Doughan stars in Moneygall/Clonakenny ‘B’ success

GAA: North Tipperary Coiste na nOg Minor 'B' Football Final

Moneygall/Clonakenny 5-11

Kiladangan 2-13

Report: Joe Scully at Coolmore Morris Park, Thurles

A strong first half performance where they led by fourteen points at half-time laid the foundation for Moneygall/Clonakenny to capture the North Tipperary Minor ‘B’ Football title on Friday night.

Kiladangan, to their credit, came back strongly back after the interval, and despite having the gap back down to just five points at one stage, they had left themselves just a little too much to do in the second period.

Moneygall/Clonakenny were deserving winners as they played some great football at times and defended well throughout the hour.

They also can be very grateful to their full-forward Eoghan Doughan, who scored 2-8, 2-7 from play as he put on an exhibition of football.

Moneygall/Clonakenny were quickest out of the blocks and raced into a two-point lead thanks to two Eoghan Doughan efforts from play.

Kiladangan got off the mark in the fourth minute through a Dara O’Dwyer free.

Doughan would then show his quality with 1-2 in a row, firstly with two more points from play, the first which from distance. He then had the ball in the back of the net in the eighth minute after being set-up by Paddy Stapleton.

Kiladangan would hit a purple patch and have the gap back to just three by the thirteenth minute thanks to points from O’Dwyer, JP Flannery and Callum Ryan.

However, Moneygall/Clonakenny would reply with a second goal from Doughan in the fifteenth minute following a fine team move with Doughan finding himself one-on-one with the keeper and kicked the ball off the ground to the back of the net. Doughan added another point two minutes later from a free to leave the score at 2-5 to 0-4.

The Moneygall side found themselves in for another goal a minute later, following a long high ball in and Sean Stapleton found himself in space in front of goal and made no mistake with a clinical finish.

Kiladangan hit the next two scores through a fine effort from Tom Boland then a free from Diarmuid Fogarty. Doughan added to his tally with a fine effort from out by the sideline which was followed by a point from Shay Gleeson before Dylan Sayers goaled after a one-two with Doughan.

Sean Stapleton hit the last score of the half with a fine effort from distance to leave it 4-8 to 0-6 at the break.

Eoghan Doughan hit the first effort of the second-half following a good team move, before Kiladangan responded with three unanswered scores, through Dara O’Dwyer, Callum Ryan and Tom Boland.

Moneygall responded with a Shay Gleeson effort, before Kiladangan hit the next three scores, a goal and two points, the latter coming from the boot of Evan Sherlock with the goal sandwiched in-between from Noah Ducie with a finish from close range.

Doughan was on the scoresheet again in the 50th minute when a Kiladangan kickout went wrong and he punished them with a good finish.

Dara O’Dwyer added a free before a Ruairi Hackett goal in the 54th minute left the scores at 4-11 to 2-12 and looked like Kiladangan had the momentum.

But it was soon ended, when Adam O’Brien found himself in front of goal and finished to the back of the net from close range, to end any hope of a Kiladangan comeback.

Kiladangan, to their credit, kept pushing for a way back into the game but had to settle for just a solitary point when Diarmuid Fogarty hit the game’s final score in the 59th minute, as Moneygall/Clonakenny ran out comfortable winners.

TEAMS – Moneygall/Clonakenny: Patrick McCormack, Sean Maher, Brian Toohey, Alex Gleeson, Jamie Keeshan, Adam O’Brien, Oisin Maxwell, Dylan Sayers, Shay Gleeson, Paddy Stapleton, Sean Stapleton, Timothy Cleary, Keelan Ryan, Eoghan Doughan, Bobbie Gleeson.

Subs: Daithi Cantwell for P Stapleton (39), Paddy Stapleton for K Ryan (54).

Kiladangan: Cullin O’Brien; Darragh Ehinger, Scott Garland, William Slattery; JP Flannery, Diarmuid Fogarty, Tom Boland; Dara O’Dwyer, Eoin Kelly; Ruairi Hackett, Evan Sherlock, Avraham Aharon; Pauric Meagher, Callum Ryan, Noah Ducie.

Subs: Simon Cleary for Slattery (HT); Seamus O’Dwyer for Meagher (38); Dan Boulden for Aharon (42), Avraham Aharon for Ehinger (48 inj).

Referee: Gerry Treacy (Borris-Ileigh).