Gallen CS defeat Templeogue College to win Leinster Senior Schools title

GALLEN CS 3-8

TEMPLEOGUE COLLEGE 2-6

GALLEN CS dug deep to see off the spirited challenge of Dublin side Templeogue College in a hard fought Provincial Final played in the Heywood CS astroturf pitch on Tuesday February 22 last.

Gallen CS will have played their All Ireland semi-final against Our Lady’s Secondary School Belmullet by the time this article goes to press but the Ferbane lads deserve great commendation for their resilience and powers of recovery playing again a mere three days after a tough Leinster semi-final against Hacketstown on the previous Saturday.

This young Gallen CS team with only two of the starting fifteen being in sixth year got off to a perfect start in this provincial decider .

Conor Beirne was fouled on three minutes and Matthew Darcy prepared to take a 14 yard free.

Those present felt a routine point from a free would be the net result but the quick thinking Darcy showing great peripheral awareness and vision took a quick free kick across the Templeogue goalmouth to the unmarked Ronan Flynn who slotted the ball into the net soccer style to the Templeogue net giving the Brosnasiders a dream start. Gallen 1-0 Templeogue 0-0 after three minutes.

A pointed free from Templeogue centre forward Kamen Bagnall got the Dublin side off the mark after six minutes leaving the score Gallen CS 1-0 Templeogue College 0-1.

A Ronan Flynn free after nine minutes made it 1-1 to 0-1 for Gallen before Conor Beirne stamped his authority on the game with two rapid fire points in the 11th and 12th minutes, the first after receiving a pinpoint diagonal ball from Conor Dunican and the second a superb curling effort off his right boot. Gallen CS 1-3 Templeogue College 0-1.

Templeogue led by the impressive number 10 Liam Mostyn and the speedy number 12 Conor Curran began to ask questions of the Ferbane defence. On 17 minutes a pinpoint ball found Mostyn one on one with a Ferbane defender and the Templeogue man turned and powered a right foot shot high into Fergal Bracken’s net. Gallen CS 1-3 Templeogue College 1-1 and game on!

Matthew Darcy with a pointed free on 19 minutes stretched the Gallen CS lead to three [1-4 to 1-1] before a scoring lull of six minutes was punctuated by a Liam Mostyn point for Templeogue College making the score Gallen CS 1-4 to Templeogue College 1-2. Conor Dunican gave the perfect riposte to this with an inspirational point off his left foot after 27 minutes leaving the half time score Gallen CS 1-5 Templeogue College 1-2.

Those present wondered whether a three point lead would be enough for the Gallen lads who had played with the aid of the breeze in the first half. We had reckoned without that steely determination and unrelenting work rate exhibited by Ferbane when playing against the wind in their two previous games against Boyne CS and Hacketstown. Gallen CS led by the solid and dependable Mark Wren and Saran Flynn in the full back line, the inspirational Patrick Taaffe at centre back and the superb Luke Coleman at wing back, were keeping the Templeogue challenge at bay. David Dunican had also come on as a half time substitute and he helped to subdue the attacking threat of Liam Mostyn.

The first 18 minutes of the second half saw both sides only manage a point apiece, James Maher’s point for the Dublin lads being countered by a Ronan Flynn point from play leaving the score after 18 minutes of the second half, Gallen CS 1-6 Templeogue College 1-3. It must be mentioned that the Dublin lads did hit the crossbar in this period but the Ferbane net wasn’t breached.

The game sparked into life 20 minutes into the second half when Kamen Bagnall’s speculative shot looped into the top corner of the Gallen CS net leaving the scores level, Gallen CS 1-6 Templeogue College 2-3.

Yet, one minute later Gallen hit back in spectacular style. Gallen centre back Patrick Taaffe scored a goal of rare ingenuity. Taaffe soloed through the Templeogue defence but just as he was falling to the ground and the goalscoring opportunity seemed to be lost, he managed to guide the ball low to the net, Gallen CS 2-6 Templeogue 2-3. Templeogue hit back and Fergal Bracken produced what turned out to be a match winning save keeping out Conor Curran’s rasping shot in the 22nd minute of the second half.

Taaffe’s goal and Bracken’s save seemed to galvanise Gallen and although another inspirational point by Ronan Flynn was cancelled out by a Kamen Bagnall pointed free and a James Maher point from play, this scribe got the feeling that the Gallen lads had the wherewithal to kick on for victory.

The game’s clinching score arrived with five minutes to go when Conor Dunican got just reward for all his endeavours when he crashed the ball to the net for Gallen’s third goal, giving Gallen CS a seemingly unassailable lead, 3-7 to 2-5. Templeogue hit back with a point, 3-7 to 2-6 before birthday boy Ronan Flynn crowned a great day with the final clinching score, leaving the final scoreboard Gallen CS 3-8 Templeogue College 2-6.

In those vital last few minutes Gallen gained the ascendancy in the midfield diamond area through Sean Flannery and Conor Grennan.

Amid great scenes of jubilation team captain Mark Wren was presented with the Leinster Senior Football trophy. Gallen minds then turn to repelling the strong challenge of Belmullet.

SCORERS

GALLEN CS; Ronan Flynn 1-4 [2f], Conor Dunican 1-1, Patrick Taaffe 1-0, Conor Beirne 0-2 and Matthew Darcy 0-1 [1f].

TEMPLEOGUE COLLEGE; Liam Mostyn 1-2, Kamen Bagnall 1-2 and James Maher 0-2.

GALLEN CS: Fergal Bracken, Saran Flynn, Mark Wren, Donal Flynn, Luke Coleman, Patrick Taaffe, Dylan Daly, Conor Grennan, Sean Flannery, Brian Carroll, Matthew Darcy, Eoghan Grennan, Ronan Flynn, Conor Dunican, Conor Beirne. Subs. David Dunican for Carroll, Dylan Moore for Dylan Daly, Ruairi O'Neill for E. Grennan and Sean Carroll for D Flynn.

REST OF PANEL – Jamie Probin, Luke Kelly, James McEvoy, Oisin Carroll, Eoin Tighe, Michael Spillane, Fiachra Anderson and James Buckley.

TEMPLEOGUE COLLEGE: Odhran O'Donnell, Tommy Orr, Colin Byrne, Oscar Denvir, Robert Orr, Michael Moore, Darragh O'Donovan, Mikey Power, Jack Lahiff, Liam Mostyn, Kamen Bagnall, Conor Curran, Shane O'Dwyer, James Maher and Cian Kavanagh.

REFEREE: Pat Moran (Laois).