Rice College 0-13
Naas CBS 1-7
IT CAME DOWN to the last kick of the game in Padraig Pearses GAA ground. Four minutes into injury time, Rice College’s Ray Walsh hauled down Naas CBS’s Luke Griffin as he shaped to hit a game-levelling goal in the first Hogan Cup (All-Ireland PPS A SFC) semi-final.
Walsh got him just outside the area and took the black card for his team. John Lawlor stepped up with his only option to go for goal and try to force the contest into injury time – but his low effort was blocked on the line by a mass of Rice College defenders.
The full-time whistle went within seconds and the Westport school were on their way to Croke Park for their first ever tilt at the big one in schools football.
Naas CBS had started the game in very impressive fashion going into an early lead with their forward unit of Luke Griffin (2) and Colm Joyce putting them three points to the good early on.
Rice College got back into the game with a three-point salvo of their own led by the dangerous Keith Joyce who played as a one-man full-forward line in the opening half.
The game was nip and tuck over the final ten minutes of the half until three minutes from time, Tony O’Connor broke through the heart of the Rice College defence to drive the ball home and put his side into a 1-5 to 0-5 lead.
The Mayo outfit mixed things up at the start of the second half and put Pat Lambert in on the edge of the square and he caused all kinds of problems for the Kildare side, with Rice College kicking seven unanswered points in the third quarter of the game to go into a four point lead, with Lambert kicking five of them.
Naas rallied late on to leave just a goal between the teams at full time, but it wasn’t to be for them as Rice College held to book their date in Croke Park in two weeks’ time.
Scorers for Rice College: Pat Lambert (0-5, 1f) Keith Joyce (0-3), Patrick Chambers (0-1), Cillian Heaney (0-1), Eoghan McLaughlin (0-1), Stephen Loftus (0-1, 1f), Mark Moran (0-1).
Scorers for Naas: Tony O’Connor (1-0), Luke Griffin (0-3,1f), Colm Joyce (0-2), Cathal Daly (0-1), Stephen Davis (0-1).
Rice College
1.Cian Kennedy (Westport)
2. Luke Dawson (Westport)
3. Rory Brickenden (Westport)
4. Ray Walsh (Westport)
5. Jack Carney (Kilmeena)
6. Eoghan McLaughlin (Westport)
7. Michael Brady (Westport)
17. Fintan McManamon (Burrishoole)
9. Patrick Chambers (Burrishoole)
10. Keith Joyce (Kilmeena)
11. Mark Moran (Westport)
12. Luke Tunney (Westport)
13. Stephen Loftus (Westport)
14. Pat Lambert (Westport)
15. Cillian Heaney (Westport)
Subs:
19. Conor Calvey (Westport) for Walsh (BC)
Naas CBS
1. David Morrissey (Naas)
2. Eoghan Prizeman (Naas)
3. Conall O’Gallchobair (Blessington)
4. Jack Hamill (Raheens)
5. Cathal Daly (Naas)
6. Jack Sargent (Eadestown)
7. Brian Stynes (Naas)
8. Ian Blackburne (Naas)
9. Rian Boran (Naas)
10. Barry Keohe (Naas)
11. Tony O’Connor (Two Mile House)
12. Killian Thompson (Raheens)
13. Colm Joyce (Naas)
14. Luke Griffin (Naas)
15. Darragh Kirwin (Naas)
Subs:
23. Aarron Deegan (Ballymore) for Kirwin
17. Stephen Davis (Ballymore) for Thompson
18. Liam Broderick (Ballymore) for Boran
20. Harry Carroll (Eadestown) for Kehoe
21. Murray O’Byrne (Robestown) for Daly
24. John Lawlor (Eadestown) for Carroll (BC)
Ref: Martin McNally (Monaghan)
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