Aodán Breathnach carrying the ball for An Ghaeltacht. James Lawlor/INPHO

An Ghaeltacht complete perfect day for Kerry clubs with All-Ireland intermediate honours

An Ghaeltacht defeated Derry side Glenullin after Ballymaceligott won the junior decider earlier today.

An Ghaeltacht (Kerry) 0-12
Glenullin (Derry) 0-6

Paul Keane reports from Croke Park

A PERFECT DAY for Kerry club teams at Croke Park, a step closer to the Kingdom clean sweep.

Like Ballymacelligott in the earlier junior decider, An Ghaeltacht surged to All-Ireland success, punishing a surprisingly conservative Glenullin to take the intermediate title.

Ruaidhri O Beaglaoich, brother of Kerry senior star Brian, who lined out in defence, led the scoring with six points.

But it was more about An Ghaeltacht’s patience and ability to keep hold of possession for long spells that won them this game.

Glenullin put five goals on the board in the semi-final but sat deep for most of this game, lived off scraps and only scored one point in the first 51 minutes.

Boss Michael O’Kane said they’d planned to hold An Ghaeltacht to less than 15 points, which they managed, but he said it was their attack that malfunctioned and acknowledged they will leave with plenty of regrets.

Glenullin set their defensive shape early on, getting everyone back to protect the scoring zone and attempting to hit An Ghaeltacht on the break.

It didn’t pan out as they had hoped and the game plan made for long stretches of the first-half where An Ghaeltacht played keep ball just outside the Glenullin defensive screen.

Glenullin needed to be careful not to give away any sloppy frees but coughed up two that Ruaidhri O Beaglaoich converted.

One of those was a long-range two-point free and O Beaglaoich converted a third score from another free late in the half following Glenullin’s failure to keep four defensive players back.

O Beaglaoich added two more points from play in front of a crowd of 6,870.

At the other end, Glenullin also needed to be ultra efficient given the limited scoring opportunities that were coming their way.

But veteran Eoin Bradley’s early wide was a taster of things to come.

They finished the half with two wides, two score attempts that dropped short and just one point registered, from Chrissy Dempsey in the eighth minute.

Glenullin’s vocal crowd roared them on from the Hogan Stand but it was An Ghaeltacht that largely dictated the terms of a one-sided first-half, taking a 0-9 to 0-1 lead into the interval.

Glenullin needed a powerful second-half, the sort summoned by Ballymacelligott in the earlier junior decider.

But neither team scored for almost the first 20 minutes of the second-half – which suited An Ghaeltacht just fine.

Glenullin did get it going in the final quarter hour or so, outscoring their opponents by 0-5 to 0-2 in this period but it wasn’t near enough.

And An Ghaeltacht knew they had one hand on the cup when Cathal O Beaglaoich swung over a 56th minute two-pointer to leave nine points between them at that stage.

An Ghaeltacht scorers: Ruaidhri O Beaglaoich 0-6 (1 tpf, 0-2f), Cathal O Beaglaoich 0-2 (tp), Sean O Cuinn 0-1, Conor O Corrduibh 0-1, Eanna O Conchuir 0-1, Sean O Gairbhi 0-1.

Glenullin scorers: Conor Rafferty 0-2, Neil McNicholl 0-2 (0-2f), Chrissy Dempsey 0-1, Fearghal Close 0-1.

AN GHAELTACHT

1. Sean O Luing

2. Cian O Murchu
7. Adam MacAmhlaoibh
4. JJ MacLiam

5. Padraig O Se
17. Brian O Beaglaoich
6. Aodhna O Beaglaoich

8. Aodan Breathnach
18. Cathal O Beaglaoich

9. Sean O Cuinn
11. Ruaidhri O Beaglaoich
12. PJ MacLaimh

20. Conor O Corrduibh
14. Eanna O Conchuir
15. Sean O Gairbhi

SUBS

13. Tomas O Se for O Gairbhi (54)
10. Gavin O Cinneide for O Cuinn (55)
21. Conn O Riagain for O Corrduibh (62)

GLENULLIN

1. Niall O’Kane

2. Eunan Boylan
3. Daniel O’Kane (Captain)
4. Eunan O’Kane

5. Conor Rafferty
6. John O’Kane
7. Diarmuid McNicholl

8. Traglach Bradley (Captain)
9. Neil McNicholl

10. Cathal Hasson
11. Chrissy Dempsey
12. Cillian Bradley

13. Conrad Mullen
14. Eoin Bradley
15. Ryan McNicholl

SUBS

18. Willie John Bradley for Hasson (41)
20. Fearghal Close for Mullan (44)
22. Cormac Hasson for Diarmuid McNicholl (49)
27. Joe McNicholl for Ryan McNicholl (49)
28. Dermot O’Kane for Dempsey (55)

Referee: Fergal Kelly (Longford).

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