AFTER THE HIGH of their first-ever Tyrone senior championship, the crushing realities of Ulster club football came down upon Loughmacrory.
Kilcoo’s experience, their higher tempo and an aggression level that had the needle in the red paid off with a commanding win in the Ulster quarter final that they won by five points.
Perhaps the tone was set in the warm up. At the same time as Loughmacrory were going through their own limbering up, which looked pedestrian, Kilcoo were under the Healy Park stand pairing off with team mates and wrestling each other to the turf.
It looked almost designed to intimidate. Maybe that’s fanciful. But pretty much all of what Kilcoo did was at a higher level of purpose and accuracy.
The air just gets thinner in the Ulster club and it adds another example to those that argue that while the Tyrone championship is undoubtedly savage craic, it is puzzling that only Errigal Ciaran make much progress in the province.
The half-time score of Kilcoo 0-7 Loughmacrory 0-5 told only some of the story.
Kilcoo physically bullied the Tyrone champions. Before the ball was thrown in, Eoin McElholm shook the hand of his marker, Kilcoo captain Darryl Branagan and was met with a punch to the stomach.
Soon after, it transpired that Aaron Branagan would be marking one of the hottest properties in the country and he indulged in plenty of off-the-ball wrestling.
When he went off after 13 minutes to be replaced by Jack Devlin, a third Branagan, this time Niall, went on McElholm and proceeded to hold him off the ball, and bring him down to the ground in a couple of wrestling manoeuvres that referee Martin McNally and his assistants failed to see.
How you view such incidents is all a matter of taste. On a dark night in November, this is the reality of Ulster club football and Loughmacrory found it, and the aggressive Kilcoo press from their kickout, somewhat startling.
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Anthony Morgan retains control. Lorcan Doherty / INPHO
Lorcan Doherty / INPHO / INPHO
Anthony Morgan opened the scoring from the first play and while Pauraic Meenagh soon landed a two pointer, Kilcoo stretched things out to a 0-6 to 0-3 lead.
They were also guilty of some poor finishing however, with five first half wides. Their other scores came from Darryl Branagan, Ryan and Shealan Johnston with two Paul Devlin frees.
Loughmacrory answered with frees from Meenagh and Ruairi McCullagh, and one from play from Cathaoir Gallagher to make the second half a live prospect.
And it looked interesting when points from McElholm, Cathaoir Gallagher and a Meenagh brought the margin to two points.
But from the time when a Loughmacrory kickout went over the sideline midway through the second half and was converted into a two point shot from Shealan Johnston, it felt over.
The Magpies now play Fermanagh representatives Erne Gaels in the Ulster semi-final.
After going back to back in their own county, Erne Gaels, under the management of incoming Fermanagh manager Declan Bonner, jumped into an impressive lead against the Cavan champions Kingscourt, goals coming from Odhran Johnston, Ultan Kelm and Jack McCann in a glorious first half, before being reeled back in during an exciting second half.
However, they had too much in the two periods of extra-time, running out 3-15 to 1-16 winners.
In the Connacht championship, Mayo representatives Ballina found the going tough against London champions, North London Shamrocks, managed by former Donegal player, Peter Witherow.
With ten minutes of normal time remaining, the score was level, before three two-point kicks found their range in three minutes to edge them home on a score of 1-15 to 0-10
Scorers for Kilcoo: Paul Devlin 0-5 (2 frees, 1x 2point), Shealan Johnston 0-3 (1 x 2point), Miceál Rooney, Darryl Branagan, Anthony Morgan, Ceilum Doherty, Ryan Johnston, Sean Óg McCusker 0-1 each.
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Kilcoo kill off the Loughmacrory romance story with mature and physical display
Kilcoo 0-16
Loughmacrory 0-11
AFTER THE HIGH of their first-ever Tyrone senior championship, the crushing realities of Ulster club football came down upon Loughmacrory.
Kilcoo’s experience, their higher tempo and an aggression level that had the needle in the red paid off with a commanding win in the Ulster quarter final that they won by five points.
Perhaps the tone was set in the warm up. At the same time as Loughmacrory were going through their own limbering up, which looked pedestrian, Kilcoo were under the Healy Park stand pairing off with team mates and wrestling each other to the turf.
It looked almost designed to intimidate. Maybe that’s fanciful. But pretty much all of what Kilcoo did was at a higher level of purpose and accuracy.
