U21 Club Championship Final
Legion 1-16 Austin Stacks 1-13 (after extra time)
This Club Championship final played at a cold, blustery and showery Fitzgerald Stadium on this Saturday afternoon (13th Oct) had to go to extra time before the Killarney side emerged winners with three points to spare. In normal time it was tit for tat with no more that two points separating the sides at any one time. After Legion went into an early two points lead we were unlucky in the 5th minute when David Courtney’s low shot was well saved by the Legion keeper. However points from play by Darragh O’Brien and David Mannix levelled matters by the 10th minute. In the next six minutes both sides had a point each from frees, ours touched over by team captain, David Mannix. It was still level after 20m with a Legion point from play and a super point by David Mannix from a far out side line kick.
Two minutes later Barry Galvin made a splendid save when Legion were in on goal.
The Killarney side finished the half the stronger with two more points, which were the scores that left them ahead at half time (0-6 to 0-4).
Conor Jordan, who carried an injury into the game, came on at half time and made an immediate impact when his clearance found Shane O’Callaghan who raced through and put over a beauty after just 35 seconds.
Inside the second minute we were level when Shane Carroll’s quick free (after a foul on Seamus Bastible) found Darragh O’Brien who pointed.
But the scoring pattern of the first half was then replicated when Legion pointed two more in the 35th and 38th minutes only for our lads to draw level again with two long-ranged frees by David Mannix after fouls on Shane O’Callaghan and Ciaran O’Connell. Then it was the turn of the opposition to restore their two points lead again in the next two minutes.
Points were then swopped, with our coming from another David Mannix free. This still saw Legion ahead by two with ten minutes remaining. Then in the 54th minute Shane Carroll won possession and gave a pin-point pass to Greg Horan and, with half the opposition hanging off of him, he made his way through, and unleashed an unstoppable shot to the net to put us in the lead for the first time in the game (1-9 to 0-11). And it must be remembered that Greg played through the pain barrier after picking up a facial injury in the 17th minute.
That was still the score with the game deep in injury time when a Legion free was lobbed into the square and was fisted over the bar to take the game to extra time.
Six minutes into extra time and the sides were still level after points were exchanged again, with ours coming when Darragh O’Brien latched on to a high ball in by David Mannix and pointed.
The game changing score came in the 67th minute when Legion got through for a goal to increase the gap between the sides to three points for the first time in the game.
Just before half time in extra time David Mannix reduced the deficit to two again with a pointed free.
In the second half Legion kept up the momentum, scoring three more to two for us (frees by David Mannix – to bring his total for the afternoon to nine).
Despite the defeat our lads can be proud of their season (we also reached the semi final of the Co. Championship) and Wayne Quillinan and his fellow mentors, John Tobin, Ger Mannix, Paudie Commane and Wayne Gutherie, must be congratulated for their dedication and expertise not alone this year but for many years past.
Team: Barry Galvin, Barry Walsh, Fearghal MacNamara, Alan Crean, Seamus Bastible, Ronan Shanahan, Gary O’Connor, Shane Carroll, Ciaran O’Connell, Shane O’Callaghan (0-1), Greg Horan (1-0), Danny Carroll, David Courtney, David Mannix (Capt) (0-9 – 7f; 1 sl), Darragh O’Brien (0-3).
Subs used: Kyle Fitzgibbon (blood sub 17m-22m; full sub 39m); Conor Jordan (ht), Joseph O’Kelly (ht in et).