Rory Doyle shines as Courtwood see off Graiguecullen for ACFL Division 7 glory

Courtwood lifted the Laois Shopping Centre ACFL Division 7 title on Tuesday evening after coming out on top in a dramatic clash with Graiguecullen.

The game swung back and forth throughout before Rory Doyle, who finished with 2-8, landed a crucial late point to seal the win.

Courtwood 2-13

Graiguecullen 1-14

Graiguecullen hit the ground running and made the stronger start, knocking over three points inside the opening three minutes. Conor Harte opened the scoring within the first 30 seconds, with Aidan Bradley and another from Harte pushing them into an early advantage.

Courtwood responded through Rory Doyle, who was their only scorer in the opening period. Graiguecullen’s Dean Malone curled over a brilliant point using the outside of his right boot to restore their three-point cushion. Doyle followed up with a free before Lee Byrne pulled off an excellent save when one-on-one with Eoghan Slattery. However, moments later, Doyle broke through and rifled a shot into the top corner of the net to bring Courtwood right back into it.

But the response from Graigue was instant. Straight from the next attack, Aaron Cunningham Burke’s attempt at a point dipped below the bar and into the net, restoring their two-point lead. Harte then sent over his third point of the half, before Courtwood were awarded a penalty after a key moment.

Jake Doyle was taken down by Graiguecullen goalkeeper Lee Byrne while attempting to round him. Byrne was booked for the challenge, and Rory Doyle calmly slotted the penalty past him to bring the sides level again. Courtwood could have grabbed another goal before the break, but Liam Ward fired wide when clean through. Doyle had the final say of the half, landing a two-point free to give his team a 2-4 to 1-5 lead at the interval, with all of Courtwood’s scores coming from him.

Graigue struck early in the second half, with Aidan Bradley pointing a two-pointer to wipe out the deficit. Doyle, who had carried the scoring burden up to that point, turned provider next as he picked out David Duff with a pin-point pass, and Duff made no mistake. Wing-back Eddie Boland made a bursting run that set up Liam Ward for another score. Cunningham Burke and Doyle exchanged frees to keep two points between them with 20 minutes remaining.

Courtwood’s Mark O’Halloran, who had been excellent in defence, surged forward to split the posts with his left foot. Ambrose Doran replied with a lovely score from distance to bring Graigue back to within one. Evan Kelly added to Courtwood’s total before Cunningham Burke replied at the other end. Doyle then produced a stunning point from a tight angle on the sideline and added a free to restore a three-point cushion.

Cunningham Burke took his personal tally to 1-3 as he narrowed the margin to two with time running out. Duff responded for Courtwood to stretch the lead again, but Graiguecullen kept fighting. Doran nailed his second two-pointer of the half to make it a one-score game with the clock ticking down.

But when Courtwood secured possession from a kick-out after Bradley had a shot to try level the game, they broke at speed, and once again it was Rory Doyle who popped up to guide the ball over the bar and ensure his side finished the job. That final score proved decisive, as Courtwood held on for a two-point victory and celebrated lifting the ACFL Division 7 trophy.

SCORERS — Courtwood: Rory Doyle 2-8 (1-0 penalty, 0-2 frees, 1 two-point free), David Duff 0-2, Mark O’Halloran, Evan Kelly and Liam Ward 0-1 each. Graiguecullen: Aaron Cunningham Burke 1-3 (0-2 frees), Ambrose Doran 0-4 (2 two-pointers), Aidan Bradley (0-1 two-pointer) and Conor Harte 0-3 each, Dean Malone 0-1

COURTWOOD: Damien Behan; David O’Connell, Mark O’Halloran, Andrew Flynn; Liam Burke, Will Boland, Eddie Boland; Dan Boland, Eoghan Slattery; Ciaran Boland, Rory Doyle, Darragh McEvoy; Liam Ward, David Duff, Jake Doyle. Subs: Evan Kelly

GRAIGUECULLEN: Lee Byrne; Donie Hurley, Stephen Alysbury, Jamie Duggan; Naoise Brennan, Adam Kerfah, Liam Kearney; Dean Malone, Scott Lawlor; Ben Cullen, Conor Harte, James Brennan; Aidan Bradley, Ambrose Doran, Barry Regan. Subs: Wayne Humphreys, Ger Brennan, Alan Malone, Aaron Cunningham Burke, Julian Strain, Mark Brennan, Cian Williamson.

Referee: Brian Moss (The Rock)