Rathvilly to make return to the A grade of junior football

Junior Football B Championship Final 

Rathvilly 1-13 

Éire Óg 1-9 

Rathvilly are back in the junior football A championship. At Netwatch Cullen Park on Saturday, they held off a last quarter comeback by Éire Óg to take the JFC B title.

While the Wicklow border side started well with three points on the trot they soon found themselves on the back-foot when Marc Corcoran scored a 10th minute goal for Éire Óg. When the same player added a point and Liam Ryan also raised a white flag it looked as if the game had changed.

Rathvilly’s reply was impressive and Jack Carroll led the fight back scoring 1-5 in the opening half. The eventual winners still had their keeper, DJ Carroll for a point-blank 31st minute save from Shane Murphy which would have opened up the game.

At the break Rathvilly led 1-9 to 1-4. When their lead went out to six points on 40 minutes they looked set for a comfortable victory. It didn’t happen like that and three points on the trot from Shane Murphy closed the gap three points with time running out.

The Rathvilly selectors brought in the experienced Alan Kelly and the former Carlow intercounty player landed a point which gave his side breathing space and they held on to take the title.

Scorers - Rathvilly: J Carroll 1-5 (1f), E O’Connor Byrne E Corcoran, E Curran (f) 0-2 each, A Kelly, P Whyte 0-1 each.

Éire Óg: M Corcoran 1-1, L Ryan, S Murphy 0-3 (1f) each, P Behan, D Crotty 0-1 each.

RATHVILLY: DJ Carroll; Robert Coleman, Senan Molloy, Kyle Lawler; Pauric Whyte, Jeffrey O’Donoghue, Liam Kelly; Kenneth Bello, Eoin Corcoran; Ger Kavanagh, Diarmuid Gavin, Eoin Curran; Jack Carroll, Eoghan O’Connor Byrne, Patrick Reilly.

Subs: Denis Kelly for Lawler (38), Liam Lobaiza Haydon for Kelly (42), Alan Kelly for Kavanagh (48), Tadgh Walsh for P Reilly (48), Andrew Sibbald for Bello (63).

ÉIRE ÓG: Evan Kearns; Lee Mulhall, Aaron Bolger, Tommy O’Donoghue; David Kenny, Dylan Salter, Ryan Donnelly Finn; Cathal Myers, Dan Crotty; James Ruth, Eoin Myers, Ruarc Murray; Shane Murphy, Marc Corcoran, Liam Ryan.

Subs: Philip Hegarty for Kenny (21), Paul Shaw for Corcoran (h/t), Cian Ray for E Myers (32), Paul Behan for Ruth (38), Cathal Brady for Mulhall (54).

Referee: Larry Murphy