Kildare SFC final

Moorefield ......................2-13 Kilcock ............................ 2-7

By Paul O’Meara Leader GAA Correspondent

HISTORY repeated itself as Moorefield won their second Kildare SFC title almost as easily as their won their first.

It’s probable that when they last won thirty eight years ago few people would have believed that they would not win again for more than a quarter of a century.

They were too strong all over the park for Kilcock on Sunday.

Kilcock were swamped at midfield; their forwards got little possession and when they did, in the first half at least, they were short on ideas and were frequently short on conviction.

Moorefield won this final more easily than most people imagined.

After all, Kilcock’s victory over Clane should have had them prepared for this challenge. Whether Clane are a poorer team than we believed or Moorefield were a big step up in class is irrelevant now.

Moorefield won the final with a devastating performance throughout the field.

Defensively they were solid. Two great interceptions by Seamus Murray in the opening half provided Kilcock with enough evidence that their defence would be difficult to breach.

And, thus it transpired. Kilcock were playing into a very strong breeze before half time but even allowing for this they had a miserly return.

By the time the interval came around, after a thirty minute exhibition of scoretaking by Moorefield, the losers had scored just once and that was a free from Cathal Sheridan.

This was not one of Sheridan’s better games and yet he finished the game with 2-3. Their best player was corner back John Quinn who also hit a point from play.

At midfield where Ger Kiely was outstanding in the semi final, Kilcock were lost. Moorefield overwhelmed them and once the Newbridge side took the ball forward they had so many more options than Kilcock.

Martin Murray, perhaps unlucky to be substituted in the last game, did not start this time. His presence on the sideline along with a few others spoke volumes for the strength of the Moorefield panel.

If Murray was unlucky not to start it was inevitable that he would be brought on.

And by the item he was all of the Moorefield forwards had scored . Their attack was playing so well that that the candidate to be chosen for substitution was always going to be unfortunate because none deserved it. Brian

Murray was hardly on the field when he was just off target with one shot and put the next over the bar.

Kilcock never looked as business like as this and that they finished within seven points of the winners is a credit to their fighting spirit which manifested itself late in the game.

Sadly it came too late to make a difference and Moorefield had no reason to be worried because they were so far ahead they were in a different league.

Kilcock came under early pressure. Michael Ryan, who came into the game under a cloud of injury had a shot for a goal deflected by a Kilcock defender. His effort said much for the confidence with which Moorefield went into the game.

Pa Behan was quick to react to a breaking ball for their first score in the 3rd minute.

Then Cian O’Neill rose highest to collect a Kevin O’Neill free. He landed, turned and found the net. The Kilcock defence misread the free and they were 1-1 down.

Worse news quickly followed.

After six minutes they led by 1-3 to no score were averaging one attack a minute. A foul on Sos Dowling was penalised by the first of five successful frees taken by Patrick Murray.

He got the next three scores and these were followed by the second goal which left Moorefield with too much to do.

It began when Cian O’Neill blocked a kick by John Quinn; the ball went to Pa Behan who found Brian McGrogan. Behan’s pass was brilliant and McGrogan had just the goalie to beat. In this situation McGrogan’s speed off the mark is a potent weapon and he found his way around Niall Geoghegan and kicked the ball into an empty net.

With ten minutes left in the first half Moorefield were walking away with the prize. Kilcock had no luck. A Philip Rowland free was fielded by Padraig Canavan; he then kicked wide from play and a long ball from John Quinn rolled harmlessly over the Moorefield line.

The only morsels of good fortune they enjoyed was when John Quinn, who must have felt a bit like the Dutch boy who plugged the dyke with his finger, got away with a foul on Cian O’Neill and a shot by Sos Dowling collided with the crossbar.

Moorefield got two more points on the board before

Several Kilcock supporters were among those who departed St. Conleth’s Park at half time. With Moorefield leading by 2-10 to 0-1 and the rain pelting down perhaps it was difficult to blame them.

This fifteen point margin was as bad as it got for Kilcock but that was bad enough.

A good save by Niall Geoghegan from Sean White prevented the floodgates from being washed away in the flood but a full ten minutes of the second half passed before Kilcock showed any signs of life.

