McCauley and Briody steer Raharney to U16 glory in thriller

Despite finishing with 13 players, Raharney recorded a narrow victory over St Oliver Plunkett’s, in a rip-roaring U16 Division 1 final played in difficult conditions at Clonkill on Saturday.

Westmeath hurling is on the up if this final is a true indicator of the talent at this grade and it will be interesting to see if that translates into something meaningful at inter county level.

Raharney manager Brendan McKeogh was unhappy with referee Barry Nea and didn’t hide his frustration. The Turin official sent off corner back Ronan Smith in the 40th minute when two players could have made the long walk as his opponent foolishly engaged with the Raharney player after he had scored a goal to put the Mullingar side firmly in contention.

Jack Duignan followed Smith in added time having picked up a second yellow card. But it wasn’t an ill-tempered match - terrific scores and impressive skill were the dominant features. At half-time Raharney led by four points (0-11 to 0-7) and apart from a nine-minute spell in the final quarter, the Deelsider’s held sway and on that basis were worthy winners.

St Oliver Plunkett’s had every chance when they got that second half goal and went ahead for the first time through a Ryan McNamee point on 48 minutes, but they managed just three scores in the final 15 minutes, including added time, which fell short of what was ultimately required. Raharney played with 14 men for most of the second half yet won the final quarter, their tenacity, spirit and skill shining through in the bleak November weather.

Adversity did not deter them and they played the final without the injured Cian McGee whose presence would surely have bolstered them further. They also lost goalkeeper Oran Smith to injury after they conceded the goal in the second half and the young Raharney player had to be taken to hospital afterwards having sustained a bang to the head.

Raharney got the better start with four unanswered scores and led by 0-6 to 0-2 after 10 minutes, giving them a solid platform and they just seemed to have that bit extra when they needed to respond, like in the closing six minutes when they notched three of the last four points.

On a soft sod, Raharney got off to the perfect start, with Cian McKeogh opening the scoring in the first minute, showing superb individual skill to notch a fine point. Donnacha Briody added a free for Raharney in the fifth minute, before Jack Duignan capitalised on Cian Fleming’s hard work to extend their lead two minutes later.

St Oliver Plunkett’s responded in the eighth minute with a well-taken point from Hugo Corroon, but Will Scahill could well have found the net. It was followed by Ryan McNamee’s effort a minute later. Raharney’s Tom Shaw then gathered possession neatly in a crowded square to register a point for the full-forward, and Eoghan Flanagan added another soon after to maintain their advantage.

Plunkett’s clawed their way back into contention with three quickfire points - two from Ted Aherne and one from Will Scahill - only for Oisín McCauley to restore Raharney’s momentum with a brilliant score from out on the wing in the 14th minute. Corroon struck again for Plunkett’s with an outstanding effort in the 16th minute, but Raharney responded with a series of scores, including two frees from Briody and another from play.

Ted Aherne landed a superb free from distance in the 24th minute to keep Plunkett’s in touch, and Raharney had a golden chance to extend their lead two minutes later, but Duignan blazed wide when a goal looked certain. Briody added another free in the 29th minute to leave Raharney ahead at the break.

Plunkett’s began the second half brightly, with Aherne converting a free after Will Scahill was fouled. McKeogh then powered through for Raharney, using his strength and skill to add another point, but Aherne replied with another free for Plunkett’s in the third minute. The game took a dramatic turn in the ninth minute when Oisín Murray pounced on Scahill’s pass to rifle home a goal for Plunkett’s, putting them ahead for the first time. Raharney’s Ronan Smith saw red moments later after an altercation with Murray, giving Plunkett’s a numerical advantage.

However, their cautious approach, with Seán Graham sitting deep, seemed to invite Raharney forward.

Will Scahill levelled matters with an excellent score in the 14th minute, making it 0-13 to 1-10, and McNamee edged Plunkett’s in front with a point in the 18th minute.

At the other end, Raharney were denied a goal when McKeogh’s effort was crowded out and went wide. Scahill struck again in the 21st minute with another quality score, but Briody kept Raharney in touch with a free shortly after.

Tom Shaw and Jack Duignan added points for Raharney in quick succession, with Duignan’s effort levelling the game at 1-13 to 0-16. Oisín McCauley then edged Raharney ahead with a contentious point in the 28th minute, as the ball was deemed to have just crept between the posts.

Briody extended their lead with another free in the 29th minute.

Plunkett’s weren’t done yet and applied strong pressure in search of the scores required to claw their way back once more.

Aherne’s composed free two minutes into added time proved to be the final act of an enthralling contest, however and the final whistle sounded just shy of three minutes into added time.

After the match, Westmeath Coiste na nÓg Chairman Barry Kelly presented the cup to Tommy Smith the Raharney captain and praised the two clubs for the great final that had unfolded.

Scorers - Raharney: D Briody 0-8 (7f), T Shaw 0-3, C McKeogh, O McCauley and J Duignan 0-2 each, E Flanagan 0-1.

St Oliver Plunkett’s: T Aherne 0-6 (4f), H Corroon and W Scahill 0-3 each, O Murray 1-0, R McNamee 0-2.

Raharney: Oran Smith; Frank Kiernan, Calum McHugh, Ronan Smith; Ronan Lawlor, Tommy Smith, Cian Fleming; Oisín McCauley, Josh McGauran; Jack Duignan, Cian McKeogh, Eoghan Flanagan; Donnacha Briody, Tom Shaw, Darragh Fitzsimons. Subs: Calvin Collins for McGauran and Jack Heffernan for O Smith (inj.) (43).

St Oliver Plunkett’s: Shay Leavy; Seán Graham, Conor Walshe, Fionn Kelly; Oisín Gavin, Cillian Walsh, Harry Tilson; Seán Byrne, Ted Aherne; Hugo Corroon, Michael Fry, Ryan McNamee; Tom O’Brien, Will Scahill, Oisín Murray. Subs: Tom Weir for Murray (58).

Referee: Barry Nea (Turin).