Moninne march into Louth SHC final with victory over Knockbridge

Naomh Moninne are back in the Louth Senior Hurling Championship final after a clinical display saw them sweep past Knockbridge in the third round clash at St. Brigid's Park, Dowdallshill on Thursday evening.

The Dundalk side never looked troubled across the game as they built a strong first-half lead and maintained their grip despite a spirited second-half push from the Knockbridge men.

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From the first whistle, Moninne’s talisman Darren Geoghegan set the tone. Within two minutes, he had already clipped over two placed balls, a free and a 65, and the scores kept flowing.

The prolific forward ended the evening with a stunning personal haul, finishing with 15 points, the majority from frees.

Moninne’s fast start saw them lead 0-6 to 0-2 by the 10-minute mark, with Geoghegan well-supported by Mark Gahan and Aaron McGuinness-Smith.

Knockbridge briefly threatened to find their rhythm when Gareth Hall bundled in a goal from a long ball on 14 minutes to reduce the margin to two points. But Moninne’s response was swift and ruthless. The turning point came in the 22nd minute.

Conor Murphy, lively throughout, rifled an unstoppable shot into the top corner to restore a commanding eight-point cushion, and from there, the Dundalk outfit never looked back.

By the half-time break, Moninne had opened up an eight-point lead. While Knockbridge’s scores came largely from placed balls, with Seán Flynn and Ryan Healy chipping in, they lacked the same sharpness in open play.

Half time: Naomh Moninne 1-12 Knockbridge 1-4

The second half began with a flurry of scores from both sides, but any hopes of a Knockbridge comeback were smothered by Moninne’s calmness and control.

John Casey and substitute Fionn Cumiskey added points, while Conor Murphy and Mark Gahan continued to shine in the final third.

Knockbridge did enjoy their best spell midway through the second half, trimming the deficit to four points after a purple patch that included fine scores from Ronan Byrne and Stephen Hoey.

However, Moninne responded with four unanswered points in the closing minutes, capped by Geoghegan’s final free and a late point from Murphy.

Goalkeeper Conor Whyte made a sharp stop at the death to deny a second Knockbridge goal and underline Moninne’s desire to see out the win.

The final whistle was greeted with joy and relief from the Moninne camp, who now look ahead to a much-anticipated final against reigning champions St. Fechins on Sunday, 10th August.

It will be the fourth recent championship final meeting between the two heavyweights, a rivalry rich with history and now set for its latest chapter.

Full time: Naomh Moninne 1-21 Knockbridge 1-13

Naomh Moninne: Conor Whyte; Darren O'Hanrahan, Mattie Fee, Cathal Azzopardi; Seán Magill, Gavin Baxter, James Murphy; Darren Geoghegan (0-15), Michael O'Shea; Conor Murphy (1-1), Tom O'Dwyer, John Casey (0-1); Mark Gahan (0-2), Aaron McGuinness-Smith (0-1), Sam Phelan.

Subs: Fionn Cumiskey (0-1) on for Sam Phelan (45'), Coran Trainor on for Aaron McGuinness-Smith (58'), Kyle Rafferty on for Darren O'Hanrahan (60'), Eoin Murphy on for Tom O'Dwyer (63').

Knockbridge: Mark Wallace; Ben Goss-Kieran, Jake McNamara, Andrew Smith; Stephen Kettle, Liam Molloy (0-1), Daire McKiernan; Sean Flynn (0-7,), Adam Plunkett (0-2); Robert Wallace, James Costello, Stephen Hoey (0-2); Gareth Hall (1-0), David Kettle, Dara Toner.

Subs- Ronan Byrne (0-1) for G Hall (25'), Ricky McKeown for D Toner (46'), Conor Kerrigan for D McKiernan (51'), Gavin Kerrigan for A Plunkett (58').

Referee: Mairtin McGann (Castleblayney).