Caherlistrane too strong for Oranmore-Maree

Morris, Faulkner and McGreal top score in Division 3A decider

Caherlistrane 2-16

Oranmore-Maree 1-7

By Oisín Noone

At Pearse Stadium

CAHERLISTRANE claimed the Thomas Shaughnessy Memorial Cup in convincing fashion at Pearse Stadium, rattling off 1-9 unanswered before half-time to leave a youthful Oranmore-Maree side with a steep hill to climb in Friday evening's Division 3A title.

Securing promotion by reaching the final capped a fine turnaround for both clubs, who each began their respective league campaigns with back-to-back losses. Barry McCabe’s side won every game thereafter, while Oranmore-Maree’s sole defeat since then was a narrow 0-16 to 1-11 defeat to Caherlistrane in May.

Eight of Seán Óg de Paor and Tim Rabbitt’s starting XV were members of the Oranmore-Maree team that secured the club’s U-19 A County title last October. After a competitive first quarter where Oranmore-Maree trailed by the minimum, the contest quickly became lopsided as a more experienced Caherlistrane found their shooting boots.

The strong breeze favoured Caherlistrane, though it took them time to adjust as they registered six first half wides. Timmy Madden’s slalom run broke the scoring deadlock after six minutes before Barry Keating curled in an equaliser for Oranmore-Maree.

The industrious Kian O’Donoghue regained Caherlistrane’s lead before Madden doubled the advantage. Oranmore-Maree captain Mark Ronaldson registered a free after 12 minutes, however, his side went scoreless for the remainder of the half as Caherlistrane took total control.

Oranmore-Maree, who scored 4-10 to overcome Killannin the semi-final, found their attacking routes closed off. Several early goal attempts were foiled by an alert Kieran McDonagh in goal, later followed by a series of crucial blocks from the Caherlistrane defence.

Back-to-back orange flags put the north Galway men firmly in control as Cian Molloy’s booming effort was matched by an equally impressive Adam McGreal score.

Connor Faulkner’s attempt at a third consecutive two-pointer trailed wide, but when Caherlistrane turned over the resulting kickout, he happily ‘settled’ for a goal instead to make it 1-7 to 0-2 after 20 minutes.

Caherlistrane captain Stephen Lawless produced a number of marks and turnovers as his side continued to dominate as they increased their scoring accuracy. Alan Morris opened his scoring account with a free, before Oisín O’Brien, Morris (two-pointer) and Faulkner extended Caherlistrane’s score to 1-12 to 0-2 by the break.

After the restart, Barry Keating forced another fine save from a busy Kieran McDonagh before Ciarán McDonagh stopped the rot for Oranmore-Maree with a score taken from outside the arc. Sub Niall de Paor also made an impact during the third quarter, scoring 1-1, as Oranmore-Maree attempted a revival.

It wasn’t enough to reverse fortunes however as Morris (twice) and Faulkner hit replies on the break for Caherlistrane. Lawless squared for McGreal to palm home in the 52nd minute, raising his tally to 1-2.

Jonathan Kelliher and James Murphy converted consolation scores off the bench for Oranmore-Maree before Eric Monahan struck the final point for Caherlistrane to wrap up a predictable conclusion.

Caherlistrane continued their string of impressive league results as they prepare for a second season in the Intermediate championship following their Senior relegation in 2024. The result fairly reflected their superiority over the hour, while Oranmore-Maree can still take encouragement from a campaign that also ended with promotion.

CAHERLISTRANE: K. McDonagh; E. Cunningham, C. McNally, S. Kyne; S. O’Brien, J. McGrath, C. Molloy (0-2, 0-2 score); S. Lawless (joint captain), K. Nally; A. McGreal (1-2, one 0-2 score), A. Morris (joint captain, 0-5, one 0-2 score, 0-1 free), K. O’Donoghue (0-1); T. Madden (0-2), C. Faulkner (1-2), O. O’Brien (0-1). Subs: K. Courtney, for O. O’Brien, 52 mins; S. Bohan, for Morris, 52 mins; D. Keane, for Kyne, 55 mins; E. Monahan (0-1), for Faulkner, 57 mins; C. Monahan, for S. O’Brien, 63 mins.

ORANMORE-MAREE: B. Carroll; L. Fahy, D. Walsh, D. Cahalane; S. Rabbitt, S. Geoghegan, J. Lennon; H. Keady, J. Cullinane; D. Cullinane, C. McDonagh (0-2, 0-2 score), L. McDonagh; D. Clery, B. Keating (0-1), M. Ronaldson (captain, 0-1, free). Subs: E. Costello, for Fahy, 24 mins; N. de Paor (1-1), for Clery, half-time; J. Kelliher (0-1), for Ronaldson, 40 mins; J. Murphy (0-1, 45), for Cullinane, 40 mins; M. Burke, for Keating, 52 mins.

REFEREE: Colm Conway.

HERALD SPORT MAN OF THE MATCH:

Alan Morris (Caherlistrane).