Louth GAA club: Clinical Mochtas crowned Cardinal O'Donnell Cup champions

St. Mochtas produced a ruthless display to claim their second Louth Division One League title in three years, sweeping aside St. Joseph’s with a 15-point victory in front of a large, expectant crowd at PPFS Darver this evening.

For St. Joseph’s, this was a huge occasion, their first Cardinal O'Donnell Cup final since 1995, when they fell short, and the chance to finally get their hands on a trophy they had never won.

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The Joes had finished second in the league, behind the Mochtas, and their meeting in Round Three had been a close affair, decided by just four points.

And, in truth, the Joes made the brighter start. With the wind at their backs, Ben Collier struck a two-pointer inside 25 seconds.

Louth U20 star, Pearse Grimes-Murphy, followed with a well-taken score, and by the third minute, they were three points clear without reply. However, champions respond, and the Mochtas showed their pedigree.

Points from Gerry Garland, Ben Goss-Kieran, and Daire Quinn brought them level by the fifth minute, before captain Declan Byrne’s fisted effort put them ahead. By the eighth minute, the scoreboard read 0-5 to 0-3, and the tide had turned.

Conal Smyth pulled one back for the Joes, but scores from Byrne and Garland pushed the Mochtas two clear. Then came a pivotal spell. In the 26th minute, Cormac Smyth found the net, finishing clinically after a sweeping move.

Moments later, Seán Flynn extended the lead before Garland, with the outside of his left boot, curled over a sublime two-pointer that drew applause from the crowd.

By the time Jamie Farrell tagged on another, the Louth Village side were 1-12 to 0-5 up at half time, having outscored the Joes 1-7 to 0-2 in the final 20 minutes of the half.

Half time: St. Mochtas 1-12 St. Joseph's 0-5

The Joes re-emerged with determination, Oisin McGuinness and Alan Quigley cutting the deficit with early second-half scores.

Quigley’s two-pointer from a free momentarily stirred hope among their faithful, but Smyth almost delivered a killer blow minutes later, denied only by a fine save from Adam Cassidy.

If that was a let-off, the respite was short-lived. Declan Byrne steadied the Mochtas with a point before Daire Quinn rattled the roof of the net on 39 minutes, stretching the advantage to 2-13 to 0-8.

Quigley struck another two-pointer for the Joes, but their opponents were relentless. Goss-Kieran and Garland added points before Farrell finished off a flowing move to notch the third goal on 46 minutes.

With the result now beyond doubt, the Mochtas began to empty the bench, but the scoring didn’t stop. Liam O’Flaherty pointed a free before the Joes replied through Cormac McKeown, Jack Mulligan, and Ben Collier.

Garland added yet another for the men in yellow before county All-Star Craig Lennon iced the cake with their fourth goal on 58 minutes, created by the lively Cian Sheridan.

Conal Smyth had the final say for the Joes, but by then, the celebrations had already started in the Mochtas camp. At the final whistle, it was 4-17 to 0-14, a margin that reflected both their defensive steel and attacking precision.

For St. Mochtas, this was the perfect response to last year’s final defeat to Ardee St. Mary's. They finished top of the league, winning 13 of their 16 matches, and carried that form into the showpiece.

Cormac Smyth’s 1-2 in the first half set the tone, Garland’s creativity and scoring touch lit up proceedings, while Byrne, Quinn, and Farrell all played pivotal roles.

The Joes, to their credit, battled until the end. Collier and Quigley led the scoring, and there were strong performances from Michael Staunton in defence and Adam Cassidy in goal.

But against a side with the depth, composure, and firepower of the Mochtas, they simply couldn’t bridge the gap.

Full time: St. Mochtas 4-17 St. Joseph's 0-14.

St. Mochtas scorers: Gerry Garland 0-6 (1tp), Cormac Smyth 1-2, Daire Quinn 1-1, Jamie Farrell 1-1, Declan Byrne 0-3 (1f), Ben Goss-Kieran 0-2, Seán Flynn 0-1, Liam O’Flaherty 0-1 (f), Craig Lennon 1-0.

St. Joseph’s scorers: Alan Quigley 0-6 (2tp, 1f), Ben Collier 0-3 (1tp), Conal Smyth 0-2, Pearse Grimes-Murphy 0-1, Oisin McGuinness 0-1, Cormac McKeown 0-1, Jack Mulligan 0-1.

St. Mochtas: Daire O’Shea; Daniel Craven, Ben Goss-Kieran, Liam Lawlor, Andrew English; Andrew Lennon, Darren McMahon; Seán Flynn, Shane Lennon, Gerry Garland, Craig Lennon, Cormac Smyth, Declan Byrne (c), Jamie Farrell, Daire Quinn.

Subs: Liam O’Flaherty on for Cormac Smyth (41’), Dylan Farrell on for Declan Byrne (46’), Owen Lennon on for Liam Lawlor (50’), Phillip Englishby on for Ben Goss-Kieran (54’), Conor Garland on for Jamie Farrell (54’).

St. Joseph's: Adam Cassidy; Rian Devlin, Michael Staunton, Ciarán Johnston; Michael O’Brien, Cormac McKeown, Gabriel Bell; David Kierans, Conor Neary; Oisin McGuinness, Craig Doherty, Pearse Grimes-Murphy; Conal Smyth, Ben Collier (c), Alan Quigley.

Subs: Jack Mulligan on for Pearse Grimes-Murphy (21’), Conal McCaul on for Conor Neary, Ben McKeown on for Rian Devlin, Killian Staunton on for Michael O’Brien, Rory McLoughlin on for Craig Doherty (50’).

Referee: Stephen Johnson (Glen Emmets).