Navan O’Mahony’s 0-06 Rathkenny 1-12

A sub-par performance in the second half cost Navan O’Mahony’s dearly in the IFC semi final played in a wet Páirc Tailteann on Sunday morning. Slow to get started, the Brews Hill side left themselves with far too much to do in the second half.

An early opportunity to take a quick lead was lost when Jake Regan was dispossessed in front of square by a quick-thinking Rathkenny defender. At the opposite end of the field, Rathkenny raised the first white flag of the day just shy of the two minute mark. 

Navan O’Mahony’s first point scoring opportunity came after four minutes, when an Oisin O’Brien shot fell short and was cleared to safety by the Rathkenny netminder. It was O’Brien who kicked the first score for the Brews Hill charges on the ten-minute mark from a free.

Rathkenny responded in turn with a point at the opposite end of the field to give themselves the lead once again, a lead they would hold onto for the game. While both sides had initially struggled to score, Rathkenny were able to shrug off these shackles in the second quarter, pointing in the fourteenth minute before adding a goal in the eighteenth. 

In addition to this goal, Rathkenny kicked four unanswered points, leaving themselves nine points ip at the break. James O’Reilly had been introduced as an early substitute for the injured Paddy Dillon and Cormac Keyes was brought in just before half-time in an effort to shake things up.

Navan O’Mahony’s 0-01 Rathkenny 1-07

Navan O’Mahony’s had a lot to do in the second half and they did get off to a good start. Regan kicked a free within forty seconds of the throw-in and on the two minute mark, captain Cathal Smyth delivered a well placed ball into the square. Regan managed to get a fist to it to direct it over the bar and the gap was reduced to seven points.

Rathkenny knew they couldn’t lie back and kicked a point from play, maintaining the margin between the teams. The next three points came from the Brews Hill side, but it was over a thirteen minute period and at too slow a pace to sufficiently dent the deficit. 

O’Brien kicked an eighth minute point from play while Regan converted a free in the thirteenth minute, after it was upgraded from a 45 by referee David Gough. Navan O’Mahony’s looked to be through on goal when O’Reilly burst through in the seventeenth minute only for a well-timed interception from Rathkenny to deliver the ball to safety. O’Brien pointed in the twentieth minute.

The final ten minutes saw Navan O’Mahony’s need goals to have any chance but they didn’t materialise for the Brews Hill side. A 23rd minute score from play and three late frees left Rathkenny comfortable winners. Best of luck to Rathkenny in the final.

Navan O’Mahony’s: Aaron Bryne, Darragh Murphy, Brian Dillon, Paddy Dillon, Louis Collins, Mike O’Reilly, Darragh Maguire, Niall McGrane, Conor Finnegan, Evan Coffey, Cathal Smyth, Aodhan Mallon, Duggie Dillon, Jake Regan (0-03), Oisin O’Brien (0-03)

Subs: James O’Reilly for Dillon, Cormac Keyes for Coffey, Ronan Clarke for Dillon, Sam Formosa for McGrane, Eoin Joyce for Collins

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