Maynooth University withstand strong St Mary's second half to reach Sigerson Cup quarter-finals

SIGERSON CUP ROUND 2B

MAYNOOTH UNIVERSITY 2-9 ST MARY’S UNIVERSITY 1-7 

Maynooth University had to overcome a second half scare against fourteen man St Mary’s University from Belfast before securing their place in the last eight of the Electric Ireland Sigerson Cup on their home patch on Wednesday night.

A disciplined and clinical first half saw Maynooth lead by seven points at the interval (1-7 to 0-3) and with the Ulster college a man down thanks to a straight red card for Seán O’Donnell, they might have expected a comfortable second half.

But St Mary’s roused themselves at the break. Their defence got to grips with the previously fluent Maynooth forward line and they gradually edged back into the game.

A penalty awarded a minute from full time was despatched by Niall McKenna and all of a sudden Maynooth were biting their nails with only a one-point advantage (1-8 to 0-7).

However, Kildare’s Paddy McDermott won a crucial free on the ‘Ranch’ 45 metre line from the kickout and star forward Eoghan Frayne, newly named as Meath’s senior captain for 2025, split the posts with his fifth point of a fine performance.

There was a final flourish from the home side when Kildare men Rian Teahan and James Harris combined for the latter to cap an excellent display with the clinching goal in injury time.

St Mary’s had opened the scoring with a free from McKenna and looked like a typically strong Ulster outfit in the early minutes, but Maynooth settled and a sixth minute goal, well finished by Kerry’s Luke Crowley from a Frayne pass, gave them breathing space.

Frayne floated over a point from play and Harry Plunkett added to that with an excellent long-range effort before O’Donnell self-destructed in an off-the-ball incident with Brian O’Halloran and was sent to the line by referee Alan Coyne.

Maynooth hit four points in a row to punish that transgression. Corner back Daniel Scahill finished off a pass from Harris, Frayne converted from a free, Conor Gray hit the point of the day from 40 metres out and McDermott took his point where some might have gone for goal to stretch the lead to 1-6 to 0-1.

McKenna, who had a difficult day with his shooting, popped over a 13 metre free and Niall Burns angled over St Mary’s first point from play in the run up to half-time but Frayne’s free left them seven clear at the break.

Burns opened the second half scoring and after Seán Rock swung over a difficult free from the right wing, numbers were evened up for ten minutes at least when Conor Duke was black carded by Coyne.

Dara Mooney made it 1-7 to 0-6 with a good turn and point before Frayne ended 22 minutes without a Maynooth score with their first of the half.

The classy Rock brought it back to a four-point game and in the last minute Callum Walsh’s low drive for goal was blocked but Coyne must have seen a foot block as he awarded a penalty which McKenna buried to Eoin Sheehan’s right.

Maynooth, though, rode it out with those two late scores from Frayne and Harris to advance to the quarter finals.

MAYNOOTH UNIVERSITY: Eoin Sheehan (Kildare); Daniel Scahill (Westmeath) 0-1, Thomas McPhillips (Monaghan), Brian O’Halloran (Meath); Seán O’Hare (Meath), Tom Moran (Wicklow), James Harris (Kildare) 1-0; Conor Gray (Meath) 0-1, Conor Duke (Meath); Paddy McDermott (Kildare) 0-1, Eoghan Frayne (Meath) 0-5 (3fs), Seán Emmanuel (Meath); Luke Crowley (Kerry) 1-0, Harry Plunkett (Offaly) 0-1, Kieran McArdle (Louth). Subs: Ryan Burke (Kildare) for Moran 42, Geordi O’Meara (Offaly) for Crowley 45, Rian Teahan (Kildare) for Emmanuel 54.

ST MARY’s: Shea Magill (Armagh); James Donnelly (Derry), Finn Murdock (Down), Macdarragh Hynes (Down); Daniel Haigney (Tyrone), Declan Loye (Armagh), Seán Quigley (Armagh); Darragh Treanor (Monaghan), Fergal O’Brien (Armagh); Dara Mooney (Derry) 0-1, Seán Rock (Down) 0-2 (1f), Niall Burns (Antrim) 0-2; Callum Lagan (Derry), Niall McKenna (Monaghan) 1-2 (1-0 pen, 0-2 fs), Seán O’Donnell (Tyrone). Subs: Caolán Reavey (Armagh) for Haigney 38, Callum Walsh (Antrim) for Lagan 49, Lagan for Hynes 58.

REF: Alan Coyne (Westmeath).