Fr. Caseys - County League Champions

Fr. Caseys 2-13, St. Patricks 1-07

Fr. Caseys are the county senior league champions for the third consecutive year after they defeated St. Patricks with a highly entertaining and confident performance in Croagh. Fr. Caseys hit the ground running, taking an early lead that they would never relinquish and despite a gallant challenge from St. Patricks, nobody was going to prevent Fr. Caseys from retaining the county league crown.

Playing with the aid of the strong breeze, Fr. Caseys needed a bright start and after just two minutes they had the white flag raised thanks to Padraig McEnery. Moments later Padraig was on the score sheet again, beating his marker to a long ball and fisting it past the onrushing keeper to the back of the net. Fr. Caseys were definitely up for the game and our forwards looked dangerous in every attack. Kevin O’Connor and Eamon Flaherty once more were dominating midfield and our defence were eliminating any potential attacks from St. Patricks. Five consecutive points from play, thanks to Derry O’Connor, James Riordan, Billy Quirke, Robert Browne and Padriag McEnery placed Fr. Caseys into a very comfortable nine point lead. With ten minutes left in the half St. Patricks had a mountain to climb but then in a five minute spell they rattled Fr. Caseys. First they muscled their way through the Fr. Caseys defence and rattled the net and this was soon following with two points, one from play, the other from a free kick. After dominating most of the half, Fr. Caseys now had a challenge on their hands. Into the last five minutes of the half and up stepped Derry O’Connor and Padriag McEnery to kick two excellent points to restore order. The half time score was Fr. Caseys 1-08, St. Patrick’s 1-02.

Playing into the strong breeze, Fr. Caseys knew they faced a difficult second half against a St. Patricks team that were never going to lie down. Two early St. Patricks points reduced the deficit to four and the threat of a comeback was very much alive. Derry O’Connor once more rose to the challenge and kicked a wonderful point. Moments later Robert Browne pointed from a free to restore the six point cushion. A pointed free from St. Patricks kept their hopes alive but great points from David Ward and Eamon Flaherty midway through the half stretched the Fr. Caseys lead to seven. With ten minutes left, it looked like a goal was the only saviour for St. Patricks but instead it was Fr. Caseys and Derry O’Connor who rattled the net with an opportunistic chip from 30 yards. Leading by ten points the contest was now over. St. Patricks continued to battle and kicked two further points but the final score of the night was to be James Riordans as he capped off a great night for the fealesiders as they ran out victors with nine points to spare. The final score was Fr. Caseys 2-13, St. Patricks 1-07.

Padraig McEnery gladly accepted the cup from Sean McAuliffe before thanking St. Patricks for a sporting game and the Fr. Caseys management team of Tom ‘Buggy’ Fitzgerald, Seamus McNamara and John Lenihan for their hard work this season. Congratulations to everyone involved in the team for a fantastic performance and a well-deserved victory. Hopefully this is just the start of the silverware for 2011.

Team: Sean Scannell, Maurice O’Connor, Conor McCarthy, Seamus Lenihan, Eoin McEnery, Joe Kelliher, Timmy Gleeson, Eamon Flaherty, Kevin O’Connor, Robert Browne, Derry O’Connor, Tomas Collins, Billy Quirke, Padraig McEnery, Jame Riordan; David Ward, Donagh Kelly, Tomas Cahill, Shane O’Connor