Scotstown (Monaghan) 0-19; Kilcoo (Down) 0-16 (aet)
It may be the cusp of Christmas but this had all the high drama and athleticism of high summer involved as two Ulster heavyweights slugged it out to the end - and then some more before Rory Beggan’s Scotstown edged home in an Ulster SF club thriller at the Athletic Grounds on Saturday evening.
The aforementioned goalkeeper, who spent some of last season in the U.S. seeking to become a Grid Iron kicking specialist, showed his class off the ground in this encounter as he landed 11 of his side’s 19 points to bring home the provincial title for the first time in 36 years to Farney country.
This extra-time epic had followers of both sides and the big TV neutral audience gripped as they fought tooth and nail for final supremacy. It didn’t come in normal time or added time and indeed it was the last minute of two of extra time before Scotstown had enough daylight between the combatants to feel they were within touching distance of victory.
Even then there was the prospect of the Down men getting a late goal to force penalties but a massive block by veteran Darren Hughes foraging back on his own 14-meter line won the free that finally lifted the siege.
In defeat, you still had to commend Kilcoo for the way they fought back from being eight points in arrears to force that extra-time but they failed to forge ahead any time which may have undermine the men from An Both.
It was an intriguing game of chess from the outset as Scotstown played with the wind but Kilcoo sought to control the tempo of the game by holding onto possession for long periods. Their template was to run down the time that Scotstown could build up a score so that on the changeover they could then start landing scores, including two-pointers and kick on to a famous win.
That was the theory and part of the practice. Scotstown turned over leading by 0-6 to 0-1and you felt under the prevailing weather, it was a fragile enough lead, given how Kilcoo can run at opponents and find scores easy to come by when they get on the front foot.
The evergreen Paul Devlin led their fightback with a mighty eight-points total as they attempted to eschew a second successive reversal at this stage of the competition. And while he got his troops back to parity, neither he nor any of the Down lads could get their noses ahead, allowing a brave and never say die opponent to restart in the extra period on an even-Steven footing.
Ultimately while Kilcoo had a thirst to avoid something, the Farney boys had a great hunger to build a bridge over 36 years of hurt and rejection by claiming their fifth ever provincial crown.
At the end, it was a tribute to both teams that they had served up such smart fare while accommodating the influence of a near gale on conditions of play.
Kilcoo were marvellous at slowing the game down in the first half and the amount of possession the likes of Eugene Branagan and Shealan Johnston got on was Paudie Clifford-like from the All Ireland final.
That tactic appeared to be working for the Mournemen who would have been happy to contain their opponents to a 0-6 to 0-1 scoreline, knowing their own firepower.
Beggan, who emerged as man of the match, had other ideas and once he stroked over a “45,” it gave the Scotstown lads added confidence which was doubled as the same player performed his primary duties of making saves a tad earlier when getting down to avert a Eugene Branagan shot for goal.
Former county man Kieran Hughes shoved his side eight clear, putting it up to their opponents in no uncertain terms.
As you’d expect the Down champions responded by wresting control of the game as Darryl Branagan, Aaron Morgan and Miceal Rooney stood up in the white heat of battle.
Inevitably, it was Devlin who got the revival going with a two-pointer from a placed ball and then added several single pointers from frees as the Down men got it back to the minimum with 10 left on the clock.
If anything, they looked the more likely to kick on and win it unless Scotstown had a card up their sleeve. They had, in the person of ex All-Star Conor McCarthy, who was trying to salvage something out of an injured battered season.
Almost immediately, he earned his corn by placing Kieran Hughes for a second left-footed sliced ball that had no option but to go over the bar.
Beggan then landed his third two-pointer and with a three-point advantage, that looked like job done.
How naive we were. Kilcoo are past masters at staying cool when all appears lost and even though they were down to 14 as Shealan Johnson saw black for a foul, they were far from spent. Devlin once more gave them hope with a two-point free, and marauding full back Richie McEvoy charged forward and did the spade work to allow wing back Callum Rogers to turn over the equalizer at 0-12 each six minutes into the red time zone.
