Clara dominate Na Fianna in convincing final victory

CLARA faced off against Na Fianna in this year’s Minor B football final in Durrow. Overall, the men in white had too much for Na Fianna in a game where clinical attack made all the difference for a deserving Clara team.

Offaly Minor ‘B’ Football Championship Final

Clara 3-14
Na Fianna 0-03

The pitch was clearly under pressure beneath the feet of the footballers. The rain had done the game no favours as sloppy conditions ensured loose ball and slipping galore. Despite said conditions, some talented football was still displayed. Clara were quite impressive, powerful and direct in their play. Na Fianna struggled from start to finish to get to grips with their opposition, though kept working until the bitter end.

Clara flew out of the blocks, so much so that corner-forward Ben Kennedy was desperately unfortunate to pull up with a leg injury after 2 minutes. His replacement a minute later James Cullen would go on to have a solid impact on the game. The day’s first score came from a Liam Flynn free. Flynn was quite the sharp shooter, rarely missing from both frees and play on the day.

Within the next couple of minutes Clara were a further three points up. A lovely weighted pass from Daragh McKeon found Lewis Kavanagh around the 21-yard line. Kavanagh drove at the Na Fianna defence and smashed a low shot toward the corner of the goal. Hitting another player on the way in, Kavanagh’s strike gave his team a mighty lead early on.

Things went from bad to worse for Na Fianna as Flynn added another three points and Daragh McKeon another one to their tally. It was only then that Na Fianna full-forward Ryan Kinahan made a wonderful catch to win a mark, which he duly dispatched over the bar. Clara responded immediately with another Flynn free.

Clara piled the pressure on Na Fianna from the first minute to the last. Na Fianna worked hard and at times frustrated the Clara men. It was not enough however as they continued to push on. The Clara midfield were very strong, this helped their charge magnificently. To prove this point, Conor Doyle and Daragh McKeon linked up brilliantly for a fine score. Doyle carried the ball well before offloading it to McKeon who swept it over the bar.

Further points from James Cullen and Ryan Carroll, before a much needed reply from Eibheann Gorman left the halftime score-line at 1-09 to 0-02.

When the second half commenced, the game was much slower. There were far fewer scores this half but what did remain constant was Clara’s pressure. Even though Clara had much of the ball, Na Fianna had moments of quality. Aaron Rattigan showed he can certainly play, as did Brian Connolly and Peter McKeagney in particular.

Both teams made plenty of changes in the second half. Flynn added more scores for Clara, a very impressive display from the forward. Greg Byrne’s goal breathed more life into the Clara attack, after which they sparked back into life and regained dominance. Kiefer Kelly had an incredible impact from the bench. Scoring 1-1, he was dangerous on the inside line. This ultimately drew the game to a close, though one may feel the conclusion was long foregone.

In all, Clara emerge from the final as worthy champions. Na Fianna tried to the end, but Clara were superior throughout the field, winning the battle on the day. They left little to doubt as the rain and the final whistle collectively drew the curtain on this year’s Minor B football championship.

THE SCORERS

Clara: Liam Flynn 0-8 (6f), Lewis Kavanagh and Kiefer Kelly 1-1, Greg Byrne 1-0, Daragh McKeon 0-2, James Cullen and Ryan Carroll 0-1 each.

Na Fianna: Ryan Kinahan (mark), Eibheann Gorman and Cein Gorman 0-1 each.

THE TEAMS

Clara: Evan Cronin, Ryan Carroll, Christian McKeon, Hugh Hilliard, Kevin Minnock, Michael Moran, Conor Taylor, Conor Doyle, Daragh McKeon, Myles Handy, Ciaran McKeon, Liam Flynn, Ben Kennedy, Lewis Kavanagh, Greg Byrne. Subs – James Cullen for Kennedy (3m), Dylan Dunne for Hilliard (35m), Kiefer Kelly for Byrne (50m), Kevin Gavin for Carroll (55m), Ciabhan Dunne for Taylor (58m)

Na Fianna: Donnacha Keoghan, Finn McCormack, Tadhg Clear, Finn Hassett, Peter McKeagney, Eoin Dunne, Danny Gorman, John Greene, Eibheann Gorman, Seán Cuskelly, Cein Gorman, Aaron Rattigan, Rory Grehan, Ryan Kinahan, Brian Connolly. Subs – Cian Malone for Greene (26m), Dan Daly for Gorman (42m), Jack Burns for Cuskelly (45m), Jamie Byrne (55m), DJ Tierney for McCormack (55m).