Morgan Fuels Down SFC final: Burren 0-9 Kilcoo 2-12
MORE plot twists than Game of Thrones, a ‘will he, won’t he’ cliffhanger, suspense, intrigue, innuendo - what drama. What incredible drama.
And then the match started.
It’s not often that the support act upstages the main show, but that was very much the case in Newry on Sunday as a major refereeing controversy dominated the lead-up to an eagerly-anticipated Down decider between Kilcoo and Burren.
After all, these familiar foes have no shortage of recent history.
There was the unsightly brawl at the close of the clubs’ last meeting of any significance, in the league final 14 months ago, six players seeing red that night.
The guts of Conor Laverty’s Down starting 15 were pitting their wits against each other. Indeed, the Mourne County boss offered up another sub-plot, making his first start of the championship as the Magpies lifted the Frank O’Hare Cup for the 11th time in 12 years.
And that’s before you even get to the Jim McCorry factor.
A founding father of Kilcoo’s remarkable run of success, having led the club to three in-a-row between 2012-2014, the Lurgan man was back for another crack at knocking the Magpies off their perch after falling short two years ago.
No extra ingredients needed added to this particular pot; it was already simmering away nicely.
But it began to bubble with a bit more menace after Kilcoo’s objection against the appointment of referee Paul Faloon turned up the heat.
When those appeals were rejected at county, then Croke Park level, the matter looked to be over. An uneasy peace in place. Yet Sunday morning frys were still being consumed when news swirled around that, with Faloon placed in an unenviable position, David Gough had been dramatically drafted in to referee the game.
Within a couple of hours, though, the Meath whistler was also out of the picture, no longer involved.
Meanwhile the TG4 cameras were busy setting up at Pairc Esler, the swell of anticipation - as well as the morning’s off-field shenanigans - driving a bumper crowd into Newry. Yet there appeared the very real prospect of no game taking place.
Less than an hour before throw-in, there was no referee in place. Talk still swirled around about a possible week’s postponement. Text traffic for the word shitstorm reached previously unseen levels.
The hokey-cokey was finally complete with confirmation of Annaclone’s Brian Higgins as the man in the middle. But, even though the game would go ahead, a logistical mix-up saw the pre-match parade start seven minutes ahead of schedule, both sides lining up for Amhrán na bhFiann before sheepishly returning to their warm-ups.
It was just that kind of day.
Few will remember this Down final for the football, and that is a shame for the Kilcoo players who built on their best performance of the campaign against Clonduff a fortnight earlier to breeze beyond Burren.
With a bit of extra seasoning for the likes of Danny Magill, Ryan Magill, Paddy McCarthy and Odhran Murdock since the 2021 final defeat, plus the addition of Armagh’s Paddy Burns to the mix, the St Mary’s were strongly fancied to give Kilcoo plenty.
Yet, a decent opening 10 minutes aside, they were a distinct second best as the Magpies moved through the gears all too easily. It wasn’t supposed to be so straightforward.
Burren were too passive, too nice, too cautious when shooting opportunities came up. On the big stage, they didn’t turn up. Did the events of the previous few days have an effect? It’s hard to imagine they didn’t.
For a club that once set the gold standard in Ireland, another long winter awaits.
Kilcoo won’t care how anyone remembers this particular final, as long as it is their name on the trophy. Karl Lacey’s men took control before the quarter hour mark, reeling off six scores without reply, before second half goals from Miceal Rooney and a late Paul Devlin penalty sealed the deal.
“It’s special,” said the Donegal All-Ireland winner, whose side now look forward to a November 5 Ulster preliminary round clash with the winners of next weekend’s Fermanagh final between Erne Gaels and Derrygonnelly.
“They’re a special bunch of lads, special club, special community. I feel privileged to be asked to be part of it.
“It’s a pressure cooker, the Down championship. Every club is so close in terms of distance, it’s just nice now to be on the right side of it.”
For his part, referee Higgins had a relatively incident-free afternoon. Two yellow cards, shown to Ryan Magill and Eugene Branagan in the 11th minute, was as feisty as it got, the one-sided nature of proceedings ensuring any fireworks were kept in storage.
Central to Kilcoo’s victory was the towering performance of full-back Ryan McEvoy, a none-shall-pass showing that capped a remarkable fifth Down senior title success for the 22-year-old.
Alongside him was the experienced Aaron Branagan, coming in for suspended brother Niall to make his first appearance of the year after a series of injury setbacks. Bursting into tackles, moving forward with intent, it was he who set the tone from the off.
A Liam Kerr free and Dara Mussen’s long-range effort had moved Burren into an early lead, but they were unable to capitalise on that momentum – Kerr well shackled by Ceilum Doherty while powerhouse Murdock only came into the game when much of the damage had been done.
Finding gaps in the Kilcoo rearguard was proving increasingly problematic as the St Mary’s were picked off, a five point half-time deficit – 0-8 to 0-3 – leaving a huge amount to do.
Had raiding corner-back McCarthy found the net, instead of fisting wide of the uprights, two minutes into the second half, it could have been a different game. But when Miceal Rooney lashed past Kevin McKernan after Shealan Johnston’s shot dropped kindly off the upright and into his waiting arms, it was all she wrote.
The closest Burren got again was five points, but it never felt as though Kilcoo were under any threat – veteran Devlin, who finished with 1-4, adding the final flourish by slotting home a late penalty after Ryan Johnston was dragged down by Burren sub Connor Murphy five minutes into added time.
The Magpies motor on, peaking just in time for another Ulster tilt, but this was a day when the real drama happened far from the football field.
Kilcoo: N Kane (0-2, 0-1 free, 0-1 45); A Branagan (0-1), R McEvoy, E Branagan (0-1); M Rooney (1-1), D Branagan, C Laverty, C Doherty; Aaron Morgan (0-1), Anthony Morgan; R Johnston (0-1), P Devlin (1-4, 1-0 penalty, 0-2 frees), S Johnston (0-1); J Johnston, C Rooney. Subs: S Og McCusker for J Johnston (18), M Hynes for E Branagan (32), J Devlin for S Johnston (48), C Rogers for C Rooney (58), N Rogers for Laverty (60+2)
Yellow card: E Branagan (11)
Burren: K McKernan; G McGovern, A McAvoy, R Magill; P McCarthy, P Fegan, P Burns; O Murdock (0-2), R Cunningham; D Mussen (0-2), C McGovern, D Magill, L Kerr (0-3, 0-1 free); D McEntee, D O’Hare. Subs: R McGrath (0-2) for C McGovern (24), S McArdle for McEntee (43), P Poland for McAvoy (43), S Fegan for Cunningham (55), C Murphy for Mussen (58)
Yellow card: R Magill (11)
Referee: B Higgins (Annaclone)
