Aughrim 5-19
AGB 1-5
There’s a passage in a sports book I read many years ago that has always resonated with me, and watching Aughrim put on a dazzling display of football against a stunned AGB in the Community Grounds on Friday evening reminded me of those words.
For the life of me I can’t recall the title of the book or the author, but I know it was about an inter-county GAA team and their journey over a successful season.
The passage concerned a training session before a big game where the players were bursting for action. They were completely lost in the moment, hungry to excel, improve and drive on to new heights during an in-house game late on. When the team manager ended the session, the players protested and pleaded with him that it would continue for a few more minutes.
Aughrim’s Michael Brennan tackles AGB’s Mark Hurley during the SFL Division 3 clash on Friday evening.
Reflecting on that moment in the book, the manager said that it was then that he knew the team were ready for what was to come. He understood that they were exactly where he wanted them to be, primed, fit, inspired, ready.
When Pamela Prendergast sounded the final whistle on Friday evening with Kevin Morris’ side hunting for further scores while leading by 5-19 to 1-5, there were audible moans from the Aughrim forwards that the Kilmac official had called time on their scintillating display.
From the first moment of this game to the last, the Granite City side had proven relentless, bringing an insatiable appetite to the fray and playing some damn fine football in the process.
The optimists down that way will say this team are flying. The realists will say this is league football on an evening when AGB didn’t click and that there’s an awful long way to go before the red-hot heat of championship football.
The truth is probably somewhere in between, but one thing is for sure, watching this Aughrim team go in search of Junior ‘A’ championship honours is going to be a pure pleasure if they hit the footballing heights they did on Friday evening.
They led by 2-3 to 0-0 after five minutes with everybody in attendance bar themselves shocked at their efficiency, movement and ambition.
The electric Conaill O’Brien fired over from a mark in the opening seconds, Conor Phelan followed up with the first major before O’Brien notched the second and then Alex Kavanagh (mark) and O’Brien popped over two sweet points to leave the spectators and AGB breathless.
The pressure on Adam O’Leary’s kick-outs was relentless.
It was 2-5 to 0-0 by the time Kyle Kelly managed to get a shot off at the other end of the field, but prowling full-back Tom Murphy, who looks like he’s been chiseled straight out of a block of granite, blocked superbly.
The visitors registered their first wide after nine, but Aughrim were looking lethal and powered out to a 3-10 to 0-0 advantage by the time Philip Gleeson, operating as a sweeper to try and slow the carnage, swung over AGB’s opening score with 22 minutes on the clock, the omnipresent Joe McGuckian walloping home the third goal for the Granite City men.
The hosts took a 3-11 to 0-2 lead into the break and AGB emerged with three changes made and the very serious matter of pride to be saved, which, in fairness, they did their best to achieve.
A Darragh Culleton free gave them hope but Aughrim fired over four rapid points to ensure this wasn’t just a freak half of football on their part, Conor Phelan, Conaill O’Brien (two, one free) and the lethal Alex Kavanagh (free) pushing them out to 3-15 to 0-3.
Robert Lambert impressed throughout in goals for Aughrim, constantly communicating with his defence, providing excellent kick-outs and pulling off two cracking saves, the second from the impressive Mark Hurley.
When Conor Lambert was picked out by a sweet Diarmuid Whelan ball and fired home to the back of the AGB net, you wondered when this nightmare was going to end for the AGB men.
But their reaction should stand to them as the season progresses. There was no throwing in the towel, no surrender, and they were rewarded with a point from the busy Fenn Wolohan and a fine goal from Conor Gahan.
The relentless work of Joe McGuckian provided Dean Newsome with the opportunity to bag Aughrim’s fifth goal of the evening, and the half-forward took it with aplomb.
And then Pamela Prendergast sounded those three shrill blasts to end the game. The Aughrim players wanted more, and they wanted it badly. They were mad for action.
After a shaky start to the league while they were without their county hurlers and footballers, this win moves Aughrim into third place in the SFL Division 3 table, one point behind Ballinacor who have a game in hand and three behind league leaders Rathnew, both of whom meet later today (Saturday).
There’s a long road ahead, and Kevin Morris would be the last to say that his side are fully ready for what’s to come later this year, but it’s safe to say that they’re most certainly heading in the right direction.
Aughrim: Robert Lambert; Sam Healy, Tom Murphy, Finn Byrne; Kian Keogh, Sean Campbell, James Woolmington; Michael Brennan, Oisin Keegan; Dean Newsome (1-1), Conor Phelan (1-2, 1f), Conor Lambert (1-1); Conaill O’Brien (1-6, 2f, 1m), Alex Kavanagh (0-7, 1f, 1m), Joe McGuckian (1-2). Subs: Hugh Gunning for F Byrne, Diarmuid Whelan for J Woolmington, Ian Clancy for M Brennan, Dylan Byrne for O Keegan.
AGB: Adam O’Leary; Corey Mills, Tadhg O’Callaghan, Cian McBride; Tomas O’Reilly, Conor Gahan (1-0), Sean McCarthy; Mark Hurley, Ros McBride; Kyle Kelly, Mark Fitzgerald, Paul Moore; Darragh Culleton, (0-3, 2f) Fenn Wolohan (0-1, f), Philip Gleeson (0-1, f). Subs: Joe McGeary for S McCarthy, Shane Donohoe for R McBride, Kyle Mills for C McBride, Garreth Kenny for D Culleton, Mossy O’Reilly for D O’Leary.
Referee: Pamela Prendergast (Kilmacanogue)
