Shrule shock champions Charlestown

Shrule lads shock the champions


Quarter Final
Shrule/G’corrib 2-12
Charlestown 3-7

Mike Finnerty
Castlebar

ASSUME nothing. That was the moral of the story after last Sunday’s Mayo SFC quarter-final where Shrule/Glencorrib (minus the suspended Mark Ronaldson) ambushed Charlestown and knocked out the reigning champions.
Written off by all and sundry beforehand, the South Mayo men summoned up one of their best championship performances since the halcyon days of 2005, and gave every bit as good as they got against a Charlestown team that came up just short in a tight game for once.
This was a victory hewn from self-belief, hard work, commitment and a fierce desire to right the wrongs of previous championships where Shrule/Glencorrib had been found wanting.
Charlestown, on a day when a cluster of their key men failed to spark, had no answer to the underdog’s stubborn resistance and were ultimately outfought by a team that refused to take no for an answer.
That gritty determination was epitomised by Trevor Mortimer who lined out at centre-forward, in direct opposition to Aidan Higgins. The Mayo captain was at his hard-running best and set the tone from start to finish, chipping in with one sublime point for good measure.
But if he brought the substance then his young brother, Conor, brought the style, as usual. The enigmatic corner-forward posted eight points, including four in the first ten minutes and the two late frees that won the game. Maybe it was the persuasive powers of their older brother, the manager, but both Mortimer brothers put in big shifts on a day when their team-mates needed them.
Full-forward Brian Murphy also caught the eye, scoring 2-1, and making a real nuisance of himself on the edge of the square. The same could be said of full-back, ‘Roundy’ Geraghty but, in truth, this was a real team effort..
The winners set their stall out from the very first whistle and Conor Mortimer’s early scoring spree propelled them out in front.
Incredibly, all their good work was wiped out in the space of six bizarre minutes as ‘own goals’ from Dermot Geraghty and goalkeeper Pat Conroy hauled Charlestown right back into contention.
Geraghty’s OG in the 15th minute came after Ollie Conway’s fisted attempt for a point fell short and the Shrule corner-back diverted the loose ball over his own line. Misfortune struck Conroy on 21 minutes when he allowed a speculative shot for a point slip through his hands and across the goal-line. Both players pleaded their cases with the umpires but to no avail.
When the second goal went in, Charlestown found themselves ahead, 2-1 to 0-5, despite knowing very little about it.
There was no major surprise then when Shrule/Glencorrib took the initiative once more as Brian Murphy drilled a loose ball past David Sloyan after Trevor Mortimer punched a hole in the Charlestown cover.
A free from Ronan Warde eased them two ahead before Paul Mulligan (the leading scorer in the club championship and the holder’s best forward on the day) rattled over a couple of points to leave the game deadlocked at the break.
Normal service looked like being resumed after the restart when Martin Mulvaney and Tony Mulligan smacked over classy points but Shrule had other ideas and a salvo of 1-4 in the space of eleven minutes turned the tide again. The razor-sharp Brian Murphy buried the goal and fired over a point with Conor Mortimer and Cian Donnellan also on target.
Behind by four points with ten minutes to go, Charlestown dug in once more and showed their mettle as Paul Mulligan drilled in a spectacular left-footed goal from 20m before landing the equaliser.
The game was there for the taking, once again, and Shrule went and took it. They stuck to the game-plan, kept their composure, worked their way into the scoring zone, and fouls on Conor Mortimer and Brian Murphy presented ‘The Mort’ with the two frees that settled the argument.

Shrule/Glencorrib
P Conroy (1-0, OG); R Walsh, David Geraghty, Dermot Geraghty (1-0, OG); N Sullivan, L Garvey, D McTigue; Kieran Walsh, K Conroy; J Martyn, T Mortimer (0-1, 1f), R Warde (0-1, 1f); C Mortimer (0-8, 5fs), B Murphy (2-1), E Ronaldson.
Subs used: J Lohan for Warde; C Donnellan (0-1) for Ronaldson; C O’Dowd for Sullivan; R Carey for Martyn.

Charlestown
D Sloyan; P Walsh, D McMeel, D Caffrey; D Higgins, A Higgins, K Deignan; T Parsons, B Quinn (0-1); R Haran, M Mulvaney (0-2), E Casey; O Conway, A Mulligan (0-1), P Mulligan (1-3, 1f).
Subs used: C Maye for Conway (inj); S Morris for Quinn; J McBrien for A Mulligan; D Tiernan for Casey.

Referee: V Neary (Bonniconlon)