Aaron Traynor of New York is tackled by Niall Gilbride of Warwickshire during the GAA Football All-Ireland Junior Championship semi-final match between New York and Warwickshire at the GAA National Centre of Excellence in Abbotstown, Dublin. Photo by Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile.
All-Ireland junior football championship semi-final
NEW YORK 0-11 WARWICKSHIRE 0-8
By Paul Keane at the GAA National Games Development Centre, Abbottstown
New York will challenge for back-to-back All-Ireland JFC titles on Sunday, a strong final quarter display helping them to shake off Warwickshire and secure their return to Croke Park.
Brian Coughlan kicked the winning point for New York in last year's historic final win over Kilkenny and was to the fore again, kicking three important points.
Two of those came from 45s while Coughlan's one from open play was part of three scores in a row that New York kicked between the 48th and 59th minutes to turn the screw at Abbottstown.
Aaron Traynor and Gearoid Kennedy supplied important points during that final quarter surge also as New York booked their ticket to Croke Park.
Shay McElligott was one of nine players from last year's final team to line out again and top scored for New York with four points.
It's the end of the line for Warwickshire who lost the All-Britain JFC final to London last month but bounced back with an impressive defeat of Kilkenny to book this fixture.
They were right there in the contest for around 50 minutes, trailing by two points at half-time and cutting that deficit to one when Jack Gillespie pointed in the 47th minute, 0-8 to 0-7.
Roared on by a small travelling support at the GAA's National Games Development Centre, the side managed by JP Walsh and Benny McKenna would have hoped to kick on from there.
But they only scored one more point, from Darragh Mahon, as New York moved four clear at one stage, forcing Warwickshire to dig deep in search of a goal which never arrived in the closing minutes.
New York, beaten in the 2022 final, might have been further ahead than 0-6 to 0-4 at half-time as they blasted five wides.
Free-taker McElligott struck three of the first-half points from New York, all from placed balls, while Coughlan converted a 45 and had a thrilling individual duel with Warwickshire full-back Declan O'Brien.
Warwickshire twice got the deficit down to a single point in the second-half but lacked a vital cutting edge in attack and, for the third year running, slipped to a semi-final loss to New York.
New York scorers: Shay McElligott 0-4 (0-3f), Brian Coughlan 0-3 (0-2 45), Thomas Shalvey 0-1, Danny Corridan 0-1, Aaron Traynor 0-1, Gearoid Kennedy 0-1.
Warwickshire scorers: Beanon Corrigan 0-3 (0-3f), Michael McGettrick 0-2, Joel Powney 0-1 (0-1m), Jack Gillespie 0-1, Darragh Mahon 0-1.
NEW YORK: Ryan Corrigan; Peter Cronin, Paidi Mathers, Shane Doheny; Aaron Traynor, Dylan Curran, Colm Shalvey; Gearoid Kennedy, Aidan Lawlor; Thomas Shalvey, Danny Corridan, Emmet Loughran; Christopher Mulvihill, Brian Coughlan, Shay McElligott. Subs: Ian Kavanagh for Mulvihill 20, Lorcan Kennedy for C Shalvey 37, James Donovan for Loughran 50, Christian Madigan for Cronin 52, Ryan Hilliard for Corridan 58.
WARWICKSHIRE: James Connolly; Jack Chapman, Declan O'Brien, Callum Maguire; Declan Staunton, Michael Mannion, Sean Doyle; Sean Dirrane; Niall Gilbride; Michael McGettrick, Jack Keogh, Sean Boyle; Joel Powney, Beanon Corrigan, Conal Dowling. Subs: Jack Gillespie for Dirrane 26, Darragh Mahon for Doyle 38, Mikey McAleer for Boyle 44, Louis Monaghan for Keogh 44, Lorcan Towey for Dowling 56.
Referee: Alan Coyne (Westmeath).