In extra time Kilcoo, perhaps unwisely, elected to play into the wind again, giving Scotstown the first advantage.
Beggan, who else, landed a two-pointer from a placed ball before adding a “45” while McCarthy was paying his passage when they needed it most with 0-3, including a magnificent two-pointer.
Although Devlin kept his side ticking over with a brace of nailed on frees, his side were four behind facing into the second 10 minute half.
When Sean Óg McCusker nonchalantly raised an orange flag early on, it looked like the tit-for-tat nature of the game would go on. It did but McCarthy then won a vital foul to allow Beggan to stroke the game back out to three - meaning a goal was needed to force equality one last time.
It never came and Scotstown's long wait from 1980 was finally over. Can they go all the way? We will find out soon as they get ready for an early New Year joust with St Brigid’s of Roscommon.
After, the hero of the hour plus some Beggan told TG4: “We would have been foolish if we didn't learn from the game last year and come in and done the exact same things. We've smart players on the pitch and the new rules help us a wee bit as well.
“In terms of what we did and what we do, that's come from learnings over the last 10 years in this competition. It's nice to finally get the monkey off the back.”
Referencing his personal tally he went on: “The opportunities were afforded to me and I was making sure that I wasn't going to be kicking myself the next couple of days at home from missed frees. I've been doing this all year and I just had to go up and treat it like it's second nature. At the end of the day, they went over, they could easily have gone wide with the breeze, but I'm happy,” he stressed.
Scotstown: R Beggan (0-11, 4tpf, 0-1f, 0-1’45) ; D Connolly, R O’Toole (0-1), D McArdle; D Murray, D Hughes, K Hughes (0-2) M McCarville, G McPhillips; Max Maguire, S Carey, F Maguire; Mattie Maguire (0-2), J McCarron, N Sherlock Subs: C McCarthy (0-3, 1tp) for F Maguire (48), K McKenna for Mattie Maguire (64)
Kilcoo: N Kane (0-2, 1 tpf); A Branagan, R McEvoy, N Branagan; M Rooney, D Branagan, C Rogers (0-1); Aaron Morgan (0-1), Anthony Morgan; C Doherty, R Johnston, S Johnston; P Devlin (0-8, 1tpf, 0-5f), J Johnston, E Branagan (0-1) Subs: J Devlin for Anthony Morgan (46), S Óg McCusker (0-3, 1tp) for J Johnston (46), B McEvoy for E Branagan (50), Morgan for Rooney (71), E Branagan for D Branagan (73)
Ref: S Hurson (Tyrone).
GAA RESULTS
Sunday 14 December
Leinster club IFC final
Sallins (Kildare) 2-11 Tubberclair (Westmeath) 2-4, Cedral
Leinster club JFC final
Grangenolvin (Kildare) 1-12 Fighting Cocks (Carlow) 1-8
Camogie All-Ireland club Intermediate final
Camross (Laois) 1-14 Ballincollig (Cork) 1-10
Ladies All-Ireland club JFC final
Muckalee (Kilkenny) 1-13 Cromane (Kerry) 2-9
Saturday 13 December
Ulster club SFC final
Scotstown (Monaghan) 0-19 Kilcoo (Down) 0-16 (AET)
Ladies All-Ireland club SFC final
Kilkerrin-Clonberne (Galway) 2-8 St. Ergnat's (Antrim) 1-5
Ladies All-Ireland club IFC final
Knockbride (Cavan) 3-10 Caltra Cuans (Galway) 0-4
Camogie All-Ireland club Junior final
Brídíní Óga (Antrim) 1-8 St Dominic's (Roscommon) 1-5
Camogie All-Ireland club Junior B final
Éire Óg, Carrickmore (Tyrone) 2-7 St Kevin's (Louth) 1-5
