Newtown Blues retain Louth U15 A Championship crown 2022
Newtown Blues 3-7 Ardee St Mary’s 0-9
Finn Nugent brought his Ireland’s Fittest Family form to Darver as Newtown Blues impressively denied Ardee St Mary’s of the U15 league and championship double in dreadful conditions on Saturday evening.
The midfielder – a son of Donal and the grandson of Blues great Danny Nugent – was ever so powerful and scored 1-3 from play six days on from his family’s appearance on the hit RTÉ series where they won their quarter-final heat.
Indeed, as he walked into the dressing room at the break, with the victors ahead by 2-2 to 0-3, many of the spectators taking cover around the Darver clubhouse commented at the teenager’s tremendous physique.
Though he was merely one of several well-developed Blues players who are able to marry their superior strength with rapid footwork and slick ball skills. Full-forward Ryan Nugent, another of the next generation and the boy whose tremendous kick sent this decider to a replay, struck 1-3, while Ryan Healy and Senan Carr, particularly when the latter dropped back in to mark the dangerous St Mary’s attacker Luke Keenan, were excellent performers.
Finn Nugent brought his Ireland’s Fittest Family form to Darver as Newtown Blues impressively denied Ardee St Mary’s of the U15 league and championship double in dreadful conditions on Saturday evening.
The midfielder – a son of Donal and the grandson of Blues great Danny Nugent – was ever so powerful and scored 1-3 from play six days on from his family’s appearance on the hit RTÉ series where they won their quarter-final heat.
Indeed, as he walked into the dressing room at the break, with the victors ahead by 2-2 to 0-3, many of the spectators taking cover around the Darver clubhouse commented at the teenager’s tremendous physique.
Though he was merely one of several well-developed Blues players who are able to marry their superior strength with rapid footwork and slick ball skills. Full-forward Ryan Nugent, another of the next generation and the boy whose tremendous kick sent this decider to a replay, struck 1-3, while Ryan Healy and Senan Carr, particularly when the latter dropped back in to mark the dangerous St Mary’s attacker Luke Keenan, were excellent performers.
And with Eoin Brannigan the consummate centre-half, tackling vigorously and commanding his area, the Ardee boys, despite getting off to a good start when hitting the opening two points through Keenan and the returning Darragh Murphy, were unable to settle into any sort of rhythm.
Blues’ response to the early setbacks was emphatic as Finn Nugent split the posts before clawing the ball to the net after Connor Forrester and Flynn Markey – a pair who were among the Deesiders’ leading players – failed to deal with Ryan Nugent’s dropping free in the driving rain.
Healy added to the Drogheda club’s lead before Ryan Nugent – with the only score of the 10-minute period in which Blues midfielder Josh Esanbor was confined to the line having been black carded – buried a powerful shot to the net, nudging the victors six in front.
Lively Keenan was St Marys’ most potent threat and with the ball always sticking to his grasp, he created several opportunities and drew a free which, when converted, ended their 27-minute scoreless spell.
Ken Rooney’s side were delayed in returning to the fray for the second half, running on to the field in determined fashion, but the contest was all but over within a matter of minutes as the Nugent cousins accounted for three of the next four points.
And St Marys’ challenge looked to be fading fast in the aftermath of Taylor’s fabulous save from Cian Lane’s powerful shot. Their fate was, ultimately, sealed when Healy palmed in Blues’ third major, making it 3-5 to 0-5 before the end of the third quarter.
The ferocity and intensity of Blues’ confrontation forced St Mary’s into conceding possession on a repeated basis, but the Páirc Mhuire boys didn’t give in, hitting four of the match’s closing six points, the pick of which came from full-back Markey in the dying embers.
They don’t lose many finals, Blues – and this success makes it back-to-back Dermot O’Brien Cup triumphs.
NEWTOWN BLUES: Yemi Taylor; Dan McGuffin, Daniel McArdle, Seán Carr; Ryan Gilchrist, Eoin Brannigan, Joey Nally; Josh Esanbor, Finn Nugent 1-3; Seán Cummins, Ewan Hoban, Senan Carr; Keagan McGuirk, Ryan Nugent 1-3 (0-2f, 0-1m), Ryan Healy 1-1.
ARDEE ST MARY’S: Connor Forrester; Oisín Moran, Flynn Markey 0-1, Bobby Carroll; Shane McMahon, Tadhg Caffrey, Patrick Svender; Fionn Coyle, Darragh Murphy 0-2; DJ Matthews, Cian Lane 0-1, Luke Woods; Calum Caffrey, Brooklyn Gorman 0-2 (1f), Luke Keenan 0-3 (1f). Subs: Tadhg Rooney, James Skelly.
REFEREE: Gerard Corrigan (Mattock Rangers).
Photo Credit-Louth GAA
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