1. Castlehaven display stunning resolve
On a day packed with drama, one statistic stood out afterwards in the Gaelic Grounds – Castlehaven were never ahead on the scoreboard in normal time or in extra-time. In that context it was an extraordinary outcome that they repeatedly dug themselves out of holes. Brian Hurley rescued them with a point at the end of normal time, Cathal Maguire rescued them with two points at the end of extra-time, and then Damien Cahalane stepped up with his heroics in the penalty shootout.
That stunning resolve propelled them into the winners’ enclosure. It’s something that has been evident all season. Castlehaven’s last four games en route to claiming the Cork senior title were won by an aggregate of nine points. Their Munster opener against Cratloe required extra-time before they squeezed through to the last four. Castlehaven’s grit has been instrumental in prolonging their season and now an All-Ireland semi-final awaits against St Brigid’s.
2. Dingle left with regrets
The flipside to Castlehaven’s elation at victory, was the misery Dingle experienced amidst the pounding rain and December gloom in the Gaelic Grounds. There is no palatable way to suffer Munster final defeat but this one generated plenty heartbreak. Conor Geaney appeared to have provided the inspiration to create and convert the winner in normal time. Paul Geaney looked to have applied a critical scoring touch at the start of extra-time. Gavin Curran stood up to pull off a couple of brilliant saves in the shootout.
But none of those winning positions could be capitalised upon. Dylan Geaney, Tom O’Sullivan and Mikey Geaney, who had earlier scored, were thwarted in their penalty attempts. Long before that Dingle were left to rue the fact they could not retain possession in those frantic passages of play to close out the game. This will be a hard defeat to stomach.
3. Glen deliver as great champions
In the Ulster club football bearpit, it is difficult to construct a dynasty, but for those that do, their achievements are elevated. Crossmaglen Rangers are the standard-bearers with 11 titles between 1996 and 2015, while there are impressive modern achievements in Slaughtneil’s three wins (2014-17) and Kilcoo’s two (2019-21). Now Watty Grahams Glen can stand justifiably in that company as back-to-back Ulster senior champions.
They timed their charge yesterday in Armagh, trailing by three points early in the second half, before producing a powerful third-quarter phase. Eunan Mulholland was terrific, notching three points, and Glen held their nerve to prevail. Their reward? The renewal of acquaintances with Kilmacud Crokes, their conquerors last January in a game that sparked a blaze of post-match debates over the amount of players the Dublin champions had on the field. Round two is on the way in January.
4. Scotstown hit with sinking feeling
In Ulster football circles, Scotstown are a celebrated club. They are joint third on the roll of honour with four titles, alongside Derry’s Bellaghy, having reigned during the 1979-89 period. The desire of their current group to emulate their illustrious predecessors has been clear, but defeat was their lot to absorb once more at the Athletic Grounds yesterday.
The 2023 defeat by two points, joins the reversals in the 2015 and 2018 finals, both of those after extra-time. With eight of the last 11 Monaghan title wins, Scotstown have been a beacon of success and consistency, but taking that next step continues to elude them.
5. Marc Ó Sé and John Evans back on All-Ireland trail
Two decades ago Marc Ó Sé was the defensive cornerstone of his native An Ghaeltacht as they claimed the Munster senior title, they moved on to the national stage where their ambitions were denied at the final stage by Caltra, powered by the Meehan family. Go back further to 1996 and John Evans was central to All-Ireland senior club final day, steering his local Laune Rangers team to honours.
Now they are back on the All-Ireland club trail and looking forward to semi-final assignments in January. Ó Sé is coaching Listowel Emmets, crowned Munster junior champions on Saturday at the expense of Cork’s Kilmurry. Over the county border, Evans is guiding Cill na Martra, the Munster intermediate kingpins victorious in impressive fashion yesterday against Limerick’s Mungret. Semi-final ties now await against Connacht opponents.