Cathal Sheridan lobbed a hopeful wind assisted ball towards the Moorefield goal and it went over Padraig Canavan and into the net. If any of the Moorefield players got a little nervous at this point they were steadied by a Martin Murray score.

It took Kilcock a full ten minutes to get their next score. It came from Sheridan again and then corner back John Quinn also pointed.

They had a penalty awarded when Padraig Canavan was penalised for fouling Eoin Flanagan. The kick was well taken by Sheridan.

With six minutes remaining in the half Moorefield led by eight points and it was more than enough.

Even when they were scoring, Kilcock could find no rhythm and as time ran out they began to look a little desperate. In these circumstances a sustained recovery was not possible.

They outscored Moorefield by three points to one in the closing three to four minutes.

But what they needed most of all was a hat full of goals. And these would have to be scored against a defence which had given away only two points from play to their opposing forwards.

Kilcock will be deeply disappointed - more about the deficiencies in their performance than actually losing. They finished a very well beaten team but are not as bad as they appeared to be.

For Moorefield it was no more than they deserved.

Often the way a team wins says more about them than the result itself.

From the day they toppled Sarsfields in a sparkling performance, which illustrated more about their ability than the fact that they had beaten the champions, Moorefield were always going to be the team to beat.

And in the end, there was nobody capable of beating them.

They are a young team. At 36,

He was a deserving winner of the man of the match award and was followed very closely by Patrick Murray. This is perhaps the crowning moment in a long career with Moorefield, where he has filled many positions with distinction, and Kildare. It is merited despite the delay in arriving.

In terms of what he has put into the game for club and county and for the way he carries himself on the field there are none more deserving of a county medal.

Noel Buckley, Seamus Murray, Martin Ryan, Ronan Sweeney, Cian O’Neill, Pa Behan and Brian McGrogan also did well but Moorefield had no poor performers.

John Quinn was Kilcock’s best player and others to show well at times for the losers were Philip Rowland, Eoin Flanagan and Barry O’Keeffe.

Moorefield: Padraig Canavan, Kevin O’Neill, Martin Ryan (Captain), Seamus Murray, David Barry, Kenny Duane (0-1), Noel Buckley, Sean White (0-1), Ronan Sweeney, Patrick Murray (0-7, 5 frees), SOS Dowling (0-1), Michael Ryan (0-1), Brian McGrogan (1-0), Cian O’Neill (1-0) and Pa Behan (0-1). Subs: Martin Murray (0-1) for Brian McGrogan 44th, Robbie Delaney for Michael Ryan (inj.) 52nd, Paul Potts for Sean white (inj.) 60th and Jamie Murphy for Kevin O’Neill 61st.

Kilcock: Niall Geoghegan, John Quinn (0-1), Cormac Davey, Trevor Byrne, Barry O’Keeffe, Sean O’Rourke, Michael Quinn, Ger Kiely, Dave McTiernan, Andrew Gavin, Philip Rowland (0-2, 1 free), Eoin Flanagan, Alan Kelly, Cathal Sheridan (2-3, 1-0 Pen and 0-3 frees), Ger McNally (0-1). Subs: Brian Murray for Dave McTiernan half time, Michael Gallagher for Andrew Gavin 35th, John O’Donoghue for Alan Kelly 42nd and Tom Nolan for Sean O’Rourke 47th.

Referee: Mick Monahan (Raheens).

By TOMMY CALLAGHAN

On a bitterly cold, wet and extremely windy day, playing into the town goal with the elements in their backs the Newbridge side tore into the opposition right from the whistle as if their lives depended on it.

Kilcock were completely overrun and had absolutely no response to some brilliant point scoring; accurate free taking and two well worked and expertly taken goals.

In a totally one-sided opening thirty minutes Moorefield went into the break leading by an incredible 2-10 to 0-1 and the Dermot Burke Cup was already assured of a second season on the trot in Newbridge - this time at the top of the town.

Kilcock to their credit did not throw in the towel and although effectively only playing for club pride they gradually whittled back the lead aided with a fortuitous goal and a penalty.

In the end, in a game that was over a long, long time before the long whistle, there was just five points between the sides but it’s a scoreline that really fails to show just how much the Newbridge side were in control.

The minor final saw Leixlip capture the trophy for the second season in a row with a top class display against Moorefield.