Masita Post Primary Schools Hogan Cup Final

ST MICHAEL’S COLLEGE ENNISKILLEN 1-12 NAAS CBS 1-11

By Michael Devlin at Croke Park

The sound of referee Rory Hickey’s final whistle was the cue for euphoria for St Michael’s Enniskillen as they captured the Hogan Cup for the first time.

A nervy finish played out in an enthralling encounter with Naas CBS, but Dom Corrigan’s charges held on for a one-point win at Croke Park.

The game was slow to get going, with Eoin Coneff opening Naas’ account in the sixth minute, and Michael Glynn responding with a free moments later for Enniskillen.

Scores were then exchanged between Josh Largo-Ellis and Mikey McGovern before Naas struck for the game’s first goal in the 12th minute when Conneff capitalised on a poor Sean McNally kick-out to race in and fire high to the net.

St Michael’s response was immediate. Glynn sent over another free and they regained the lead when captain Brandon Horan brilliantly fielded the resulting kickout to slip through Darragh MacBrien, who made no mistake with a low confident finish past Davis Morrissey.

Thereafter, both teams’ defensive setups became evident as numbers were flooded back on both sides to set up counter-attacks. Tony O’Connor pointed for Naas to level the game before Enniskillen mounted a breakaway move that resulted in Conor Love hitting the side-netting having done all the hard work.

The Fermanagh boys moved back into the lead through a fine Pol McKervey score and a Glynn ‘45’ in the 23rd minute. McGovern added his second score of the afternoon from a free before Glynn got the last point of the half to send Enniskillen going down the tunnel two ahead.

Glynn was beginning to look like the standout player on show, and he got Enniskillen up and running after the restart with a two neat points. Love then bore through on goal, but just couldn’t provide the finish and blazed wide.

St Michael’s were enjoying plenty of space up front though, and MacBrien added to his first half goal with a point to put them four up, before McGovern responded with a free for Naas as the game entered its final quarter.

Paddy McDermott had the time and space to split the posts for the Kildare side and shorten the gap back to two, before MacBrien’s hard running drew a free from the Naas defence and Glynn expertly guided over his seventh point of the afternoon. Conor Love followed up with a well-taken score in the 53rd minute as Enniskillen continued to hold the trump card.

Eoin Archibald’s point put a goal between the teams as the game neared injury time, and that goal nearly came when Tony O’Connor drove through on goal only to fire straight at Sean McNally.

Naas were getting close to goal though, and O’Connor and McDermott got vital scores to cut the gap to just one and set up a nervy closing few minutes. However, pressure was allayed when Luke Flanagan scampered down the right wing to supply Love who kicked a classy insurance point to restore the two-point cushion for Enniskillen.

With just a minute on the clock, Naas were throwing the kitchen sink at it, and a McGovern free put one between them once more. There was to be no equaliser however as Conor Murphy struck an effort wide.

Scorers for St Michael’s Enniskillen: Michael Glynn 0-7 (4fs,1 ‘45’), Darragh MacBrien 1-1, Conor Love 0-2, Josh Largo-Ellis 0-1, Pol McKervey 0-1.

Scorers for Naas CBS: Eoin Conneff 1-2, Mikey McGovern 0-3 (2fs), Tony O’Connor 0-2, Paddy McDermott 0-2, Eoin Archibald 0-1.

ST MICHAEL’S ENNISKILLEN: Sean McNally; Luke Flanagan, Garrett Cavanagh, Josh Horan; Aichlinn O Cathain, Josh Largo-Ellis, Ronan McHugh; Brandon Horan, Joe McDade; Caolan Duffy, Michael Glynn, Darragh MacBrien; Pol McKervey, Conor Love, Tom Keenan.

Subs: Glenn Treacy for P. McKervey (36), Garvan Quigley for T. Keenan (41).

NAAS CBS: David Morrissey; John Lawler, Conall O Gallachobhair, Jack Hamill; Kevin Quinn, Eoin Archibald, Paddy McDermott; Jack Cleary, Liam Broderick; Tony O’Connor, Alex Beirne, Drew Costello; Mikey McGovern, Dermot Hanifin, Eoin Conneff.

Subs: Simon Murphy for C. Hanifin (36), Conan Boran for Gallachobhair (40), Rian Monaghan for L. Broderick (42), Aidan Cassidy for D. Costello (49), Harry Carroll for E. Archibald (58).

REFEREE: Rory Hickey (Clare).