Stalemate between Castlerahan and Cuchulainns

Intermediate Football Championship Round 1

Castlerahan 0-8

Cuchulainns 0-8

Paul Fitzpatrick at Dolan Park

A late free from Evan Doughty earned Cuchulainns a share of the spoils after this hard-fought championship opener at Dolan Park.

A very large crowd descended on the Virginia venue for this eagerly-anticipated clash on Sunday evening. Both sides are on most people’s shortlist of contenders for the Gilroy Cup and the draw here won’t have changed many minds.

Interestingly, both teams came into the competition with different dynamics at play. Castlerahan were arguably the most consistent team in senior ranks for 10 years but fell through the trap door all of a sudden. They are in transition, having lost the likes of Cian Mackey, Paul Smith, Ronan Flanagan and Sean Brady, but have introduced some young talent and retain quality, vast experience – and, crucially, proven winners.

The Cross-Mullagh side are coming from a different place. They have been knocking on the door for a long time now in this grade, have a primarily young side and are desperate to make a breakthrough. Whose need was greater then?

In the end, the result was inconclusive. There was nothing in it – both sides scored four points in each half and while both will feel they could and should have won, a draw seemed fair to this neutral. Castlerahan’s calmness under pressure came to the fore in the closing stages when they found themselves 0-7 to 0-4 down and, without fuss, picked off four scores.

However, Cuchulainns strung together a good move of their own, won a free and Evan Doughty knocked it over. Castlerahan hogged the ball in injury time but it was a tightrope walk; the game was there for them but employing the risk-reward ratio, it was chancy, too. In the end, they held possession for a good two minutes as they tried to eke out an opportunity but the final whistle sounded before they got a shot away.

Scores were hard to come by in the first half. Oisin Kiernan swung over the opening point off the trusty left boot after five minutes but the shooting, at both ends of the field, was poor in general and in the first half in particular.

The teams mirrored each other, flooding a dozen or more players back when the opposition were attacking, and the tight confines of Dolan Park facilitated defences being on top, with poor execution also a factor.

A mark from Bryan Magee, who was well marshalled by the outstanding Euan Henry, opened Cuchulainns’ account before Evan Doughty nudged them in front from a free.

The wides continued to rack up at both ends. Padraig McGahern sent over a free and, with 19 minutes gone, Castlerahan centre-back Gavin Duly thumped over a great point from 40 metres to make it 0-3 to 0-2 but Doughty soon levelled matters with a well-taken score from play and then sent his side in front.

Another for Kiernan, taking possession at full stride and treading over with the left boot, tied the game again at 0-4 apiece and so it remained at the interval.

There was no increase in the scoring rate on the resumption as the teams continued to scrap for every ball. Open, entertaining football was at a premium but there was no shortage of grit or physicality and supporters were left in no doubt that this was proper championship fare.

Cuchulainns enjoyed their best spell in the third quarter. Evan Doughty kicked two fantastic points off the left – a defender shepherded him towards the wing for one but he just flung it over anyway – and when he tacked on a free after a foul on Magee, Cuchulainns were 0-7 to 0-4 ahead with 20 minutes remaining on the clock.

Seven minutes later, Cian McCabe stepped up with a vital Castlerahan score, which he created from nothing and swung over with the left foot from the left wing. In the 51st minute, Castlerahan were awarded a free and sub Karl Cosgrove nervelessly nailed it with his first touch of the evening.

While they trailed and the clock was ticking down, Castlerahan were not panicking. On 58 minutes, Enda O’Connell, a corner-back by trade but thrown on in the half-forward line, split the posts with a mark, struck with conviction from 43 metres, which any trigger man would have been proud of.

And moments later, David Wright did the same thing, his mark sailing over from similar range.

Cuchulainns had been happy to corral Castlerahan out to the middle third but now they were chasing and hunting them down. Two minutes into injury time, they got a reward when Ruairi O’Connell was fouled and Doughty did the needful from the free.

Castlerahan dominated possession in the closing stages, probed and pressed, but Cuchulainns held their shape and forced the turnover eventually – and that was that.

Castlerahan: Kieran Daly, Paul Brady, Fergal Reilly, Euan Henry, Sean Og McGearty, Gavin Daly (0-1), Paul Cusack, David Wright (0-1m), Cormac Daly, Padraig McGahern (0-1f), Enda Flanagan, Rory Smith, Oisin O’Connell, Cian McCabe (0-1), Oisin Kiernan (0-2)

Subs: Enda O’Connell (0-1m) for R Smith (30 mins), Eugene Hill for McGahern (ht), Karl Cosgrove (0-1f) for P Cusack (51), Eoin McCaul for Gavin Daly

Cuchulainns: Conor Gallagher, Killian Lynch, Conor Flanagan, Eoghan McCabe, Cian Doughty, Niall Carolan, Ruairi O’Connell, Eoghan Donoghue, Philip Smyth, Michael Kenny, Adam O’Reilly, Oisin Carolan, Evan Doughty (0-7, 4f), Bryan Magee (0-1m), Turlough Farrelly

Subs: Christopher Tully for M Kenny (35), Mark Gilsenan for O Carolan (41), Sean Kenny for A O’Reilly (44)

Ref: Maggie Farrelly