THE DONEGAL FINAL must go to a second replay, there were champions crowned in Clare, Kildare and Limerick, the Tipperary finalists were revealed and the Leinster senior football club championship began with three first round ties in a hectic day of club football action.
Results
Clare SFC final replay
- St Joseph’s Miltown-Malbay 0-12 Kilmurry-Ibrickane 0-8
Donegal SFC final replay
- Gaoth Dobhair 0-14 Naomh Conaill 1-11
Kildare SFC final replay
- Sarsfields 2-15 Moorefield 2-9
Leinster SFC club first round
- St Patrick’s (Wicklow) 1-14 Ferbane (Offaly) 2-9
- Garrycastle (Westmeath) 0-15 Killoe Emmet Óg (Longford) 0-6
- Éire Óg (Carlow) 4-6 Castletown (Wexford) 1-10
Limerick SFC final
- Newcastlewest 1-11 Oola 0-8
Tipperary SFC semi-finals
- Clonmel Commercials 1-17 Loughmore-Castleiney 1-15
- JK Brackens 2-11 Moyle Rovers 1-13
There was huge drama in Donegal as Gaoth Dobhair and Naomh Conaill could not be separated again in the county final replay as it finished 0-14 to 1-11. Naomh Conaill struck early for the only goal of the game courtesy of a penalty from Charles McGuinness but Gaoth Dobhair were ahead 0-6 to 1-2 at the interval.
The teams were tied 0-9 to 1-6 after full-time before extra-time also failed to produce a winner. A second replay of the final is now fixed for Wednesday night as the Donegal champions must take on Cavan’s Castlerahan again next Sunday afternoon.
In Clare, St Joseph’s Miltown Malbay retained their title with a four-point success over near neighbours Kilmurry-Ibrickane. It marked a third crown in five seasons for last year’s Munster finalists. The teams were level at 0-5 apiece at the break, 0-8 apiece approaching full-time before St Joseph’s reeled off four late scores without reply to triumph and they will face Waterford’s Rathgormack on 10 November in the Munster quarter-final.
In Kildare Moorefield’s three-in-a-row dream was ended by Newbridge neighbours Sarsfields after they triumphed 2-15 to 2-9. Sarsfields, who last won it in 2016, had goals from Cian Costigan and Shane Doyle as they ran out victors by six points with newly-appointed Wicklow boss Davy Burke at the helm of the club side.
Newcastlewest, defeated finalists in 2017 and champions in 2015, were crowned senior football winners again in Limerick after they saw off Oola by 1-11 to 0-8. Cork’s Nemo Rangers are next up in the Munster quarter-final.
In Tipperary there will be new champions this year after JK Brackens qualified for their first ever final as they saw off 2018 title holders Moyle Rovers by 2-11 to 1-13 while Clonmel Commercials needed extra-time before seeing off Loughmore-Castleiney.
And in Leinster there were wins for Wicklow’s St Patrick’s, Westmeath’s Garrycastle and Carlow’s Éire Óg in the first round ties. St Patrick’s will now face Portlaoise at the quarter-final stage with Garrycastle going up against Ratoath and Éire Óg will play Sarsfields.
On the latest episode of The42 Rugby Weekly, Andy Dunne tells Murray Kinsella and Gavan Casey about where it all went wrong for Joe Schmidt’s Ireland
