There are a number of contenders for out football game of the year.

What constitutes a great game? Intensity, closeness, controversy, crowd involvement and scores to remember are what makes a game stick in your head, and we were treated to a good few of them this year.

The IFC final between Kilbride and Castletown was a classic, as was Kilbride’s quarter-final win over St Patrick’s after extra time. Rathkenny’s first round SFC win over Dunshaughlin had everyone on their feet in Pairc Tailteann and the JFC semi-final between St Vincent’s and Ballinlough had everything over regular and extra time.

Our game of the season is the SFC semi-final between Summerhill and Dunshaughlin. The ‘Hill won 0-19 to 0-18 after extra time in a game that had everything.

Dunshaughlin led 0-9 to 0-5 at half time after playing with the breeze with a trio of two-pointers and Ruairi Kinsella pulling the strings.

Despite facing into the elements, Dunshaughlin hit the first two points of the second half before Summerhill began to dominate. A run of scores from Diarmuid McCabe, David Larkin, Eoghan Frayne, Kevin Ryan and Larkin again levelled the game. Kinsella then hit an outrageous two-pointer for the reigning champions and with a Summerhill effort tailing wide with 45 seconds before the hooter was to sound, the odds were against the ‘Hill.

Tim O’Sullivan in the Dunshaughlin goal took his time with the kickout and when he launched it to the stand side there were 10 second left on the clock.

Dunshaughlin won the breaking ball but all of a sudden an official on the sideline called a three up infringement against Dunshaughlin. Was the person calling the rule part of the referee’s team, nobody knew. Was the rule broken, it looked likely. In the midst of the confusion the hooter blew and Summerhill had the chance to force extra time which Eoghan Frayne did with a free from outside the two-point arc. It was drama of the highest calibre.

Tadgh O Dushlaine and Kinsella gave Dunshaughlin a great start to the extra twenty minutes. Frayne levelled matters with another two pointer and further scores from McCabe and Frayne and a sensational two pointer from Adam McDonnell had the Hill in front 0-19 to 0-15 at the third hooter. Summerhill failed to score in the second period of extra time while the holders narrowed the lead to one but the score they needed to force penalties or indeed win the game never arrived.

It was a game with great scores, tension, drama, controversy and two teams going at each other with ferocious intent. Definitely one to remember.

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