Mayo minor hurlers snatch dramatic draw

FINAL
Mayo 3-15
Tyrone 2-18
(AET)

Michael Commins
Ballinamore

IN lovely Leitrim where the Shannon waters flow, the young hurlers of Mayo and Tyrone served up a rip-roaring thriller on Saturday. A grand afternoon in the fall of the year was adorned by the staging of this All-Ireland U-18 ‘C’ Final at the SeΡn O’Heslin’s grounds in Ballinamore, where the welcome was warm and wholesome. A last-gasp Mayo goal sealed a draw but it would have been sheer heartbreak for either team to have lost this showdown.
Now, it’s a case of return to Ballinamore next Saturday for the replay which will decide the destination of the inaugural Adrian Freeman Cup. The new trophy is named after the young Tooreen and Mayo hurler, who died tragically in a road accident in Australia at the age of 24 in 2010. Members of the Freeman family attended the game in Ballinamore.
Mayo were seeking the three in a row in this grade, but it became abundantly clear from the early stages that Tyrone had serious ambitions to halt the westerners’ winning streak. During the opening quarter, they surged into a 0-6 to 0-1 lead, the Mayo point coming from a SeΡn Kenny free.
From out of the pack emerged a young lad whose influence on the game was immense. Brannon Molloy from the Eoghan Ruadh Club in Dungannon was majestic in his execution of the real skills of the game. He was at the heart of this Tyrone team, securing four of their first six points and causing serious problems for the Mayo defence. Dean Rafferty and Josh Ferguson also posted two superb long-range points for Tyrone
The Mayo challenge got back on track with two points from Sam Forde and another from Calum Gardiner, two speedy corner forwards whose pace took them through the Tyrone rearguard, and the gap was down to two. The rally was inspired by some fine work by Evan Henaghan, Niall McManamon, SeΡn Kenny, Sam Forde, John Cassidy and Conor Murray.
Just when it appeared as if Mayo were about to claim the high ground, they took a serious blow when the highly efficient Lorcan Devlin pounced for the first goal after the Mayo defence dithered over a ball that should have been swept out of the danger zone. Further points from Molloy, Rafferty and Ferguson saw Tyrone lead by 1-9 to 0-5 at the interval.
Purple patches come little better than the one enjoyed by Mayo on the restart. Manager Brian Finn and selector John Regan (Ballina and Antrim) brought Paul Lambert off the bench, and the Westport player had an immediate impact on the game. He landed a fine point to ignite the Mayo rally.
A minute later, Lambert featured in a move which led to Shane Fleming’s goal-bound shot being well saved by Tyrone goalie CiarΡn Tanney, only for Bryan Peoples from to send the rebound to the net.
Points from SeΡn Kenny (free) and Bryan Peoples reduced the gap to one before Brannon Molloy raised the siege with a score from play for Tyrone. Ten minutes into the second half, Paul Lambert connected with a long dropping ball from SeΡn Kenny to raise a second green flag for Mayo, who now took the lead for the first time, having come from seven down.
When Piaras McErlean was dismissed for Tyrone on a second yellow card with 18 minutes to go, a Mayo win looked odds-on.
But the Ulster side battled with brave hearts. A wonderful long-distance point from half-back Lochrann Ó Donnghaile tied the game. Points from Rafferty and Ferguson saw them take control again. SeΡn Kenny and Brannon Molloy exchanged points before Kenny held his nerve to convert two frees in injury time to send the game to extra-time.
Mayo were well on top in the first additional period with scores from Alan Ferguson (who did well when brought on), SeΡn Kenny and Sam Moore. Brannon Molloy landed a long-range free for Tyrone, and the same player showed awesome skill in setting up CiarΡn Lagan for a goal just at the end of the first half of extra-time to leave the score at 2-15 to 2-14.
Tyrone looked to have done enough with three great points from Molloy, Peadar Daly and Lorcan Devlin. Four down with less than two to play, Kenny tapped over a close in free in the hope that another chance would present itself. One final surge saw Lambert go close but substitute Conor Browne managed to connect from close range to knock the ball over the Tyrone line. Limerick referee Declan O’Driscoll blew the final whistle amid relief all around. For Brian Finn, John Regan, and the Mayo panel, lovely Leitrim calls again this weekend. They will be hoping to go one better and complete the three in a row.

MAYO
R Kilbane; A Boyle, S Geraghty, J Cassidy; E Henaghan, R Egan, N McManamon; C Murray, C English; B Peoples (1-1), S Kenny (0-7f), A Henry; C Gardiner (0-1), S Fleming, S Forde (0-3).
Subs used: P Lambert (1-1) for C Gardiner; D Huane for C English; A Ferguson (0-2) for J Cassidy; C Browne (1-0) for A Boyle.

TYRONE
C Tanney; J Kerr, P Kerr, E McNally; L O’Donnghaile (0-1), P Conway, D Rush; P Daly (0-2), D Rafferty (0-2); L Devlin (1-1), Brannon Molloy (0-9, 4f), P McErlean; D O’Donnghaile, C McNulty, J Ferguson (0-3).
Subs used: K Muldoon for E McNally; J Campbell for C McNulty; C Lagan (1-0) for D Ó Donnghaile; C Ross for D Rush.

Referee: D O’Driscoll (Limerick)