Kevin Egan reports from King & Moffatt Dr Hyde Park
ALL FOUR PROVINCIAL club champions from 2024 have already bitten the dust but there are no shortage of heavyweight clubs still in contention for AIB All-Ireland club honours, and St Brigid’s will be up near the top of that list after they produced a polished all-round performance to overcome Pádraig Pearses in this afternoon’s Roscommon SFC final replay.
The 2023 All-Ireland finalists looked sharp and slick going forward, registering 17 flags in 60 minutes on a November afternoon, though they did lean heavily on man of the match Conor Carroll in goal to keep them ahead of their South Roscommon neighbours.
Carroll, who transferred into the club this summer, made three outstanding saves at various stages and had another excellent day from the kicking tee, giving his side a solid platform from which they could play their trademark brand of open, expansive football.
They were at their best in the first half when they played into the tricky diagonal breeze and took an 0-10 to 1-5 half-time lead, with nine of their 10 points coming from high percentage shots, struck from within 25 metres of the Pádraig Pearses goal.
Senan Kilbride was a surprise inclusion in the panel for the drawn game six days ago and the 40-year-old veteran raised even more eyebrows when he was named in the starting team for today’s game. He chipped in with an early point as St Brigid’s settled in well, before being rocked on their heels by a superb Seán Canning goal.
Canning, who buried his grandfather Seán and the father of team manager Frank Canning during the week, was a constant threat when he got the chance to break lines and he also earned another free that was taken quickly by Hubert Darcy to set up Eoin Colleran.
Carroll made a brilliant save to deny Colleran’s palmed effort from the edge of the small square and turn it out for a 45, which Conor Ryan duly converted.
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The goalkeeper’s next big play was to deny Hubert Darcy’s attempt from 12 metres out and that proved to be a pivotal swing moment as instead of going 2-4 to 0-5 behind, St Brigid’s kicked the next five points to take control of the game.
Bobby Nugent was in great form up front, kicking two from play and three frees, while Eddie Nolan was also vital to that dominance with some big plays at midfield.
Conor Carroll (file photo). Tom Maher / INPHO
Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO
Pearses were thrown a lifeline when Conor Hand was shown a black card in the 36th minute but they struggled to take advantage and only had one Hubert Darcy point on the board by the time Hand came back on the field. Declan Kenny and Conor Ryan worked hard in the middle but they lacked mobility and incisiveness close to goal, and instead started to lean heavily on kicks from distance.
Ryan scored with two frees from outside the arc and two more long balls turned into goal chances, but Colleran also failed to beat Carroll while a brave block from Ruairí Smith repelled Hubert Darcy’s close-range attempt.
The 2024 champions were effectively done for when Paul Whelan parried Bobby Nugent’s shot and Brian Derwin scrambled the ball to the Pearses net with seven minutes of normal time remaining, setting St Brigid’s on course for a Connacht championship where they will be hotly fancied to go on a run, starting with a semi-final clash with the winners of next Saturday night’s game between Ballina Stephenites and North London Shamrocks.
In Tipperary, Clonmel Commercials booked their place in a seventh straight senior football final with a 1-9 to 0-8 win against Upperchurch-Drombane in Cashel.
Commercials, beaten finalists against Loughmore-Castleiney in last year’s decider, will play Kilsheelan-Kilcash in next week’s final.
Meanwhile, in Limerick, defending champions Adare were stunned by Mungret 0-17 to 1-13.
Mungret will play Newcastle West after they ran out comfortable 2-16 to 0-14 winners against Fr Casey’s in Saturday’s second semi-final.
Scorers for St Brigid’s: Ben O’Carroll 0-5 (3 frees), Bobby Nugent 0-5 (3 frees), Brian Derwin 1-1, Conor Hand 0-2, Senan Kilbride 0-1, Ciarán Sugrue 0-1, Paul McGrath 0-1.
Scorers for Pádraig Pearses: Conor Ryan 0-5 (1 2pt free, 1 45), Seán Canning 1-0, Paul Carey 0-2, Eoin Colleran 0-2, Jack Tumulty 0-1, Hubert Darcy 0-1, Ronan Daly 0-1.
St Brigid’s: Conor Carroll; Ruairí Smith, Seán Trundle, Robbie Dolan; Ruaidhrí Fallon, Brian Stack, Paul McGrath; Shane Cunnane, Eddie Nolan; Conor Hand, Ciarán Sugrue, Bobby Nugent; Ben O’Carroll, Senan Kilbride, Brian Derwin.
Subs: Ronan Stack for Dolan (49), Eoghan Derwin for Kilbride (51), Mark Daly for Smith (55), Charlie O’Carroll for Nugent (60).
Pádraig Pearses: Paul Whelan; Conor Lohan, Caelim Keogh, Mark Richardson; Conor Harley, David Murray, Adam McGreal; Conor Ryan, Declan Kenny; Ronan Daly, Seán Canning, Jack Tumulty; Hubert Darcy, Paul Carey, Eoin Colleran.
