problems for the Navan defence.
Goalkeeper Ronan Giles, with a string of remarkable saves, Seamus Murphy and Eamon Giles, up to his retirement through injury, played their hearts out in the O’Mahonys defence. Midfielders Joe Cassells and Christy Blake turned in good performances but never produced their best, while in a disjointed attack Dermot Dalton, Willie Shiels and Harry Ratty were always dangerous.
After the match Mr. Colm Cromwell (chairman Meath Co. Board) presented the Keegan Cup to the victorious captain, Mick Collins.
Seneschalstown: Padraig Collins, Tommy Finnegan, Seanie Bowens, Larry Kearns, Sean Finnegan, Mick Collins (capt.), Mickey McCabe, Terry McDonagh, Ollie Geraghty, Petey Cromwell, Paddy Duggan, Billy Collins, Joe Brien, Frank Heskin, Sonny Carter. Subs: Richie McGuirk for Brien. Willie Clarke for Carter.
Navan O’Mahonys: Ronan Giles, Fergus Duffy, Donal O’Grady, Peter Matthews, Seamus Murphy, Eamon Giles (captain), Pat Duffy, Joe Cassells, Christy Blake, Bobby Duffy, Dermot Dalton, Alan Burns, Harry Ratty, Willie Sheils, Paul Murphy. Sub: Louis Kinsella for E. Giles
Mr. Aidan Gillick (Dulane) referee.
MAN OF THE MATCH
Man of the match, in this writer’s opinion, was Seneschalstown’s Tom Finnegan. An inspiring figure throughout, the tall right full-back turned in a brilliant hour of immaculate fielding, tenacious tackling and superb covering. His lengthy drives and surging bursts upfield turned defence into attack on many occasions, proving an important factor in O’Mahonys defeat. It seems likely that Tom will make his mark at inter-county level in the very near future.
This report was first published in The Meath Chronicle
