AFL Division 10 League Final: Longwood 3-21 St Mary’s 1-21
Longwood secured some welcome silverware after a titanic tussle with a gallant St Mary’s side in Skryne on Friday evening.
As the game edged towards the 60th minute, even the most ardent Longwood supporter could be forgiven for fearing the worst as the Donore men held a seemingly secure five-point lead. But the players retained their composure, eventually drew level before pulling clear in extra time.
The relatively low scoring opening half gave little indication of what was to follow. St Mary’s were quicker to settle and led by two points after six minutes. After a couple of poor wides, Longwood eventually got the scoreboard ticking, courtesy of an excellent point from Adrian Maguire. The resulting kick-out was directed to the open arms of Anthony Healy who executed an audacious lob over the keeper to the Mary’s net. Longwood led by two.
An excellent point from Dominic Finnegan extended the lead and in truth it would have been even greater but for some wayward finishing and poor shot selection from Longwood’s shooters.
A run of three consecutive St Mary’s points brought the teams level before Anthony Healy and Cormac Victory exchanged two-pointers in the closing minutes of the half.
Half-time: Longwood 1-5 St Mary’s 0-8
The opening minutes of the second half seemed to bode well as Anthony Healy converted an early 45 before following up with another two-pointer from a placed ball. But the men in red and green responded with yet another run of three points and the teams were level again.
Excellent points from Gavin Griffith and Bob Maguire sandwiched a pair of St Mary’s overs. Level again.
With eight minutes to play St Mary’s plundered a goal and this looked like being the decisive score. Despite a defiant response from Ciaran Sheridan, St Mary’s kicked three further points to push their lead out to five as the clock edged towards the 60th minute.
A combination of the heat and the hard ground had seen numerous players struggle with cramp throughout the second half, with both physios working overtime to keep the players in working order. This, combined with a couple of other stoppages, resulted in five minutes of added time and these proved to be the most exciting and nerve jangling five minutes of the game.
Firstly, Anthony Healy kicked a pressure two-pointer to reduce the deficit to three points. With Longwood pushing up on the kick-out they secured possession and the ball found it’s way to Healy who finished (soccer style) to the back of the net. The crowd roared but unbelievably there was more to come. St Mary’s worked the ball up the field and kicked what looked certain to be the winning point.
Longwood needed a score and there couldn’t be more than seconds remaining. They calmly moved the ball up the field to the scoring zone and to their credit worked to create a scoring opportunity. With the referee glancing at his watch, and the supporters imploring them to shoot, Anthony Healy, Sam Dixon and Gavin Griffith all refused low percentage shots, instead choosing to work the ball to a colleague in a better position. This paid rich dividends as the ball was eventually delivered to Malachy Fisher who kicked an excellent point to tie up the game.
The referee’s whistle soon followed.
Full-time: Longwood 2-14 St Mary’s 1-17
Twenty minutes of extra time would further stretch players’ fitness levels, not to mention the nerve ends of both sets of supporters.
Two minutes in and yet another pivotal moment. A penalty was awarded to St Mary’s and a goal at this point would have been huge. Longwood goalkeeper, Ross Healy, was up to the challenge and diverted the ball away from the goals. St Mary’s eventually managed to score a point from this possession, but it certainly felt like a small win for Longwood and it infused them with energy.
A two-point free from Anthony Healy (sound familiar?) pushed Longwood into the lead. Gavin Griffith kicked another excellent point to extend the advantage at half time.
Half-time (extra time): Longwood 2-17 St Mary’s 1-18
The introduction of young players William Phillips, Ronan Greene and Cian Swan further energised the team and all three kicked crucial points in the closing chapter. St Mary’s battled manfully before Malachy Fisher, a boxer in his younger days, delivered the knock-out blow with a late goal. It proved to be the final act in an amazing piece of drama.
Final Score (AET): Longwood 3-21 St Mary’s 1-21
Tremendous credit is due to both sets of players for serving up such an exciting and entertaining game of football. They gave everything for their clubs and their supporters can be rightly proud of each and every one of them.
Credit must also go to the match officials for contributing to the spectacle.
And well done to Skryne for making their excellent facilities available for the game.
Longwood: Ross Healy, Kevin Maguire, Sean Carpenter, Coyle O’Brien, Cian O’Sullivan (Capt.), Bob Maguire (0-1), Adrian Maguire (0-1), Dominic Finnegan (0-1), Ciaran Sheridan (0-1), Sam King, David Coloe, Louis Butler, Ben McLoughlin, Anthony Healy (2-10), Liam Foran, Jason Kerrigan, Ronan Greene (0-1), Thomas Dorran, Sam Dixon, Sean Kelly, Cian Swan (0-1), William Phillips (0-1), Mark Kennedy, Malachy Fisher (1-2), Gavin Griffith (0-2).
So well done to Longwood. Every single member of the panel who togged out during the league games and final played an important role in their ultimate success. Some lads were injured or unable to make it to Skryne on the night, but their contributions were just as important. They have earned their medals.
Well done to Jim Mahon and his trusted lieutenants Ronan O’Brien and Kenny Cleary. It’s only in the past couple of years that we were able to re-establish a second team and Jim has done a tremendous job, giving all-important game time to as many players as possible, never an easy task in a small dual club.
