Corrigan and Ennis lead Lilliput Gaels to impressive victory

Lilliput Gaels 4-14, Inny Shamrocks 0-8

Two goals in either half ensured an emphatic victory for a physically more imposing Lilliput Gaels side, who simply had too much for Inny Shamrocks, in the Westmeath Minor Football Division 3 final, at a wet Moynihan Park, Ballynacargy on Thursday evening.

The St Malachy’s/Ballinagore/Loughnavalley outfit were worthy winners, displaying fine catching and kicking skills at different times as they racked up a decent total in the tricky conditions.

The kickout is now generally a contest under the new rules and possession is fundamental to the cause, so when Lilliput Gaels completely lorded it in this department, the game was done.

It was 2-8 to 0-1 in the winners’ favour at the interval and they never looked in any danger, their comprehensive win making a mockery of the seedings and their earlier league form, with Inny Shamrocks having won when the sides met in the group stages.

Gavin Ennis’ goal in the fourth minute set the tone, the corner forward finishing to the net after his side won the kickout and Cian Corcoran slipped a perfect pass into Ennis’ midriff. It was an evening for getting the body behind the ball and there was added demand on accuracy with passing, and Lilliput Gaels edged it in this department.

They were ten points clear by the time Dylan Corrigan outmuscled the full back and booted home the second major, following Ennis’ delivery on the half hour mark.

Inny Shamrocks were resilient all through but needed a goal to make any real dent. An opportunity came in the 27th minute when Trian Leslie found Tristan Jordan, whose shot skidded off the wet surface, leading to a handling error by the opposing goalie. However, William Medford just failed to capitalise and the Lilliput Gaels defence shut the door - a goal then would have been a real boost before the break.

Inny Shamrocks were backed by the breeze in the second half and they pressed harder, testing the Lilliput Gaels defence at times, but it was strong enough to withstand the home side’s every foray forward. Cathal Keena got a classy score, after Tristan Jordan did well in midfield and James Baird delivered the ball direct, while Liam Óg Maxwell followed with another in what was a promising period.

But the Ballynacargy/Bunbrosna outfit couldn’t sustain the effort and Darragh Mulligan kicked a score that was well engineered; Corrigan was sent through the heart of the opposing cover by Corcoran at the end of the third quarter and his low drive brought the third goal. A fourth came from substitute Dylan Feery in the 53rd minute.

Afterwards, Martin Lynn, on behalf of the Westmeath Coiste na nÓg, presented the trophy to Aaron Jackson and Lilliput Gaels could celebrate a noteworthy victory, one that sets them up nicely for the championship.

Inny Shamrocks will be enthused by the performances of Cathal Keena, who kicked some nice scores, James Ruisinger, who notched the only two-pointer of the evening from a superbly struck free off the ground, Tristan Jordan and Trian Leslie. They also faced early adversity when Finn Maher was forced off with a leg injury.

However, the classy score-taking of Gavin Ennis, Cian Corcoran and Dylan Corrigan impressed, their crisp shooting ensuring Lilliput Gaels coasted.

Scorers - Lilliput Gaels: D Corrigan 2-3, G Ennis 1-3 (0-2f), D Feery 1-0, P Maloney 0-4, C Corcoran 0-3, D Mulligan 0-1.

Inny Shamrocks: C Keena 0-3 (1f), J Ruisinger 0-2 (2pt f), J Baird (free), L Óg Maxwell and P Baird 0-1 each.

Lilliput Gaels: Daire Fagan; Seán Bolger, Conor Maloney, Shane Maloney; Darragh Mulligan, David O’Malley, Eoin Carey; Aaron Jackson, Dylan Corrigan; Cian Corcoran, Paddy Maloney, Oisín McCabe; Ciaran Doran, Rory Quinn, Gavin Ennis. Subs used: Dylan Feery, Conor Robinson, Tadgh Seery.

Inny Shamrocks: Leo Penrose; Greg Penrose, Fionn Leslie, Jack Atkins; John Lyons, Trian Leslie, Dylan Brown; James Ruisinger, Tristan Jordan; Ryan Tormey, Cathal Keena, James Baird; Liam Óg Maxwell, Finn Maher, William Medford. Subs used: Ben Forde, Charlie McDonnell, Thomas Kerrigan, Peadar Baird, Aidan Heduvan, Aidan Keane, Jack Keena, Adam Coloe.

Referee: Niall Ward (Garrycastle).