Setanta brush past reigning champions Burt to reach ninth straight SHC final

There will be new champions of the 2025 Donegal Senior Hurling Championship as Setanta defeated holders Burt in O’Donnell Park on Saturday evening.

The men from the Cross had a perfect start with a Gerard Gilmore goal after 15 seconds and while Conor Gartland converted a penalty for Burt, the free taking of Gilmore, who had six points at the break, helped the winners lead by 1-11 to 1-7 at the break.

Gartland’s clinical free taking, ending with 1-9, kept the Hibernian Park men in the contest but Setanta began to pull away with a couple of points from Josh McGee Cronolly and Sean Ward.

Stephen Gillespie did find the net on 57 minutes to make it a five-point game, but Setanta moved clear again to make a ninth straight county final, meeting St Eunan's at the end of the month after they defeated Sean MacCumhaills.

In a game of very few wides, Setanta couldn’t have asked for a better start to this game as they won possession from the start, with Gerard Gilmore firing the ball in towards the square and with the help of Josh McGee Cronolly causing a distraction, it found the net.

Jason Patton then fired over a great score on the turn, while Conor Gartland got a first free for Burt on five minutes.

They didn’t have long to wait for a goal themselves however, as Ronan McDermott was pulled down and Gartland fired the penalty high into the net.

Gilmore (free) and Eoin McDaid traded scores, but two great points from play through Josh McGee Cronolly and one from Dean Harvey out by the ‘65 put the Cross men back in front.

Gartland responded with a free at the other end but the lead increased, first as McGee Cronolly’s shot at goal had to be put out for a ‘65 that Gilmore converted, and he put over another free soon after.

Ryan Coyle was next to split the posts for the leaders, but the reigning champions hit back with a Kevin Curran point from off the ground after a challenge, which just went over the bar, while Gartland added another free.

Gilmore and Gartland again were clinical from placed balls, both of which they won the free themselves to make it 1-8 to 1-6.

And the margin could have increased further if not for a couple of brilliant blocks, first a super Gilmore run and shot looked destined for the top corner, but Ciaran Bradley just got the hurl up to prevent a certain goal, while McGee Cronolly’s rebound also looked goalbound but Paul Burns denied him.

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They would go in four ahead at the break, Gilmore landing frees either side of another Patton score on the turn, but Kyron McColgan’s score from the left was the last point of the half to make it 1-11 to 1-7.

Ryan Coyle resumed the scoring quickly after the break, and Gartland and Gilmore continued their dominance from frees with one each before McGee Cronolly got another score from the right.

Gartland brought his tally to 1-7 with another free before Sean Ward got his first score with his back to goal on the turn.

A Gartland ‘65 brought it back to five points, but Setanta were beginning to pull away, with Conor McGettigan and Sean Ward pointing, although Ward should have scored a goal soon after as Coyle found him inside the large rectangle, but he tried to first-time the ball and didn’t connect.

McGee Cronolly did split the posts before another trading of frees between Gilmore and Gartland coming into the final eight minutes.

The gap was narrowed five minutes later as Kevin Curran’s free fell to Stephen Gillespie who found the net, but Ruairi Campbell and Gilmore’s first from play put away any thoughts of a comeback.

McColgan added a point in stoppage time, but McGee Cronolly hit the final score of the game to bring Setanta into the final for a ninth straight year.

Setanta scorers: Gerard Gilmore 1-9,7f,1’65; Josh McGee Cronolly 0-4; Jason Patton, Ryan Coyle and Sean Ward 0-2 each; Dean Harvey, Conor McGettigan and Ruairi Campbell 0-1 each.

Burt scorers: Conor Gartland 1-8,1-0 pen,7f,1’65; Stephen Gillespie 1-0; Kyron McColgan 0-2; Eoin McDaid and Kevin Curran 0-1 each.

Setanta: Kevin Campbell; Ruairi McLaughlin, Steven McBride, Mark Callaghan; Dean Harvey, Bernard Lafferty, Declan Coulter; Conor McGettigan, Gerard Gilmore; Danny Cullen, Sean Ward, Ruairi Campbell; Ryan Coyle, Jason Patton, Josh McGee Cronolly.

Subs: Fionn Farren for Sean Ward (53), Niall Cleary for Patton (55).

Burt: Paul Burns; James Donaghy, Christopher McDermott, Aidan McKinney; Kevin Curran, Stephen Gillespie, Oisin Kelly; Dara Grant, Ciaran Bradley; Ronan McDemott, Jack Lavery, Paddy Curran; Eoin McDaid, Conor Gartland, Kyron McColgan.

Subs: Callum Porter for Donaghey (35), Fiachra Gill for Lavery (42).

Referee: James Connors (St Eunan’s)