The air just gets thinner in the Ulster club and it adds another example to those that argue that while the Tyrone championship is undoubtedly savage craic, it is puzzling that only Errigal Ciaran make much progress in the province.
The half-time score of Kilcoo 0-7 Loughmacrory 0-5 told only some of the story.
Kilcoo physically bullied the Tyrone champions. Before the ball was thrown in, Eoin McElholm shook the hand of his marker, Kilcoo captain Darryl Branagan and was met with a punch to the stomach.
Soon after, it transpired that Aaron Branagan would be marking one of the hottest properties in the country and he indulged in plenty of off-the-ball wrestling.
When he went off after 13 minutes to be replaced by Jack Devlin, a third Branagan, this time Niall, went on McElholm and proceeded to hold him off the ball, and bring him down to the ground in a couple of wrestling manoeuvres that referee Martin McNally and his assistants failed to see.
How you view such incidents is all a matter of taste. On a dark night in November, this is the reality of Ulster club football and Loughmacrory found it, and the aggressive Kilcoo press from their kickout, somewhat startling.
Anthony Morgan opened the scoring from the first play and while Pauraic Meenagh soon landed a two pointer, Kilcoo stretched things out to a 0-6 to 0-3 lead.
They were also guilty of some poor finishing however, with five first half wides. Their other scores came from Darryl Branagan, Ryan and Shealan Johnston with two Paul Devlin frees.
Loughmacrory answered with frees from Meenagh and Ruairi McCullagh, and one from play from Cathaoir Gallagher to make the second half a live prospect.
And it looked interesting when points from McElholm, Cathaoir Gallagher and a Meenagh brought the margin to two points.
But from the time when a Loughmacrory kickout went over the sideline midway through the second half and was converted into a two point shot from Shealan Johnston, it felt over.
The Magpies now play Fermanagh representatives Erne Gaels in the Ulster semi-final.
After going back to back in their own county, Erne Gaels, under the management of incoming Fermanagh manager Declan Bonner, jumped into an impressive lead against the Cavan champions Kingscourt, goals coming from Odhran Johnston, Ultan Kelm and Jack McCann in a glorious first half, before being reeled back in during an exciting second half.
However, they had too much in the two periods of extra-time, running out 3-15 to 1-16 winners.
In the Connacht championship, Mayo representatives Ballina found the going tough against London champions, North London Shamrocks, managed by former Donegal player, Peter Witherow.
With ten minutes of normal time remaining, the score was level, before three two-point kicks found their range in three minutes to edge them home on a score of 1-15 to 0-10
Scorers for Kilcoo: Paul Devlin 0-5 (2 frees, 1x 2point), Shealan Johnston 0-3 (1 x 2point), Miceál Rooney, Darryl Branagan, Anthony Morgan, Ceilum Doherty, Ryan Johnston, Sean Óg McCusker 0-1 each.
Scorers for Loughmacrory: Pauraic Meenagh 0-4 (1 x 2point, 2 frees), Cathaoir Gallagher 0-3 (1 free), Eoin McElholm 0-2, Gareth Donaghy 0-1, Ruairi McCullagh 0-1 (1 free)
Kilcoo
1. Niall Kane
2. Aaron Branagan 3. Ryan McEvoy 4. Niall Branagan
5. Miceál Rooney 6. Darryl Branagan 7. Callum Rogers
8. Aaron Morgan 9. Anthony Morgan
10. Ceilum Doherty 11. Ryan Johnston 12. Shealan Johnston
13. Paul Devlin 14. Jerome Johnston 15. Eugene Branagan
Subs:
18. Jack Devlin for Aaron Branagan (13)
20. Sean Óg McCusker for Jerome Johnston (42)
21. Barra McEvoy for Rooney (55)
Loughmacrory
1. Oisin O’Kane
2. Dara Curran 3. Nathan Kelly 4. Arnoldas Macidulskas
5. Shane Dobbs 6. Ronan Fox 7. Shea Conway
8. Aodhan Donaghy 9. Cathal Donaghy
10. Gareth Donaghy 11. Eoin McElholm 12. Cathaoir Gallagher
13. Pauraic Meenagh 14. Ruairi McCullagh 18. Michael McNamee
Subs:
17. Enda Donaghy for Fox (53)
20. Ryan Grimley for Meenagh (53)
Referee: Martin McNally (Monaghan)
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GAA Kilcoo Loughmacrory Ulster Club