The joy of six: St Eunans rewrite history with U-21 win over Setanta

St Eunan’s had to dig deep to see off Setanta in the U21 hurling final in Burt today, winning it at the bitter end when the tode seemed to be turning against them.

St Eunan’s 2-6
St Setanta 1-6

The three-point win brings to six the number of adult championships the club have won this season. Before this afternoon’s victory they had already claimed U-12A, Senior and Reserve championships in football, and senior championship in hurling and the intermediate ladies. Cormac Finn won five of those championships.

At a windswept Burt’s withstood a fightback from Setana to claim the laurels against the men from the Cross, who lined out without their ace forward and leading marksman Oisin Marley.

The stylish Marley had scored 1-3 out of their total of 1-6 in the abandoned final before Christmas. The Finn Valley men led that game 1-5 to 0-6 when the game was abandoned at half-time and the rescheduled final in late December was postponed due to the high number of Covid cases in the county at the time.

Of all the St Eunan’s finals of 2021, this one was the most hard-earned. Played in atrocious conditions of driving wind and rain in the first half, it was an even winder second period but without the rain.

The game was played on Burt’s second pitch. St Eunan’s lost the toss and played with the elements into the first half and despite this they were slow to start.

The usually reliable Paul O’Donnell was wide with two long range efforts from placed balls before Gordan Randles, also from a long range free, scored the first of the eventual champions’ two goals.

The wing-back’s sweetly struck free from just inside the Setanta half went all the way to the net, dropping late to deceive keeper and the defenders. That was on nine minutes.

Within a minute the black and amber were four up thanks to a well-taken Peter Kelly point under pressure. St Eunan’s were completely on top at this stage but for the heroics of Ruairi McLaughlin at full-back and the tenacious defending of the Setanta rearguard, St Eunan’s could have been further ahead.

Ryan Coyle pulled a point back from a free just before the first of the water-breaks to leave just three between the sides, 1-1 to 0-1, in favour of St Eunan’s. The water-breaks, since shelved, were still being used as the competition was a spillover from 2021.

Finn, Paul O’Donnell and Russell Forde struck excellent points - all long range - to open up a sizable gap approaching half-time.

St Eunan’s were 1-4 to 0-1 coming up at half-time but the fat was back in fire after Ryan Coyle struck a late 1-1 for Setanta to leave just two between them at the changeover. The goal from a 50-metre free also went all the way to the back of the St Eunan’s net.

It got better in the early minutes of the second period for the men from Killygordon thanks to quick fire points, the lion-hearted Kyle Dillon and another Coyle free.

All tied on 1-4 each the momentum was Setanta shortly after when Coyle edged his side into the lead for the first time. And with a quarter an hour to go all the smart money was switching to Setanta.

But history beckoned for St Eunans and with captain Finn James Kelly, Randles and O’Donnell driving their team on, they rallied.

A goal and two points off the stick of O’Donnell in the closing stages turned the final around. O’Donnell from a long free tied up the game at 1-5 each with a little over two minutes of normal time remaining.

But it was his goal from a close in free after a great Kelly run that sealed the championships and a place in GAA history. For the goal most people were expecting him to tap over for the lead point. But instead he drove low and hard in a crowded goalmouth and somehow the ball ended in the back of the net for a 2-5 to 1-5 lead.

O’Donnell followed with the insurance point before Coyle rounded off the scoring for a gallant Setanta.

St Eunan’s: Daire McBride; Mark Mullholland, James O’Donnell, J P Curran; Oisin Randle (1-0), James Kelly, Mark McGinty; Thomas Crossan, Chris Murray; Paul O’Donnell (1-3, 1-3f), Cormac Finn (0-1), Russell Forde (0-1); Peter Kelly (0-1), John Lambe, Gavin Forde. Subs: Ronan Kelly for J Lambe (h/t), Calvan Adoo for P Kelly (56).

Setanta: Tiernan Farren; Pauric Moss, RuairI McLaughlin, Eoin McNicholl; Tommy Lee Scully, Dean Harvey, Kyle Dillion (0-1); Ryan Coyle (1-5, 1-5f), Ryan Callaghan; Caolan McClintock, Tiernan Kelly, Jason McDaid; Flynn Gallagher, Ruari Campbell, Pauric Gallagher.

Referee: Aidan McAleer (Naomh Padraig, Muff)