Wexford SFC Final

Shelmaliers 1-12 Castletown 1-11

By Ronan Fagan at Chadwicks Wexford Park

Shelmaliers ended Castletown’s pursuit of a second successive Wexford SFC crown when Paul Hearne pointed an injury-time winner in Sunday’s dramatic decider at Chadwicks Wexford Park.

Castletown had rocked the same opposition in last year’s decider.

But Shelmaliers overcame a rocky start to this renewal as they produced a solid second-half, with Hearne helping himself to a priceless goal and a point to land their third football crown.

And Shelmaliers are now away to Westmeath champions St. Loman’s next Sunday in the AIB Leinster Club opener.

Castletown got off to a stunning start when Ben Brosnan put midfielder Rory Heffernan through to net a second minute ice-breaker.

And an off-the-ball challenge on Brosnan during the execution of that score saw Shelmaliers suffer the added setback of losing defender Andre O’Brien to a red-card.

The defending champions increased the gap to 1-2 to no-score by the sixth minute with additions from Jonathan Bealin and Brosnan (free).

The Malone brothers, Glen and Brian, eventually pointed Shelmaliers into gear by the eighth minute, but Castletown were five up once more after the opening quarter as Donnacha Holmes and Brosnan made it 1-4 to 0-2.

Things appeared to settle down as the sides shared the next four points, before Shelmaliers enjoyed an uplifting end to the half, starting with gaining numerical parity as Castletown lost Jonathan Bealin to the sin-bin following a challenge on Eoghan Nolan.

And the challengers were agonisingly close to goaling when Brian Malone had his point-blank effort cleared off the line by Killian Pierce.

But Ross Banville and Nolan (free) made in-roads to shave the difference to 1-6 to 0-6 at the change-of-ends.

Shelmaliers rattled the defending champions with a strong start to the second-half as they blasted in front by 1-9 to 1-7 within seven minutes, Paul Hearne netting off a defender after a one-two with his brother, Conor.

Castletown demonstrated real nerve to tie the game for the first time after 57 minutes with a trio of frees from Brosnan and a Jonathan Bealin addition (1-11 apiece).

Multiple Dublin All-Ireland winner Eoghan O’Gara, a star of Shelmaliers semi-final success, was then sprung from the bench.

Regardless, a nervy affair looked destined for a rematch until Paul Hearne conjured some magic with captain Eoghan Nolan to shoot the winning blow deep into added-time.

Brosnan was then unfortunate with a chance to salvage the tie as the wait for back-to-back winners in Wexford still extends back to Horeswood in 2006.

Scorers for Shelmaliers: Eoghan Nolan 0-6 (1 ’45, 4 frees), Paul Hearne 1-1, Glen Malone 0-3 (3 frees), Brian Malone, Ross Banville 0-1 each.

Scorers for Castletown: Ben Brosnan 0-7 (5 frees), Rory Heffernan 1-0, Jonathan Bealin 0-2, Donnacha Holmes, Brendan Halpin 0-1 each.

Shelmaliers: Craig McCabe; Andre O’Brien, Simon Donohoe, Ross Banville; Glen Malone, Graham Staples, Conor Roche; Aidan Cash, Seán Keane-Carroll; Aaron Murphy, Eoghan Nolan (capt.), Cian Doyle; Paul Hearne, Brian Malone, Conor Hearne.

Subs: Dan Campbell for Doyle, inj. (6), Eoghan O’Gara for Murphy (55).

Castletown: Darragh Brooks; Conor Carty (capt.), Joe Ahern, Danny Gardiner; Killian Pierce, Frank Roche, Joe Gardiner; Rory Heffernan, Liam Coleman; Brendan Halpin, Ben Brosnan, Donnacha Holmes; Jonathan Bealin, Robbie Brooks, Jack Higgins.

Subs: Jody O’Shaughnessy for Holmes (47), Gavin Kelly for Halpin (53), Ross Cody for Ahern (53), Stephen Moloney for Roche (60), Halpin for Carty, inj. (60+4).

Referee: Brendan Martin (Ballyhogue).