Naas clinch another title
Naas celebrate after winning the Osprey Hotel & Spa Senior A Reserve Final at Manguard Park
Naas lifted the Osprey Hotel & Spa Senior A Reserve Final at Manguard Park on Friday evening after a thoroughly entertaining game.
The winning of the game came in a remarkable nine minute spell during the first half when Naas rattled off ten points in a row.
That came in response to a blistering start by Moorefield when they scored the first four points of the game.
Liam McDermott, Niall Hurley-Lynch, Sam Ryan and Ciaran Kelly all scored inside the first 11 minutes, while the closest Naas came to a score during that spell was when Drew Costello had a shot saved.
It took until the 13th minute for Sam Morrissey to open the Naas account but once they got their first, the scores quickly flowed and before Moorefield knew what had hit them they were 0-10 to 0-4 behind, with former Kildare star Eammon Callaghan scoring two of them. Before the half time break, Ciaran Kelly did pull back a point to end that run of scores before the half time break.
Ailin McDermott and Drew Costello scored for Naas either of a typically well placed effort by Moorefield’s Kelly and new life was breathed into the Newbridge team’s when Niall Hurley Lynch found the net in the 41st minute in typical fashion to leave the score at 0-12 to 1-6.
Moorefield were close to a second goal 11 minutes from time when Craig Buckley’s shot was blocked on the goalline by Ciaráin Duff and when Naas scored the next three points to move seven points clear the game looked over.
But it’s not in the Moorefield nature to give up and a spectacular goal in the 59th minute by Ian Dunne put them right back in the game and then Hurley-Lynch added a point in injury time to leave three in it.
That was encouragement Moorefield needed to throw the kitchen sink at the Naas defence and on once occasion, there did appear to be a gap open up for Danny Hanniffy but Naas defence was quick to close that down and in the end, the closest the Moorefield came to an equalising goal was an Alex Bell shot that hit the side netting, and so it ended with another trophy for the all-conquering Naas club who are so utterly dominant in so many areas of Kildare GAA at the moment.
Jack Rodgers; Brian Stynes, Elliott Byrne, Ciaráin Duff, Jamie McGuirke, Eoin Archbold, Adam Cronin; Shane Bergin, Jack Cleary 0-1; Joe Murphy, Ailin McDermott 0-3, Tom McGrane 0-1, Sam Morrissey 0-3, Drew Costello 0-5 (1f, 1’45), Eamonn Callaghan 0-3. Subs : Tom Kelly for McGrane, 39 ; Barry Kehoe for Bergin, 47 ; Lee Kennedy 0-1 for Morrissey, 52.
Ian McDonnell ; Conor Walsh, Sean Dempsey, Ciaran Shiels Conlon, Craig Buckley, Cian Moore, Michael Buckley ; Liam McDermott 0-2, Tommy McGrath ; Sam Ryan 0-1, Ciaran Kelly 0-3 (2fs), James Murray, Aaron Martin, Niall Hurley-Lynch 1-2, Danny Hanniffy. Subs : Eamonn Callaghan for Murray, h/t; Ian Dunne 1-0 for Ryan, 47; Eoin O’Connor for Shiels Conlon, 56; Alex Bell for Martin, 56; Ethan Gilroy for McDermott; 56.
Ray Kelly.
