GAA: Monaghan the matchwinner as University of Galway pip St Mary’s
University of Galway 0-11 St Mary’s 1-7
Cian Monaghan grabbed the headlines as Maurice Sheridan’s side edged past a determined St Mary’s in Abbotstown in the Sigerson Cup tonight. The 2022 winners were pushed to the pins of their collar by the Belfast students. As Storm Jocelyn raged on, pretty football went out the window.
The Galway side got the first score of the night from a free from the inform Cillian Ó’Curraoin who hammered over from a difficult angle. Liam Ó’Conghaile tipped over another score for the favorites before Sean Rock got St Mary’s up and running with a free on four minutes. Ó’Curraoin notched another free and Sean O’Donnell sliced an audacious over between the posts on seven minutes to leave two between the sides.
The first of the two black cards of the night was shown to Galway’s Ó’Conghaile and was duly punished by the resulting free. James McLoughlin fielded beautifully in the middle of the park and set his team forward on multiple occasions despite the numeric difference. Ó’Curraoin demonstrated his deadly accuracy by nailing another tricky free from 45 yards to push his side ahead.
Rock landed the final score of the half to keep St Mary’s in the game. The introduction of Mark McInerney for Galway proved to be a positive as soon as the half restarted. McInerney boomed over a brilliant free on the right hand side into the teeth of the breeze.
Jude Campbell brought the game back to the minimum again through a free on 33 minutes before singles from Diarmuid Kilcommins and the impressive Ó’Conghaile put the Galway students back on top. A dropped free from Ó’Curraoin was pushed onto the crossbar by the St Mary’s keeper and was swatted away.
Mayo star Tommy Conroy showed his blistering pace and burned the defense before composing himself to split the posts to leave four between the sides after 48 minutes. Conor Dunleavy pulled Rock down and left the referee with no decision but to brandish a second black card.
St Mary’s took advantage and mounted a surreal comeback. Rock curled over a fantastic point on 53 minutes before a dangerous ball sent in from James McCormack caught the Galway keeper unaware and Shea Daly looped the ball into the back of the net for a level game.
Rock sailed over his fourth of the night to give the Belfast team the lead for the first time. The helter skelter nature ensued as both teams went after the game and Monaghan tied the game up before Conroy teed up the Oughterard clubman to nail the winner and send the Galway side through to the quarter-finals.
University of Galway: Liam Brady; Conor Dunleavy, Evan Lyons, Colin Murray; Rory Egan, Canice Mulligan, Daniel Flaherty; James McLoughlin, Diarmuid Kilcommons (0-1); Liam Ó’Conghaile (0-2), Tommy Conroy (0-1), Cian Monaghan (0-2); Cathal Sweeney, Ryan O’Donoghue, Cillian Ó’Curraoin (0-4f).
Subs: Mark McInerney (0-1f) for Egan, Tomo Culhane for Ó’Conghaile, Conor Corcoran for Murray.
St Mary’s: Darragh Croarkin; Cathal Agnew, Killian Burke, Finn Murdock; Fergal O’Brien, Michael McCallan, Sean O’Donnell (0-1); Darragh Treanor, Cormac McGettigan; Jude Campbell (0-2,2f), Shane Donnelly, Sean Quigley, Macdarragh Hynes, Sean Rock (0-4, 2f), Conan Milne.
Subs: James McCormack for Donnelly, Shea Daly (1-0) for Hynes.
Referee: C. Dourneen (Cavan)
