Leinster football final heartbreak for Mountmellick Community School

 Mountmellick Community School's dream of a provincial crown has come to an end after a fantastic senior football D final against Gallen Community School Ferbane. The sides were in the picturesque surrounds of Heywood College on Saturday afternoon, where both teams did themselves proud.

The turning point in the game came ten minutes from time, when Adam Hunt was harshly sent off, tipping the scales in favour of Ferbane. Mountmellick badly missed Hunt’s dynamism and physicality in the final passage of a game they certainly could have won.

Gallen Community School Ferbane 0-13

Mountmellick Community School 1-5

Leinster Colleges SFC ‘D’ Final

The Offaly school showed their pedigree in the previous round, running out 18-point winners over Dublin school, St Joseph’s Rush on an astonishing scoreline of 2-15 to 1-0.Mountmellick came into the game as the newly crowned South-Leinster champions, having beaten Coláiste CraobhAbhann in Carlow last week.

The were quick out of the traps and almost had a goal inside the first 30 seconds, only for the crossbar to deny Hunt. A free from his Kilcavan teammate, Rory Lawlor opened the scoring soon after.

Ferbane had plenty of chances to get off the mark, but their shooting deserted them in the early goings. Mountmellick were putting 11 and 12 players behind the ball in defence, and Ferbane really struggled to break them down.

A free from Hunt extended the Mountmellick lead before they raised the game's first and only green flag in the 16th minute. Oisin Lawlor was the man who finally forced the ball over the line, which came after a prolonged goalmouth scramble.Three Mountmellick players could have scored before Lawlor got the vital touch as Ferbane were at sixes and sevens.

The Offaly side were awarded a penalty just two minutes later, but Ruairi Woods' shot was excellently saved by Emo's Roy Lawlor, who got right down to the bottom corner with a strong right hand. The keeper reacted quickly to get right back on his feet and wallop the ball off Woods and out, denying Ferbane even a 45.

But the missed penalty flicked a switch in the Ferbane psyche, who scored six points without reply in the final eight minutes of the half to lead by one at the break. A free from Luke Kelly got the ball rolling before Lee Moore, Conor Grennan, and two from Colm Egan brought the sides level.

Another free from Kelly right on the stroke of half time gave the Offaly school a lead of 0-6 to 1-2.

Adam Hunt brought Mountmellick level four minutes after the restart, but it was cancelled out almost immediately by his opposite number, Eoghan Grennan. Ferbane picked up the tempo midway through the half as Lee Moore and Brian Carroll kicked their team into a three-point lead.

Mountmellick were beginning to mount a fightback, but were reduced to 14 men when Hunt was shown the red card in the 50th minute, which proved to be decisive. Colm Egan dropped to the ground after an incident off the ball. The referee conferred with his linesman and after careful deliberation, produced the dreaded red card.

Niall Lawlor pointed a free moments later as Mountmellickrefused to lay down, but Ferbane replied with three points on the bounce thanks to Kelly, Egan and Luke Fitzgerald.Mountmellick pushed for a goal towards the end and almost had the ball in the net thanks to Rory Lawlor, but Ferbane cleared the ball off the line for the second time in the game.

The sides traded a free apiece, and after seven minutes of injury time the final whistle blew to give Ferbane the victory.Captain Conor Grennan was probably the man of the match and got his hands on the trophy to close out a historic day for his school.