Meath Champions’ scoring prowess ends Cooley’s Leinster dreams

Leinster Intermediate Club Championship Semi-Final

Cooley Kickhams 0-6 Dunshaughlin (Meath) 0-14

Cooley Kickhams bowed out at the Leinster semi-final stage against a rapid Dunshaughlin side that look to have more than provincial glory on their sights.

The Meath champions have reached the Leinster final 20 years on from their senior glory as Cooley tried in vain to deny them that novel anniversary.

With the favourite’s tag weighing heavily on the fancied Meath side, Cooley enjoyed the brighter start. Aside from two missed placed balls from Brian White, the early possession was in the peninsula men’s favour.

White came in for Cian Connor who on the day was a huge loss from placed balls alone. Full forward Michael Rafferty slotted over the opener from a mark supplied by Michael Carron who was motoring all afternoon.

In hindsight, Dunshaughlin were sizing up their prey. Four quick fire scores from play and an effort that stung the palms of Neil Gallagher was a warning sign of things to come. Mathew Costello landed the first two of his sweet points.

Rafferty again provided some light relief from a mark and White opened his account from a free to make it a one-point game. Conor Gray’s dominance around the middle of the field meant Richie Kealy’s side were not short of regaining control at all times.

Costello came out the field and both him and his marker Fearghal Malone traded sublime left footed scores from play. Cooley’s only score from play in the first half. In stark contrast, Dunshaughlin only scored one free from play in the first half.

The game really opened up at this pivotal stage and Kickhams got their supporters hotting up with some thunderous hits and Ronan McBride blocks. Digging in and showing pride.

John McDonagh has been a source of scores for the Dublin border side all season. The wing forward landed three points in the opening half. Coming at the end of numerous waves of attacks, McDonagh was on hand to push the Meath champions three points ahead, 0-8 to 0-5 at half time.

Brian White did pull back a free to make that a one score game at the interval, but with Cooley unable to punish Dunshaughlin’s momentary lapses it was going to take something special.

Patrick Hanlon had a chance to produce that something. With the first attack of the second half Brian White’s shot hit the upright and fell to defender Hanlon. Emphasis on defender due to the nature of his effort that lacked conviction.

With that Cooley conceded five points in a row. The belief seeped out of them as everyone of Dunshaughlin’s starting forwards found the target by the end of the third quarter. Matthew Moyles and Conor Duke firing over from range.

Cormac Malone came on and made his first championship appearance this season for Cooley at provincial level and Michael Rafferty again broke the Meath side's momentum with a neat point from play.

Scores were so hard to come by for Cooley, such was Niall Murphy’s masterful display at centre back. The Dunshaughlin captain was cutting off the supply line at source.

That initial flurry of scores however was enough to decide the outcome of the game. A mere 12 minutes into the half Kinsella landed Dunshaughlin’s last point until injury time. The Meath side struck their first wide in the 60th minute.

With the handbrake up, McDonagh came back into the fray after a blood replacement that made him the top scorer on the day.
With foot-passing an issue on the vast Pairc Tailteann plain, in general the game was scrappy and the result well known before the final whistle. There was still time for substitute Conor McGuinness to receive his marching orders. 

Kickhams, well beaten but not disgraced against a Dunshaughlin side that had former Dublin player Paul Curran in the think tank. They might go all the way to All-Ireland glory. That might not be a bad blot to have on Cooley’s terrific 2022 campaign.

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COOLEY KICKHAMS: Neil Gallagher; Patrick Hanlon, Dean McGreehan, Ronan Bride; James O’Reilly, Fearghal Malone (0-1), Gerry Malone; Richard Brennan, Darren Marks; Enda O’Neill, Brian White (0-2, 0-2 frees), Peter Thornton; Patrick Johnston, Michael Rafferty (0-3, 0-2 marks), Michael Carron.

SUBS: Cormac Malone for Hanlon (41), Conor McGuinness for Thornton (45), Gerard Hanlon for O’Neill (43), Keith White for Brennan (57), Michael Hanlon for O’Reilly (60).

DUNSHAUGHLIN: Adam McDermott; Oisín Foley, Alastar Doyle, Niall Byrne; Ciarán McCarrick, Niall Murphy, Adam Kealy; Ben Duggan (0-1), Conor Gray; John McDonagh (0-4), Ruairí Kinsella (0-2 frees), Matthew Moyles (0-1); Aaron Murphy (0-1), Mathew Costello (0-4, 0-1 free), Conor Duke (0-1).

SUBS: Luke Mitchell for McDonagh (blood 32-41), David Fildes for McCarrick (39), Mitchell for A Murphy (45), Fergus Toolan for Kealy (54), Conor Jennings for Kinsella (57).

REF: Darragh Byrne (Wicklow)