St Gerald's crowned Connacht champions

Connacht Post Primary Schools First Year ‘A’ Championship

Final
St Gerald’s College, Castlebar 2-13
St Joseph’s College, Galway 1-9

THE first year footballers from St Gerald’s were crowned Connacht ‘A’ champions after an emphatic second-half display helped them see off a battling ‘Bish’ at Tuam Stadium on Tuesday.
Having limped along in the first half, the Castlebar school emerged from underneath ‘the hay shed’ an utterly transformed team in the second half.
St Joseph’s were unable to build up a lead that reflected their dominance and soon found themselves flailing at the hands of a Gerald’s team that shot 1-10 in the second half.
Ironically, the eventual winners had looked rather unconvincing in the first half.
It took all of 15 minutes for their main man Conor Hoban to open their account as Gerald’s struggled to find their rhythm.
A big, strong Joseph’s team made the better use of possession, racing into a four-point lead at the peak of their display.
A listless St Gerald’s were given an almighty boost when Breaffy full-forward Ben Sloyan blasted in a goal to leave them a point behind with three minutes until half-time.
A point from centre-back Darragh Connor levelled the game on the stroke half-time.
Gerald’s overcame a few early second half scares before slowly creeping their way in front though scores from Sloyan and Seamus Maughan (2), before Conor Hoban put them three in front with a monster effort.
Midway through the second half, Hoban and Ballintubber team-mate Noah Donnelly combined for the latter to land a goal that had Gerald’s cruising for the rest of the game.
‘The Bish’ clawed a goal back through Jamie Cunningham but never seriously threatened to overturn a Gerald’s team that marched triumphantly to provincial glory.

Read the full report plus reaction in next week's edition of The Mayo News.

St Gerald’s
Kevin Scully; Frank Jennings, Dylan Moran, Liam Marshall; Aidan Dempsey, Darragh Connor (0-1), Michael Shaw; Niall Treacy (0-1), Darren Casey (0-1); Noah Donnelly (1-0), Conor Hoban (0-2), Fionn Filan (0-1); Seamus Maughan (0-3), Ben Sloyan (1-4), Paddy Hope
Subs used: Aaron Mugic for Hope; Mattias Dolan for Jennings, Sean Moran for Maughan, Finian Brady for Treacy, Davy Collins for Donnelly.