DKIT Sport Junior Football Championship Group 3 Round 3

Na Piarsaigh/Blackrock 1-11 : 0-10 Lann Léire

Venue : Páirc Naomh Bríd, Dowdalshill

Referee : Paul Kneel (Kilkerley Emmets)

Na Piarsaigh/Blackrock produced a stirring second-half comeback to claim second place in Group 3 of the DKIT Sport Junior Football Championship, overcoming a four-point half-time deficit to defeat Lann Léire by four in an entertaining contest.

First Half

Lann Léire flew out of the blocks, with Brendan Cassidy clipping over two early scores and Bob Murphy adding another to establish a three-point lead by the 12th minute.

Na Piarsaigh/Blackrock steadied themselves and were back level by the 18th minute, thanks to efforts from Michael Woods, Paul Mallon and Robert Murphy.

However, Lann Léire dominated the remainder of the half. Ian Mulroy struck a fine two-pointer, with Darragh Malone also adding two well-taken points to send them into the break with a deserved 0-7 to 0-3 advantage.

Second Half

On the restart, Cassidy extended Lann Léire’s lead with a point on 32 minutes. But the game turned dramatically seconds later when Robert Murphy found the net for Na Piarsaigh/Blackrock on 33 minutes, igniting their comeback.

Although Cassidy replied with two more points (35, 40 mins), the contest was now being dictated by Ciaran Murphy. The lively forward struck six points in total during the second half, including four from frees, as he inspired his side into the lead.

Further points from Tommy Muckian (55) and Robert Murphy (59) sealed a superb turnaround as Na Piarsaigh/Blackrock outscored their opponents 1-8 to 0-3 in the second half.

Final Score

Na Piarsaigh/Blackrock 1-11 : 0-10 Lann Léire

Scorers

• Na Piarsaigh/Blackrock:
  Ciaran Murphy 0-6 (0-4f), Robert Murphy 1-2, Michael Woods 0-1, Paul Mallon 0-1, Tommy Muckian 0-1

• Lann Léire:
  Brendan Cassidy 0-5, Ian Mulroy 0-2, Darragh Malone 0-2, Bob Murphy 0-1

Teams

Na Piarsaigh/Blackrock:
Jordan Mackin, Fionn Tipping, Eoin Farrell, Stephen McGuinness, John Galligan, Michael Woods, James Fealy, Conal Myles, Darren McElhinney, James Mahoney, Ciaran Murphy, Joseph Woods, Robert Murphy, Paul Mallon, Tommy Muckian.
Subs: Gerard Rice for Conal Myles (15), David Boyle for Paul Mallon (60).
Cards: Paul Mallon (Yellow, 23).

Lann Léire:
Conor Dunne, Jason Torris, Paul McGeough, Laurence McEntee, Alex Carroll, Darragh Goodman, Caoimhin Maher, Kyle Van Rhijn, Pierce Hawkins, Mark Grogan, Bob Murphy, Killian Gregory, Darragh Malone, Ian Mulroy, Brendan Cassidy.
Sub: Jack O’Connor for Laurence McEntee (52).

Player of the Match

Ciaran Murphy (Na Piarsaigh/Blackrock) – The forward was unmarkable in the second half, kicking six points (four frees) and leading his team’s comeback with a commanding display.

Featured Image courtesy of Ciaran Culligan