“Sean O’Mahonys Dominate Wolfe Tones in Group 4 Opener”

O’Mahonys Too Strong as Tones Taste Intermediate Championship for First Time

CTI Business Solutions Louth GAA Intermediate Football Championship – Group 4, Round 1
Sean O’Mahonys 2-19 Wolfe Tones 0-6
Venue: Stabannon Parnells

Sean O’Mahonys sent out a strong message in Group 4 of the Intermediate Football Championship with a commanding 19-point victory over Wolfe Tones on Sunday evening. From early in the contest it was clear that the Point Road men had too much power, pace, and accuracy, and they quickly put the game to bed with a clinical display.

For Wolfe Tones, this was their first ever appearance at Intermediate level, a huge step up for the Drogheda outfit. They began brightly and showed patches of their potential, but O’Mahonys’ greater experience and physicality ultimately proved decisive.

Explosive Start – Tones Shock O’Mahonys Early

The large Stabannon crowd had barely settled when Wolfe Tones stunned their opponents with two points inside the opening minute. From the throw-in, midfielder Sean McQuail surged forward and clipped over a superb point after just 25 seconds. Almost immediately, Garrett Cooney doubled the advantage with a neat finish from play to make it 0-2 to 0-0.

O’Mahonys steadied through Terry Kelly, who opened his account from a free after Wolfe Tones fell foul of the “three-up” rule. But the Tones hit back again when Eoghan Brennan slotted over a free on six minutes to restore their two-point cushion.

Carroll’s Goal Turns the Tide

That was as good as it got for Wolfe Tones. Within moments, Kyle Carroll announced himself with a fine two-pointer to level the contest, before delivering the game’s first hammer blow. Attempting a long-range point on ten minutes, his dropping shot deceived goalkeeper Stephen Murray-Kierans and finished in the net. Suddenly, O’Mahonys were in front and in control.

From there, they never looked back. Kelly punished indiscipline with deadly accuracy, landing two more 2-pointers from frees in quick succession, before adding another score from play. Thomas Rice got in on the act, and O’Mahonys’ attack, well supplied by the hard-running Gary Cawley, began to turn the screw.

Rice’s second point on 21 minutes, a brilliant score on the turn after Cawley’s incisive pass, epitomised O’Mahonys’ confidence. Kelly rounded out the half with another free to leave the Dundalk men 1-11 to 0-3 in front at the interval.

Second Half – Cassidy Goal Ends the Contest

If Wolfe Tones harboured any hope of a comeback, it was ended just three minutes into the second half. A slick passing move opened up the defence, with Dauda Shoyato providing the killer pass for Tiarnan Cassidy, who finished emphatically to the net.

The gap now stood at 2-11 to 0-3 and the outcome was beyond doubt. O’Mahonys played with freedom, spreading the scores among their forwards. Sean Cassidy clipped over from play, Kelly continued his exhibition from placed balls with a 45 and another 2-pointer, while Conor Finegan and Rice both tagged on tidy efforts.

To their credit, Wolfe Tones kept battling. Brennan was their standout performer, adding another free before conjuring a superb 2-pointer from distance that briefly lifted his side. But every time they struck, O’Mahonys replied instantly.

Strong Finish and Defensive Dominance

As the game entered the final stages, O’Mahonys’ bench provided fresh impetus. Substitute Stephen Kilcoyne kicked a point in injury-time to round off the scoring.

At the back, Stephen Kettle, Aaron Boyle, and Chris O’Neill were immense, shutting down Wolfe Tones’ main threats and setting the platform for wave after wave of counterattacks. Sean O’Mahonys Goalkeepers were rarely troubled and first choice Kevin Brennan picked up an injury was replaced by Eddie Maguire.

Full Time:

Sean O’Mahonys 2-19 Wolfe Tones 0-6

It was a harsh introduction to Intermediate football for Wolfe Tones, but they will take encouragement from their fast start and the accuracy of Brennan in attack. For O’Mahonys, this was the perfect way to begin their campaign, laying down an early marker as one of the teams to watch in Group 4.

Man of the Match

Terry Kelly (Sean O’Mahonys) – Kelly was the standout performer on the day, finishing with 0-12, including three ‘2-pointers’, a 45, and several frees. His precision from placed balls and ability to find space from play gave O’Mahonys a constant scoring threat and set the tone for the dominant performance.

Scorers

Sean O’Mahonys:
Terry Kelly 0-11 (0-4 frees, 3 ‘2-pointers’, 1 ’45’), Kyle Carroll 1-2 (1-0 goal, 1 ‘2-pointer’), Tiarnan Cassidy 1-0, Thomas Rice 0-3, Conor Finegan 0-1, Sean Cassidy 0-1, Stephen Kilcoyne 0-1.

Wolfe Tones:
Eoghan Brennan 0-4 (0-2 frees, 1 ‘2-pointer’), Sean McQuail 0-1, Garrett Cooney 0-1.

Teams

Sean O’Mahonys:
Kevin Brennan; Stephen Kettle, Chris O’Neill, Oisin Breen; Tiernan Cassidy, Aaron Boyle, Sean Cassidy; Gareth Hall, Luke Kelly; Thomas Rice, Conor Finegan, Conor Martin; Gary Cawley, Terry Kelly, Kyle Carroll.
Subs: Stephen Kilcoyne for Carroll, Aaron Mackin for Martin, Eddie Maguire for Brennan.

Wolfe Tones:
Stephen Murray-Kierans; Danny Byrne, Dean Haggins, Davey Bolger; Dwayne Leavy, Rhys McGovern, Sean McQuail; Sam Kelly, Mark Healy; Tadhg Rock, Chris Cudden, Garrett Cooney; Eoghan Brennan, Alan Wilton, Liam Gaffney.
Subs: Patrick Fanning for McGovern, Eoghan Clinton for Healy, Sean Flanagan for Byrne, Ciaran Ellis.