Sheehan Brothers Excel For Sliabh gCua In County Final Win

Sliabh gCua are County Junior Football Champions for the fourth time and for the second time in six years after they recorded a two point win over Ballyduff Lower at windswept Fraher Field today.

Many were making Ballyduff Lower the favourites to win this year’s title, making up for their loss to Colligan at the same stage of the competition twelve months ago at Walsh Park, but on the day they came up against a very strong Sliabh gCua side.

Games have come thick and fast for Sliabh gCua in recent weeks.

Having waited till the end of July to four weeks ago to play a championship game and since then they have played Shamrocks twice in a drawn and replayed western semi final and then against Old Parish last weekend in the western final often on some heavy and cut up fields, had the side in green and white gone into this game with tired legs, it could be given as an excuse if it was the recently crowned East Waterford Champions had made up for their County Final loss twelve months ago against Colligan this time around, but there was no tired legs to be seen as the Touraneena outfit on the day were worthy winners.

In the Western Final win over Old Parish, Sliabh gCua lost full back JJ Coffey with an injury after 24 minutes after he bravely put his body in the way of Old Parish scoring a goal, and while he was deemed fit enough to start in this game, he lasted just 21 minutes before he was once again replaced by Ronan Gleeson.

This could be seen to be a blow to the Touraneena sides chances of winning, but as happened in the Western Final, Sliabh gCua upped their performance to make up for the loss of their full back.

Eight minutes after Sliabh gCua lost their full back, Ballyduff Lower lost John O’Leary but due to different circumstances as he was sent off by referee Tom Dee having collected his second yellow card of the game within sixty seconds of receiving his first from the John Mitchells Club man in charge of this game.

Down the years when the Sliabh gCua/Saint Mary’s Club have played in divisional or County Finals, its often different sets of brothers that have really shun on the day.

In the recent Western Final win over Old Parish it was Eoin and Mike Kearns that were the sides best players on the night and in this game it was another set of brothers, Kevin and Jason Sheehan who between them scored 0-10 out of Sliabh gCua’s tally, Jason kicking a very impressive 8 points while older brother Kevin who was judged to be Man of the Match on the day landed a brace of scores and are bound to have impressed the watching Waterford Senior Football manager Tom McGlinchey.

Jason Sheehan opened the scoring for Sliabh gCua on three minutes and when Eoin Kearns stuck a goal four minutes later when the Sliabh gCua attack were quickest to react to a poor Ballyduff restart after the ball was kicked wide, things were looking very good for the Touraneena side.

But that goal was quickly cancelled out when at the other end of the field Jack Lyons was on hand to beat Daniel Flynn after some sloppy defending at the country end of the ground.

Jason Sheehan and Eoin Cummins swapped scores from frees which had Sliabh gCua one in front with nineteen minutes played, but the eventual winners finished the half strong with the wind at their backs as Denis Coffey, Jason Sheehan from a free and then play and Dermot Tobin landed scores before John O’Leary’s sending off with a minute of the half remaining.

In added time at the end of the opening half Jason Sheehan and Eoin Cummins both swapped scores giving Sliabh gCua a 1-7 to 1-2 advantage as the sides went to the dressing rooms at the break.

Sliabh gCua knew that while they would have a man advantage for the second half, things would not be as easy for them as it was the side from the East of the county that would have the strong wind at their backs for the next thirty plus minutes.

Eoin Cummins and Kevin Sheehan swapped early scores for their respective sides within three minutes of the restart, before Ballyduff hit somewhat of a purple patch hitting three points through Eoin Cummins, Brian Power and Calum Lyons in a ninety second spell with thirty seven minutes showing on the clock.

Kevin Sheehan and Eoin Kearns pulled points back for Sliabh gCua in the forty second minute which kept them in front.

However another purple patch in which Calum Lyons and Eoin Cummins with a brace of scores brought Ballyduff to within one of Sliabh gCua with twelve minutes plus stoppage time to play.

The momentum was now with last year’s beaten finalists and Sliabh gCua needed to steady the ship somewhat. And this is what happened with a brace of Jason Sheehan scores on fifty one and fifty two minutes to put them three back in front.

With six minutes remaining Niall Clifford made things a little more difficult for the eventual winners, and it could have got a lot more harder in the end but for a quite brilliant block down by Mike Kearns just as three added minutes were being announced would be played at the end of the hour, putting the ball out for a ’45.

Jason Sheehan rounded off a brilliant afternoon’s work on the hour mark when he put over his eight score of the afternoon, and while Eoin Cummins would pull one back for Ballyduff in the third added minute at the end of the hour, it was not enough to spoil Sliabh gCua’s day.

Sliabh gCua will now play against Cork side Knocknagree this coming weekend in the Munster Junior Club Semi Final at a Cork Venue (possibly Mallow) after they beat Erin’s Own 2-19 to 2-10 in the recent Cork County Junior football final and then beat Tipperary side Knockavilla Donaskeigh Kickhams 5-15 to 0-8 in the Munster Quarter Final last weekend in Mallow.  

Sliabh gCua: Daniel Flynn; Jack Sheehan, JJ Coffey, Gearoid Hallinan; Dylan McCarthy, Brendan McGourty, Sean Fitzpatrick; Eoin Kearns, Mike Kearns; Cillian Tobin, Stephen Coffey, Denis Coffey; Dermot Tobin, Jason Sheehan, Kevin Sheehan. Subs: Ronan Gleeson for JJ Coffey (21), David Whelan for Killian Tobin (42), Aidan Fitzpatrick for Dermot Tobin.

Scorers: Jason Sheehan 0-8 (4f), Eoin Kearns 1-1, Kevin Sheehan 0-2, Denis Coffey, Dermot Tobin 0-1 each.

Ballyduff Lower: Adam Carroll; Colman Power, John O’Leary, Ronan Dunphy; Marcus Millea, Paul Kennedy, Anthony Whelan; Eoin Cummins, Cormac Dunphy; Declan Cheasty, Calum Lyons, Kevin Cheasty; Brian Power, Jack Kennedy, Jack Lyons. Subs: Niall Clifford for Anthony Whelan (42), Craig Tyrell for Paul Kennedy (46), Dylan Reade for Brian Power (54), Emmett Power for Jack Lyons (58).

Scorers: Eoin Cummins 0-7 (4F), Jack Lyons 1-0, Calum Lyons 0-2, Niall Clifford, Brian Power 0-1 each.

Referee: Tom Dee