Screeney’s class ends brave Castletown’s superb season

Kilcormac-Killoughey 2-13 Castletown-Geoghegan 1-13

Just three minutes remained in last Sunday’s Leinster Club SHC semi-final at TEG Cusack Park, when Peter Clarke divided the posts and gave Castletown Geoghegan a deserved two-point lead.

So close were the Black and Ambers to an historic Leinster Club SHC final at that stage, and so disciplined had their back six been in keeping Offaly kingpins Kilcormac-Killoughey to just four scores from open play, that the whiff of Croke Park’s hallowed turf must have been in their nostrils.

However, it was all gone in a flash. It took just two puckouts. The first resulted in a goal for Kilcormac-Killoughey sub James Gorman, a moment so akin to a bolt of lightning that if you blinked, all you’d know about it was the rumble afterwards. The second fell to Castletown’s tormentor-in-chief, Adam Screeney, whose classy finish guaranteed the Faithful side an outing in GAA headquarters next weekend.

Sport can be cruel and moral victories don’t matter a jot when you’re leaving a big stage empty-handed, but Castletown Geoghegan can justifiably hold their heads proud after the last few weeks. After clinching the Westmeath Examiner Cup in style, nobody gave them a chance in the Leinster quarter-final against Kilkenny supremos Thomastown – but they answered the naysayers with an emphatic and historic win. What a pity the road had to come to an end last Sunday.

Despite having the benefit of a strong breeze in the first half, Alan Mangan’s charges took a while to get going in this semi-final and as the bainisteoir admitted afterwards, this, more than anything, probably cost them the game.

That said, led by Conor Murphy and Niall O’Brien, they played some exquisite hurling in the second quarter and led 0-8 to 0-5 at the short whistle. However, a 17th-minute injury to David O’Reilly left Castletown without his invaluable services for the rest of the game, with O’Brien largely leading the attack on his own for much of the second half.

After the restart, a big response was expected from Kilcormac-Killoughey, but Shane Hand’s troops didn’t benefit from the change of ends to the extent that was expected. While they had plenty of opportunities, these were mainly from distance and they encountered a Castletown Geoghegan rearguard that battled furiously for every ball.

It looked like destiny was on the side of the Black and Ambers when Aonghus Clarke netted on 54 minutes to make it 1-11 to 0-12, but in the denouement, Gorman and Screeney broke their hearts.

Kilcormac-Killoughey bossed the first ten minutes and led 0-4 to 0-2. They opened the scoring with a free from Adam Screeney on four minutes, after Jack Murphy had tripped Conor Mahon en route to goal.

Screeney doubled that lead with another free moments later, and seven minutes had elapsed before Niall O’Brien’s low-trajectory free from just beyond the 65-metre line sailed over the bar.

Screeney (a free) and Colin Spain (a long-range sideline ball) added to Kilcormac-Killoughey’s tally but in between, Castletown’s Conor Murphy produced the game’s first point from play, showing great skill to fire over on the run.

O’Brien reduced the arrears to a minimum with a ’65’ but at that point, O’Reilly had to leave the field when he picked up a nasty shoulder injury after colliding with an advertising hoarding.

To compound matters, Castletown posted a couple of wides and Jack Gallagher was hard done by not to have won a couple of scorable frees. Niall O’Brien converted one on 24 minutes, however – delayed justice, which levelled matters at a crucial time.

On 26 minutes, Aonghus Clarke teed up the omnipresent Conor Murphy for his second point to give the Westmeath champions the lead, but Adam Screeney equalised from a ’65’ a minute later, after his potshot had been deflected wide by Castletown’s Ciaran O’Brien.

Castletown Geoghegan then regained the lead with Shane Clavin firing over from the terrace side after Niall O’Brien pinged an indirect free in his direction. At the other end, hearts were in Castletown mouths when Screeney dodged his way past two defenders and fired for home, but Ciaran O’Brien was once again equal to his shot.

This chance was, however, very much against the run of play, as Castletown were getting into their stride and would surely have loved an extended first half. A minute into stoppage time, Jack Gallagher did well to get his paw to a long ball and shipped to Niall O’Brien, who had his low drive stopped by Kilcormac-Killoughey netminder Conor Slevin.

