Strong second half performance helps Belmont claim Junior hurling title

Molloy Precast & Environmental Systems Junior 'A' Hurling Final

BELMONT 1-13

BROSNA GAELS 2-9

A STRONG second half performance helped Belmont win the Offaly Junior A hurling title with a single point victory over Brosna Gaels in a well contested final played at Glenisk O'Connor Park on Sunday.

With Storm Ashley hitting the country a strong wind made conditions difficult for both sides but they overcame those difficulties to provide a good contest that went right down to the wire.

Brosna Gaels led for much of the game but Belmont chipped away at their lead in the second half and hit the front inside the final 10 minutes and then held off a late onslaught from Brosna Gaels to take the title.

In a season when Belmont's senior hurlers had a difficult championship after going in with high hopes, the Junior side have brought some reward to the West Offaly club as they claimed the title for the fifth time and first time since 2019.

Brosna Gaels gave it their all and for long periods looked like they might succeed. But Belmont got a run on them as the game headed into the final quarter and they weren't able to turn things around again after that despite those brave late efforts.

The conditions certainly had a bearing on the contest. Both sides took time to settle and to adapt to the windy conditions. The wind seemed to mainly diagonal from the road end goals but was a bit blustery at times as well.

Both teams had a lot of wides and many of them could be attributed to the strong wind. Brosna Gaels finished with a tally of 15 wides while Belmont had 12 by the finish.

Belmont stuck to their task well throughout even when it looked like things were going against them. They trailed by four points at half time but had cut the deficit back to one early in the second half when Brosna Gaels struck for their second goal to push their lead out to four points again. A goal at the start of the final quarter lifted them and they hit the front for the first time after 52 minutes. Despite going three ahead, Brosna Gaels didn't give up the fight and Darragh Spollen had to make a late save to keep them in front. The Gaels pushed for a leveller but Belmont just held on.

Darragh Spollen did well in goals for Belmont while Liam Browne, Kieran McManu and Michael Spillane worked hard in defence. Alan Egan got a lot of possession around the middle of the field while in attack Ronan Flynn did most damage with strong support from Mark Cahill, David Kenny and Brian Carroll.

Sean Hackett, John Egan and Cormac Ryan put in a big effort in the Brosna Gaels defence, Gary Larkin did well at midfield while in attack Eoin Murphy, Donal Shirley and Andrew Buckley worked hard.

Both sides had difficulty early on adapting to the diagonal wind and both registered wides before the first score of the game came after seven minutes. And that score was a Brosna Gaels goal. Donal Shirley made a driving run and his shot from 20m was saved by Darragh Spollen but the ball ran loose along the line and before Belmont could clear Andrew Buckley finished the ball to the net.

Belmont responded quickly with a David Kenny point and he added a second four minutes later to cut the gap to the minimum. Ronan Flynn's free after 16 minutes brought the sides level but Brosna Gaels then enjoyed a period of dominance. Eoin Murphy pointed three frees in three minutes and then added another from about 50m from his own goals. Mark Cahill pulled one back for Belmont with a fine score from a difficult angle but another Eoin Murphy free gave Brosna Gaels a 1-5 to 0-4 half time advantage.

Ronan Flynn pointed three frees inside the first five minutes of the second half to get Belmont back in the game. Then in their first real attack of the second half Brosna Gaels struck for their second goal after seven minutes. Andew Buckley and Oisin Carroll combined to set up Gary Larkin and he netted from close range.

Adam Nugent replied for Belmont and Eoin Murphy scored a fine point into the wind to still leave four between them midway through the half.

Then Belmont got in for a goal. David Kenny passed to Darragh Corbett whose shot was saved by Paul Kelly but Ronan Flynn was quickest to react to finish the ball to the net. The same player then levelled after a good run by Kieran McManus but Gary Larkin put Brosna Gaels back in front with 10 minutes left.

Ronan Flynn levelled from a free and then hit the lead point from play with eight minutes left. Mark Cahill (free) and Brian Carroll stretched the lead to three with two minutes left. Eoin Murphy pulled one back from a free and then his line ball was flicked goalwards by Donal Shirley but the ball went was saved on the line by Darragh Spollen and the ball was cleared out for a '65'. Lee Colgan cut the lead by to a single point with a minute left but they were unable to find an equaliser and Belmont held on for the win.

MATCH ANALYSIS

THE TEAMS

BELMONT: Darragh Spollen; Luke Coleman, Liam Browne, Matthew Darcy; Michael Spillane, Kieran McManus, Saran Flynn; Sean Flynn, Alan Egan; Mark Cahill, David Kenny, Ronan Flynn; Brian Carroll, Joe Kenny, Adam Nugent. Subs. Conor Grennan (for Luke Coleman, half time), Darragh Corbett (for Joe Kenny, 45 mins), Paul Egan (for Adam Nugent, 52 mins).

BROSNA GAELS: Paul Kelly; Ultan Carroll, Sean Hackett, Aaron Daly; John Egan, Cormac Ryan, Sean Og Foley; Declan Buckley, Gary Larkin; Donal Shirley, Lee Colgan, Eoin Murphy; Ciaran Murphy, Oisin Carroll, Andrew Buckley. Subs. Stephen Buckley (for Oisin Carroll, 37 mins), Keith Lawlor (for Ciaran Murphy, 54 mins).

REFEREE: Shane Guinan (Drumcullen)

MAN OF THE MATCH

Bemont wing forward Ronan Flynn had the biggest impact on the game. He was lively in the first half and caused some problems for Brosna Gaels but really came into his own in the second half. His free taking got Belmont back into the game but he also netted the all important goal for his wide. He finished with 1-7, 1-2 of that from play.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

Belmont's goal was probably the most decisive moment of the game. Brosna Gaels had bounced back from an early second half push from Belmont, which yielded three points, and goaled to go four ahead again going into the final quarter. Belmont's goal from Ronan Flynn was just the lift they needed and they pushed on from there hitting 1-5 with just 0-1 in reply and that effectively sealed the win.

REFEREE WATCH

Shane Guinan controlled the game well. He was always up with the play, took firm and decisive action when needed and didn't have too many contentious issues to deal with.

WHAT’S NEXT

Belmont end the season as Junior A champions and will play in the intermediate grade in 2025. Brosna Gaels will have to do it all again at Junior A level again next year.

VENUE WATCH

On a day when Storm Ashley swept across the country, O'Connor Park looked in great condition for the double header of county finals. It wa a little slippy on occasions but overall the pitch was in great condition for the time of year. Everything else ran smoothly as usual at O'Connor Park.

STATISTICS

Wides; Belmont 12 (6 in first half) Brosna Gaels 15 (10 in first half)

Yellow Cards: Belmont 0 Brosna Gaels 4

Red Cards: None

THE SCORERS

Belmont; Ronan Flynn (1-7, 0-5 frees), David Kenny (0-2), Mark Cahill (0-2, one free), Adam Nugent, Brian Carroll (0-1 each).

Brosna Gaels; Eoin Murphy (0-7, 0-6 frees), Gary Larkin (1-1), Andrew Buckley (1-0), Lee Colgan (0-1).