Mountmellick Parish Gaels edge Portarlington to complete League and Féile double
Mountmellick Parish Gaels who claimed the U/15 Football Division 1A title on Tuesday evening Photo: Denis Byrne
Mountmellick Parish Gaels 1-12
Portarlington 2-7
MOUNTMELLICK Parish Gaels rounded off a dream few weeks by overcoming Portarlington in a tense and entertaining Midlands Park Hotel U/15 Football Division 1A Final.
Having already lifted the Féile title earlier this month with a win over Portlaoise, the Gaels showed great determination and composure to edge past a spirited Portarlington side in a gripping encounter.
Portarlington made an immediate impact, with Rory O’Dwyer opening the scoring inside the first minute. But Mountmellick soon found their feet, with Fionn Burke taking advantage of some early fouls, converting three frees in a row, two won by the lively Charlie McEvoy.
Portarlington responded strongly, putting together a dominant 10-minute spell during which they landed five unanswered points. Aidan O’Reilly kicked things off, followed by four scores from Patrick Emerson, three of them from placed balls, to swing the momentum their way.
Despite falling three points behind, Mountmellick clawed their way back before half-time. Alex Connolly found the target, followed by a long-range effort from Burke and a composed point from McEvoy, ensuring the teams went into the break level at 0-6 apiece.
The Gaels made the perfect start to the second half when JJ Reddin drove along the end line and rifled the ball past Joe Thunder for the game’s opening goal. Portarlington didn’t take long to respond, as O’Reilly found the net just three minutes later to level proceedings once again.
Mountmellick Parish Gaels regained control through two well-taken frees by Darragh Delaney, sandwiched around a fine point from Connolly. They looked set to pull further ahead, only for Portarlington’s goalkeeper Thunder to produce a top-class save to deny Burke a second goal.
As the game entered the closing stages, O’Reilly turned provider, setting up Luke Dunne for Portarlington’s second goal, bringing the sides level once more. Emerson nudged Portarlington into the lead with eight minutes left, but they wouldn’t register another score.
The Gaels saved their best for last. Delaney slotted over another free to bring them level, and Dean Comerford capped a flowing move by fisting the ball over the bar. Substitute Bobby O’Connell then added a key insurance point to seal a hard-earned two-point win and complete a superb double for Mountmellick Parish Gaels.
Mountmellick Parish Gaels: Fionn Burke 0-4 (0-2fs), Darragh Delaney 0-3 (fs), JJ Reddin 1-0, Alex Connolly 0-2, Charlie McEvoy, Bobby O’Connell and Dean Comerford 0-1 each.
Portarlington: Patrick Emerson 0–5 (0-3fs), Aidan O’Reilly 1-1, Luke Dunne 1-0, Rory O’Dwyer 0-1.
Michael Conroy; Jake Mullins, Alan Leamy, Conor Hibbitts; JJ Reddin, Alex Connolly, Jason Fallon; Dillon Halpenny, Ryan Feery; Charlie McEvoy, Dean Comerford, Darragh Delaney; Dan Blanc, Fionn Burke, Mo Churam.
Subs: Jay Lee for Blanc (ht), Bobby O’Connell for Churam (52m).
Joe Thunder; Tommy Walker, Kian Intharaphan, Ryan Jude; Tristan Gallagher, Ryan Murphy, Sean Connolly Horgan; Aidan O’Reilly, Cian Twomey; Caolan Melia, Patrick Emerson, Rory O’Dwyer; Luke Dunne, Callum Walsh, Aaron Walsh.
Subs: Sam Lyons for Melia (38m), and Noah McCluskey for O’Dwyer (57m).
Colin Bailey (Mountrath)
