County Intermediate Football Final
Saint Saviours 0-8
Modeligo 0-7
Saint Saviours will contest next year’s County Senior Football Championship after they got the better of Modeligo in last Saturday’s Intermediate Football County Final at Fraher Field in a game that never quite lived up to expectations. Thirty-year-old Gareth Duffy produced a Man of the Match performance for the Ballybeg based outfit, hitting four points of his sides tally while full back Kevin Boland, another member of the thirty plus members of the winners’ panel, also impressed pushing his team mate all the way for the sponsors Man of the Match award.
St. Saviours Brian Quinn hold onto possession against Modeligo's Niall Browne
Modeligo depended on the Troy brothers Michael and Shane for the bulk of their scoring as they shared six of their side’s scores. In a surprise move when Modeligo were showing signs of getting something from the game, the mentors decided to withdraw the younger of the Troy brothers, who had scored three points, and replace him with another brother Jamie.Saint Saviours got off to a flying start when Darragh Corcoran split the posts with just 14 seconds gone. John Devine pointed for Modeligo on three minutes and Michael Troy edged the western club in front six minutes later. Saviours drew level just short of the midway point of the opening half with an excellent score from Shaun Corcoran.
In truth Modeligo should have been in front by a few points, but they were found guilty on more than one occasion of trying to walk the ball into a position close to their opponents’ goal rather than kick from out the field, only to be denied by some good defending by the Saint Saviours defence.Michael Troy edged Modeligo back in front on 19 minutes but this proved to be his sides last score of the opening half.Man of the Match Duffy hit the first of his scores with five minutes of the first half remaining and two minutes later Darragh Corcoran gave St Saviour’s the lead when he put over a free which looked from the stand to be rather dubious.
The Ballybeg based club finished the first half with a brace of points, both off the boot of Gareth Duffy within two minutes of each other, to take a three-points lead to the break (06-03).
Scores in the second half were somewhat like hens’ teeth. After an early exchange of scores by Michael Troy and Brian Power, Modeligo reduced the deficit when Shane Troy put over his first score of the game on 39 minutes.And it was the eldest forward in the Modeligo attack that hit the games next two scores, both frees struck on 54 and 56 minutes to tie the scoring as the city side began to show signs of indiscipline at the back and were punished for doing so.With four added minutes signalled to be played it looked as if the County Board would have an unexpected extra pay day with a replay looming.
However, in the first minute of added time Gareth Duffy proved the match winner for Saint Saviours as he gave his side a deserved lead and inflicted on Modeligo a second consecutive county final defeat.
St Saviour’s will now take on Templenoe at a Kerry venue in the Munster Club Championship on November 9th.
