Drumlane and Killinkere will contest this year’s junior championship final after both sides came through their respective semi-finals yesterday evening in relative comfort.
The earlier throw-in was in Lavey, where Killinkere brought the curtain down on Denn’s campaign with an impressive 3-12 to 1-15 victory.
Paddy Bates’ charges led by 0-10 to 0-7 at the half and started the second period in sizzling fashion as points from ace attackers Damien Sexton, Peter McCabe and Emmet Fitzsimons surged them further in front prior to McCabe registering the game’s first goal on 35 minutes.
Fitzsimons added a point and the wheels looked like coming off for Denn once Cavel Keogan was red carded but Dean Hyland’s sound free-taking helped them back into contention despite a Sexton goal leaving it a double scores at one stage.
Mickey Lee’s team couldn’t find that same goal-scoring touch that their counterparts have possessed all throughout this competition though and another from speedster McCabe sealed a second championship final berth in three seasons for Killinkere.
In Drumalee, Fintan Reilly’s Drumlane side kept things to script against Mountnugent as goals in each half from Donal Monahan and Fergal Brady made all the difference in a 2-11 to 0-11 victory.
The Milltown men had built up a 0-5 to 0-1 lead when Cavan senior Monahan palmed home their first goal on 27 minutes, sending them towards a 1-6 to 0-3 interval lead.
Ryan Connolly stretched the lead to seven a minute into the second-half but the Meath border men came into their purple patch soon after, targeting their big man Adam Rehill inside.
Rehill, Liam Hennessy and Ciaran Caffrey all struck braces to close the gap to a goal for Martin Dunne’s men and another from Caffrey made it a two-point game as the game moved into its final quarter.
Points from Darragh Dolan and Phillip King served to steady the ship for Drumlane though and a first junior championship final since 1999 for the Sons of O’Connell was sealed once sub Brady steered Monahan’s low shot to the net.
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