There was still time for the Westmeath men to add two more scores, with Gallagher teeing up Morgan Gavigan for a fine point and Peter Clarke finding his range with a spectacular sideline ball to leave three between the sides at the break.

Kilcormac-Killoughey re-emerged with the breeze in their favour, and though its importance decreased as the game went on, the Offalymen were expected to bounce back. They did so with three consecutive points from Slevin (a free from his own half) and Adam Screeney (two, including their first point from play).

On 40 minutes, Castletown finally regained their composure and hit their opponents on the break, with Niall O’Brien firing his first point from play. Underlining the end-to-end nature of the game, Kilcormac-Killoughey countered and Conor Mahon finished off a powerful solo run with a score to level matters again.

However, the visitors began to struggle and posted a string of wides, in which time Castletown regained a two-point lead courtesy of tremendous scores by Peter Clarke and Niall O’Brien.

Kilcormac-Killoughey continued to press and for a time had little joy as Castletown battled manfully for every ball, but by the 53rd minute they led by the minimum (0-12 to 0-11), with Daniel Hand, Adam Screeney (a free) and Jack Screeney putting them in pole position.

Then, on 54 minutes, Castletown were rewarded for their hard work and persistence with the first goal of the game, when David Fennell picked out Aonghus Clarke, who sent the black and amber support into raptures with a powerful shot off his left side.

Screeney tacked on a free to leave a point between the sides but with three minutes to go, Peter Clarke collected a ball from Niall O’Brien for his third point, as the hosts looked a good bet for the win.

Sometimes though, it’s the hope that kills you, and the subsequent puckout found its way to Kilcormac-Killoughey sub James Gorman, who fired to the net from close range. The goal happened with such speed that few in the ground, least of all the hitherto impenetrable Castletown defence, knew anything about it.

The Offaly men now led by a point but a draw looked likely when a minute into stoppage time, Niall O’Brien fired a superb sixth point to tie the game at 1-13 apiece.

But seconds later, Gorman was again at the heart of things, getting his hand to another hasty puckout that once more left Castletown bewildered. The sliothar fell kindly for Screeney, who skilfully finished to the net from close range.

A goal behind, Castletown had to go for the jugular, with Peter Clarke’s mazy goalbound run drawing a foul. Niall O’Brien gave the resultant close-range free his all, but Slevin kept the shot out to ensure Kilcormac-Killoughey go on to next weekend’s Leinster final against Dublin’s Na Fianna.

Scorers - Kilcormac-Killoughey: A Screeney 1-8 (0-6f, 0-1 ’65’), J Gorman 1-0, C Slevin (f), C Spain (s/l), C Mahon, J Screeney and D Hand 0-1 each. Castletown Geoghegan: N O’Brien 0-6 (2f, 1 ’65’), A Clarke 1-0, P Clarke 0-3 (1 s/l), C Murphy 0-2, M Gavigan and S Clavin 0-1 each.

Kilcormac-Killoughey: Conor Slevin (capt.); Tom Spain, Oisín Mahon, James Mahon; Jordan Quinn, Enda Grogan, Brecon Kavanagh; Colin Spain, Damien Kilmartin; Leigh Kavanagh, Conor Mahon, Jack Screeney; Daniel Hand, Charlie Mitchell, Adam Screeney. Subs used: Cillian Kiely for Grogan (37), Peter Geraghty for L Kavanagh (46), James Gorman for Mitchell (50), Cathal Kiely for Kilmartin (55), Alex Kavanagh for Hand (inj., 60).

Castletown Geoghegan: Ciaran O’Brien; Peter Murphy, Aaron Glennon, David Maloney; Johnny Bermingham, Jack Murphy, Morgan Gavigan; Peter Clarke, Shane Clavin; Conor Murphy, Aonghus Clarke (capt.), Liam Varley; David O’Reilly, Niall O’Brien, Jack Gallagher. Sub: David Fennell for O’Reilly (inj., 17).

Ref: Eamonn Furlong (Wexford).