Naas juggernaut shows no sign of slowing down as they claim MFC 'A' title
Naas' Rob Murray and St Laurences' Eoghan Lawlor Photo: Sean Brilly
Naas bridged a gap of five years to their last Manguard Plus Minor Football A Championship with a comfortable Final win over St Laurence’s at Manguard Park on Saturday evening.
Increasingly heavy rain showers didn’t help the quality of the game and a pedestrian enough first half failed to ignite with Naas marginally the better team, their strong running from deep creating the majority of their scoring chances.
Wing-back Aran Martin broke forward after five minutes to open their account before TJ Nolan put four St Laurence’s wides behind them to level after twelve minutes.
Naas had two goal chances in the space of a minute midway through the half. Martin’s high ball into the square was punched out before Niall McAndrew had two attempts at goal but had to settle for a ’45 which Liam O’Connor stroked over the bar.
That was followed almost immediately when Evan Lenihan set up O’Connor, but goalkeeper Dylan Morris made a fine save for the Narraghmore men.
County minor Ruaidhrí Lawlor won a free in the ‘D’ which Dylan O’Dwyer punished for Larries, but Naas added three points in a row, two from the lively corner forward Euan Cowzer and a third from an O’Connor free.
While St Laurence’s were defending well enough at one end they needed to make a dent or two on the scoreboard at the other and when Nolan was fouled, O’Dwyer again did the necessary from a free on the edge of the ‘D’ to leave them two behind (0-5 to 0-3).
There was still time for Naas to carve out another goal chance with McAndrew racing through along the end line. But his shot was pushed out off the post by Morris in the last significant action of the opening half.
When Pierce O’Dwyer narrowed the gap to the minimum six minutes into the second half, it looked like we had a real game on our hands but Naas re-asserted control with three points in a row from McAndrew, O’Connor and over-lapping wingback Liam Kenny.
A brilliant run and point from deep from James Donnelly brought St Laurence’s deficit back to three points after 43 minutes but Naas went through the gears after that with a goal and three points in six minutes putting the game to bed.
O’Connor, with another sweetly struck ’45, Lenihan and Cian McKevitt registered points before Man-of-the-Match O’Connor grabbed the game’s only goal six minutes from the end, rounding full-back Conor Clarke out the field and still having a lot to do before slotting it beneath ‘keeper Morris.
Nolan replied with a close range free before the productive Cowzer landed his third point of the day, with Pierce O’Dwyer scoring a late consolation for the defeated Narraghmore men.
Gavin Farrell; Oisín O’Neill, Matthew O’Connor, Conor Breen; Aran Martin 0-1, Rob Murray (captain), Liam Kenny 0-1; Cian McKevitt 0-1, Alex Lenihan, Evan Lenihan 0-1, Niall McAndrew 0-1; Cillian Long, Liam O’Connor 1-4 (1f,2’45s), Euan Cowzer 0-3. SUBS: Robbie Millham for Long 47, Tom Kilmartin for Martin 50, Elias Dhlos for O’Neill 55, Mark Halligan for McKevitt 58, Aidan McGrane for Kenny 60+1.
Dylan Morris; Glenn Doyle, Conor Clarke, Senan Gallagher; Corey Coyne, James Donnelly 0-1, Rocco Roche; Senan Murphy, TJ Nolan 0-2 (1f); Eoghan Lawlor, Ruaidhrí Lawlor, Cormac Doolan; Dylan O’Dwyer 0-2 (2fs), Pierce O’Dwyer 0-2, Josh Kelly. SUBS: Seán Killeen for Kelly HT, Ray Glynn for Coyne 52, David Leigh for Doolan 58, John Bissett for Doyle 58, Mark Whelan for Gallagher 60+1.
Frank Delaney