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2023 All-Ireland finalists St Brigid's dethrone Pádraig Pearses in Roscommon replay
Pádraig Pearses 1-12 (1-2-8)
St Brigid’s 1-16 (1-0-16)
Kevin Egan reports from King & Moffatt Dr Hyde Park
ALL FOUR PROVINCIAL club champions from 2024 have already bitten the dust but there are no shortage of heavyweight clubs still in contention for AIB All-Ireland club honours, and St Brigid’s will be up near the top of that list after they produced a polished all-round performance to overcome Pádraig Pearses in this afternoon’s Roscommon SFC final replay.
The 2023 All-Ireland finalists looked sharp and slick going forward, registering 17 flags in 60 minutes on a November afternoon, though they did lean heavily on man of the match Conor Carroll in goal to keep them ahead of their South Roscommon neighbours.
Carroll, who transferred into the club this summer, made three outstanding saves at various stages and had another excellent day from the kicking tee, giving his side a solid platform from which they could play their trademark brand of open, expansive football.
They were at their best in the first half when they played into the tricky diagonal breeze and took an 0-10 to 1-5 half-time lead, with nine of their 10 points coming from high percentage shots, struck from within 25 metres of the Pádraig Pearses goal.
Senan Kilbride was a surprise inclusion in the panel for the drawn game six days ago and the 40-year-old veteran raised even more eyebrows when he was named in the starting team for today’s game. He chipped in with an early point as St Brigid’s settled in well, before being rocked on their heels by a superb Seán Canning goal.
Canning, who buried his grandfather Seán and the father of team manager Frank Canning during the week, was a constant threat when he got the chance to break lines and he also earned another free that was taken quickly by Hubert Darcy to set up Eoin Colleran.
Carroll made a brilliant save to deny Colleran’s palmed effort from the edge of the small square and turn it out for a 45, which Conor Ryan duly converted.
The goalkeeper’s next big play was to deny Hubert Darcy’s attempt from 12 metres out and that proved to be a pivotal swing moment as instead of going 2-4 to 0-5 behind, St Brigid’s kicked the next five points to take control of the game.
Bobby Nugent was in great form up front, kicking two from play and three frees, while Eddie Nolan was also vital to that dominance with some big plays at midfield.
Pearses were thrown a lifeline when Conor Hand was shown a black card in the 36th minute but they struggled to take advantage and only had one Hubert Darcy point on the board by the time Hand came back on the field. Declan Kenny and Conor Ryan worked hard in the middle but they lacked mobility and incisiveness close to goal, and instead started to lean heavily on kicks from distance.
Ryan scored with two frees from outside the arc and two more long balls turned into goal chances, but Colleran also failed to beat Carroll while a brave block from Ruairí Smith repelled Hubert Darcy’s close-range attempt.
The 2024 champions were effectively done for when Paul Whelan parried Bobby Nugent’s shot and Brian Derwin scrambled the ball to the Pearses net with seven minutes of normal time remaining, setting St Brigid’s on course for a Connacht championship where they will be hotly fancied to go on a run, starting with a semi-final clash with the winners of next Saturday night’s game between Ballina Stephenites and North London Shamrocks.
In Tipperary, Clonmel Commercials booked their place in a seventh straight senior football final with a 1-9 to 0-8 win against Upperchurch-Drombane in Cashel.
Commercials, beaten finalists against Loughmore-Castleiney in last year’s decider, will play Kilsheelan-Kilcash in next week’s final.
Meanwhile, in Limerick, defending champions Adare were stunned by Mungret 0-17 to 1-13.
Mungret will play Newcastle West after they ran out comfortable 2-16 to 0-14 winners against Fr Casey’s in Saturday’s second semi-final.
Scorers for St Brigid’s: Ben O’Carroll 0-5 (3 frees), Bobby Nugent 0-5 (3 frees), Brian Derwin 1-1, Conor Hand 0-2, Senan Kilbride 0-1, Ciarán Sugrue 0-1, Paul McGrath 0-1.
Scorers for Pádraig Pearses: Conor Ryan 0-5 (1 2pt free, 1 45), Seán Canning 1-0, Paul Carey 0-2, Eoin Colleran 0-2, Jack Tumulty 0-1, Hubert Darcy 0-1, Ronan Daly 0-1.
St Brigid’s: Conor Carroll; Ruairí Smith, Seán Trundle, Robbie Dolan; Ruaidhrí Fallon, Brian Stack, Paul McGrath; Shane Cunnane, Eddie Nolan; Conor Hand, Ciarán Sugrue, Bobby Nugent; Ben O’Carroll, Senan Kilbride, Brian Derwin.
Subs: Ronan Stack for Dolan (49), Eoghan Derwin for Kilbride (51), Mark Daly for Smith (55), Charlie O’Carroll for Nugent (60).
Pádraig Pearses: Paul Whelan; Conor Lohan, Caelim Keogh, Mark Richardson; Conor Harley, David Murray, Adam McGreal; Conor Ryan, Declan Kenny; Ronan Daly, Seán Canning, Jack Tumulty; Hubert Darcy, Paul Carey, Eoin Colleran.
Subs: Jack Nevin for Harley (48).
Referee: Paddy Neilan (St. Faithleach’s).
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Match Report Padraig Pearses Roscommon SFC St. Brigid's