*Aidan O’Connell lays off the ball for St Flannan’s College. Photograph: Eoin Brennan
ST Flannan’s admirably grasped a shot at Corn Uí Mhuiri redemption when rolling back the years to lower Kerry opposition.
St. Flannan’s College 3-13
Presentation Milltown (Kerry) 0-18
Venue: Feenagh
Following an agonising opening reverse to Clonakilty Community College a fortnight earlier, another Munster Senior A Post-Primary Schools bid seemed to have slipped from their grasp.
However, far from just going out fulfil the fixture, St. Flannan’s were refreshingly solely intent on making a full amends as they persistently defied the odds to ensure that they left Limerick with a lifeline ahead of a final round showdown with age old rivals St. Brendan’s College of Killarney.
That’s for another day though as this one was so memorable, it’s worth recalling over and over again. After all, St. Flannan’s played for two thirds of the tie with only 14 players but crucially despite being subsequently reeled in four more times, they never allowed Presentation Milltown to inch even a point ahead at any stage of the remaining 40 minutes.
That took a tireless work-rate and some star quality, both of which they had in abundance. And that’s also masking over the fact that in spite of wind advantage in the opening half, they conceded the first four points of the hour.
It only seem to motivate the Ennis school more though as Milltown’s unquestionable talisman Killian Fitzgerald was unerring throughout so St. Flannan’s craved a spark to finally ignite their challenge.
It arrived through an unlikely source, a black card for opposition wing-back Liam Harmon that provided the belief to completely flip the script in that ten minute sin bin. Outgunning Milltown by 2-4 to 0-2, St. Flannan’s never looked back from that juncture even if there was a slight dollop of fortune to Liam Keane’s opening goal in the eleventh minute that saw his shot for a point come off the goalkeeper’s hands, the crossbar and then the back of his head before nestling in the net.
That was the catalyst to finally flex their muscles as Doora/Barefield duo Colm Daly and Graham Ball excelled with inspirational two-pointers while the latter played a swift one-two with Eoin O’Connor before rifling to the bottom left corner of the Kerry net at 2-4 to 0-6 by the twenty minute mark.
With Presentation back to a full complement, then it was St. Flannan’s turn to suffer the loss of a player, this time a more permanent one after Darragh Fahy unwittingly picked up a second yellow card.
Milltown and more pointedly Killian Fitzgerald initially capitalised with a four point unanswered burst to draw level by the 27th minute but St. Flannan’s defiantly answered just in the nick of time as Cian McAllister came to of goal to loft over an injury-time two point free and ensure a 2-06 to 0-10 edge by the break.
Milltown quickly demonstrated their intent with an immediate two-pointer through Tom Griffin immediately from the throw-in to pull level for a third time. However, St. Flannan’s aerial superiority meant that they were always able to step up when required an retake the initiative. Killian Fitzgerald twice wiped out St. Flannan’s leads in the third quarter with two-pointers.
However, St Flannan’s again managed to find an extra gear as fee taker McAllister (2) and Isaac Hassett put three between the sides once more entering the final ten minutes.
Presentation were quite finished yet however as they not only lowered the arrears to the minimum but were presented with a glorious chance of salvaging something out of the game when a St Flannan’s breach handed them a free on the hour mark.
A close in free would have split the points so they opted for glory as Killian Fitzgerald attempted a two-pointer only to see it agonisingly drift wide of the right post.
There would be one final play but it was a buoyant St. Flannan’s that seized control as Colm Daly race down the left wing before combining with substitutes Steven O’Neill and Shane Cotter to pass across the square to the waiting Sean Kelly to flick to the net at the back post.
It was a spectacular clinching score for the Clare school who have given themselves a real shot at qualification ahead of their final group showdown against the Sem in two weeks time.
Scorers for St. Flannan’s College: Graham Ball 1-3 (1tpf), Cian McAllister 0-4 (1tpf, 2f), Liam Keane 1-1, Sean Kelly 1-0, Colm Daly 0-2 (1tp), Thomas Hehir 0-2 (2f) 0-2, Isaac Hassett 0-1
Scorers for Presentation College Milltown: Killian Fitzgerald 0-12 (1tp) (2tpf, 5f), Tom Griffin 0-3 1tp), Donnacha Lynch 0-2, Alex Finn 0-1
St. Flannan’s College
16: Cian McAllister (Clondegad)
4: Sean Meere (Clarecastle)
3: Marc Kennedy (Ballyea)
2: Donnacha O’Donovan (Clooney-Quin)
7: Aidan O’Connell (Éire Óg)
6: Isaac Hassett (Clooney-Quin)
5: Darragh Fahy (St. Joseph’s Doora/Barefield
8: Colm Daly (St. Joseph’s Doora/Barefield)
9: James Moloney (Clooney-Quin)
10: Connor Price (St. Joseph’s Doora/Barefield)
11: Graham Ball (St. Joseph’s Doora/Barefield)
12: TJ Moore (St. Joseph’s Doora/Barefield)
15: Eoin O’Connor (Clondegad)
14: Liam Keane (Lissycasey)
13: Thomas Hehir (Clondegad)
Subs
20: Sean Kelly (Clarecastle) for Moloney (43)
17: Shane Cotter (Lissycasey) for Moore (48)
22: Tadgh Hassett (Ennistymon) for O’Connell (52)
24: Steven O’Neill (Éire Óg) for Hehir (54)
13: Hehir for Ball (58-59, BS)
Presentation College Milltown
16: Daniel Duggan (Firies);
4: Donnchadh Lane (Milltown/Castlemaine)
24: Shane Harmon (Firies)
2: Jan Ziober (Milltown/Castlemaine)
5: Liam Harmon (Firies)
6: Daire Cornally ((Firies)
7: Dylan Fitzgerald (Milltown/Castlemaine)
8: Donnacha Quirke (Milltown/Castlemaine)
9: Sean Clifford (Listry)
10: Donnacha Lynch (Milltown/Castlemaine)
11: Tom Griffin (Annascaul)
12: Evan McKenna (Milltown/Castlemaine)
13: Alex Finn (Firies)
15: Danny Murphy (Listry)
14: Killian Fitzgerald (Listry)
Subs
26: Ryan Quilter (Firies) for Lynch (57)
28: Jamie Murphy (Listry) for McKenna (58)
Referee: Johnny Murphy (Limerick)
