Oodles of possession, but scores were hard to come by.

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Oodles of possession, but scores were hard to come by.

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Oodles of possession, but scores were hard to come by.

July 21, 2024

For the third year in a row, Killavullen have come up short, in their quest to get their hands on the historic Fitzgerald cup, the prize for winning the Avondhu Division 1 Football league. The cup lasted visited Killavullen in 2014 but has brazenly stayed away from us since.


Killavullen had lots of possession on the night, but failed to get their quick attacks going, and consequently, Liscarroll – Churchtown Gaels were able to funnel their players back behind the ball, and force us into carrying the ball into contact and loose a quantity of it.  Lateral passing was the choice of both teams at the start of the game, and it was the seventh minutes, before any team registered a score, and that was for Killavullen courtesy of Sean Palmer. We added to this advantage in the 9th minute, from the boot of Seamus O Mahony. LC Gaels got their opening score, and they playing against the wide, in Charleville, on the night from their full forward from open play, who was pivotal to their success on the night. The same player then drew his his team level with another fine score, in the 13th minute. LC Gaels took the lead in the 17th minute from a free, scored by their full forward, but Charlie Lillis equalised for us, in the 19th minute, after a jinking and twisting run. The next score in this game was crucial though, and it went the way of our opponents, when they got in for a goal, scored by their corner forward in the 22nd minute. A big score, in a tight game. We responded gamely though, and got the next point back, from the boot of Charlie again, and again, Sean Palmer found himself at the end of a decent move and scored another point back for us, in the 25th minute. The comeback was completed when Eoin Birchill scored from open play in the same minute to restore parity. LC Gaels were to take the lead again though, from open play, again through their full forward. Eddie Cotter brought the game level with his opening point of the night, despite probing for openings, on several occasions, when he was forced to turn back out the field again and retain possession. The only free that was scored in the opening half was scored by LC Gaels in the 31st minute by Colin O Brien, to leave our opponents in the ascendancy on the scoreboard at half time, by a solitary point, 1-05 to 0-07.



On the resumption, LC Gaels added to their advantage with a converted free, in the 2nd minute, taken by their full forward, and another score, from the same player, and again from a free, in the 5th. Charlie Lillis got our opening score of the half, again from open play, in the 6th minute and Killavullen introduced Patrick O Grady and Padraig Looney from the bench, to effect a change. The withdrawn players were Seamus O Mahony and Sean Palmer, who had given of their best. Our opponents were next to score though, from open play, from their half forward, after a good break out move. Brian Cotter had made foraging runs throughout the game, and he scored from his halfback berth, for us, in the 10th minute. The challengers from the western part of the division though, manufactured another close in free, and scored that in the fifteenth minute of the half. Michael Cagney was introduced for his next-door neighbour Cian O Connor, and Michael with his Dad been from Liscarroll, immediately set about trying to influence the game, in a positive way. We were awarded a close in free, in the 20th minute, that Eoin converted, and repeated the dose in the 22nd minutes, to leave only a point between the teams. Eoin held his cool with another free, in the 26th minute, to bring the two teams to a co-score situation. James Magner forced us ahead in the next minute, with a nice team score but Colin O Brien, equalised with time up, from a 45 metre shot in the 30th minute.  The same player kicked a huge point, from distance, from a free in the 31st minute to forge ahead, but Padraig Looney broke through the crowded defence in the next play, and scored a point, to equalise the game. On another day, it could have been a goal, but it was important to equalise initially at that juncture. The referee, on the night, Colm Maher signalled the game was over, and two periods of over time were necessary, for the winner on the night’s rules of the competition.


Charlie Lillis scored the opening score of the extra time period, from a free, from an angle in the 3rd minute of the opening half but again LC Gaels replied with a converted free of their own, to be the only two scores of the opening period.


In the second instalment. LC Gaels were fastest out of the blocks with a point from play from their full forward again only to see Patrick O Grady, make a great reply after a run, in the third minute of ten. Billy Norris was introduced for the ailing Liam Fox, who had put in another stellar shift. Eddie Cotter forced us ahead again, in the 7th minute from open play, but Colin O Brien, replied for the Gaels, in the 8th minute.  LC Gaels were awarded a free, somewhat harsh in the circumstances, when penalties looked like been necessary to split the teams.  The significance of the free was apparent to all, and Killavullen players gave dissent, and the referee moved it forward. The Full forward, the most influential player for LC Gaels, in terms of scoring, held his nerve, and kicked the point, in the 3rd additional minute on the half to win the game.


The kick out was effected, the final whistle was blown, and the Fitzgerald Cup went west. Congratulations to our opponents who now leave the division, and will play in Cork County Division 7 Football leagues in 2025.


Final Score: Killavullen 0-17; Liscarroll- Churchtown Gaels 1-15


The team was


  1. Michael Walsh
  2. Cian O Connor
  3. Fionn Magner
  4. Sean Bartley
  5. Paul O Sullivan
  6. Liam Cronin
  7. Brian Cotter (0-01)
  8. Liam Fox
  9. Eoin Buckley
  10. Jamie Magner (0-01)
  11. Eoin Birchill (0-04, 0-03F)
  12. Seamus O Mahony (0-01)
  13. Charlie Lillis (0-04, 0-01F)
  14. Sean Palmer (0-02)
  15. Eddie Cotter (0-02)

Substitutes


  1. Patrick O Grady (0-01) for Seamus O Mahony
  2. Padraig Looney (0-01) for Sean Palmer
  3. Michael Cagney for Cian O Connor
  4. Billy Norris for Liam Fox
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