Milltown dominate to claim emphatic victory over neighbours

Shay Murtagh Precast Westmeath IFC final: Milltown 3-16, Shandonagh 0-7

by Shane King

A dominant Milltown performance, capped by a ruthless start to the second half, saw them crowned intermediate football champions for the first time in their history on Sunday afternoon.

In what was expected to be a close and tense local derby, the contest proved anything but, as Milltown dictated proceedings from the off. Their devastating start to the second half, scoring 2-4 without response, proved too much for Shandonagh to overcome.

Milltown looked the better outfit from the early stages, taking a three-point lead into the break despite playing against the breeze. Shandonagh, meanwhile, struggled to get scores on the board, managing just four points from play.

The green and whites made the perfect start to the second half, with Luke Gunning opening their account with a superb two-pointer. Goals from Henry Duncan and Jarlath Boyce then effectively put the game beyond Shandonagh, who had little answer to Milltown's dominance as they claimed the Peter Geraghty Cup in a surprisingly one-sided final. The proud club, formed in 1923, has two senior titles to its credit (1938 and '42) and return to the premier grade with a promising young team.

Milltown made the brighter start on a cold autumn day in TEG Cusack Park, with a patient build-up ending in Luke Gunning fisting over the opening point.

Shandonagh responded with a point from play as Brendan Killian cut through the centre before slotting the ball over the bar.

Milltown began to assert their dominance with six points in succession. Ben McGauran started the purple patch with a pointed free before Jack Duncan followed up with a point from play after good work.

Sean Dillon then delivered a fine ball into Conor Lynn, who turned to set up Luke Gunning for a well-taken point. McGauran added his second free after Matthew Gunning made a good run, linking up with his brother Luke, who was fouled.

Matthew Gunning added a point from play after linking well with Conor Dillon, before Jack Duncan extended Milltown's lead to six points after Gunning was fouled again.

Shandonagh finally responded with two points in quick succession. Kevin Boyle scored from play following a swift team move up the field, while Ryan Donnelly added another after a good run from Danny Scahill.

Rory O'Brien added a fourth point to the Ballinea side's tally before the break, landing a fine score while being fouled, to leave three points between the sides at the interval, with Milltown leading 0-7 to 0-4.

Milltown were fastest out of the traps after the restart, opening up a commanding lead within the first seven minutes of the half.

Just a minute in, Luke Gunning struck over a superb two-pointer following a slick move involving Conor Dillon and Ben McGauran, who fed the ball to Gunning to finish.

Gathering momentum, Milltown added two further points from play. Conor Lynn scored after good work by Jack Duncan, before Conor Dillon surged through the centre, linked up with Sean Dillon and received the return pass to slot over a tidy point.

Crucially, Milltown raised two green flags in a decisive spell that turned the game firmly in their favour.

Jack Duncan gathered the opposition kick-out with ease before delivering a superb ball into Henry Duncan, who cooly slotted it to the back of the net.

Less than a minute later, Milltown won the kick-out through a superb catch by Dylan Murtagh, who was fouled in the process. Jack Duncan took the free short to Henry Duncan, who found Luke Gunning. His shot dropped short into the path of Jarlath Boyce at the mouth of the goal, and he flicked the ball to the net to put Milltown 13 points ahead and virtually end the contest.

Shandonagh eventually responded to that devastating spell when Danny Scahill converted a fine two-point free. The free was awarded after an infringement in a solo-and-go move, with Scahill calmly slotting over.

Tom Molloy was fouled minutes later, and Ryan Donnelly converted the free to reduce the deficit with 20 minutes remaining.

Milltown, however, continued to dominate possession and keep the scoreboard ticking over. Conor Lynn made a good run down the centre of the field before pointing from play, while Jack Duncan thundered down the terrace side before his shot went out for a '45. Goalkeeper Alan Geraghty came up to take the resulting kick and sent it sailing between the posts.

Milltown soon put the result beyond doubt when Conor Lynn won the resulting kick-out and embarked on a solo run. With Jack Duncan on his shoulder, Lynn delivered a well-timed pass for Duncan to finish to the back of the net and ultimately settling the outcome.

Three further points followed, with Ben McGauran pointing from a free before Conor Dillon and Conor Lynn added scores from play to complete a commanding victory and secure the Peter Geraghty Cup for the very first time amidst jubilant scenes from the Milltown contingent.

Man of the match: Jack Duncan (Milltown). The Milltown wing forward was outstanding, contributing 1-2 to the scoreboard, but his overall work rate across the field was equally impressive. His ability to win possession and set up key scores stood out. It was a superb team performance, with Luke and Matthew Gunning, Ben McGauren, Conor Lynn and Conor Dillon also in contention for the honour.

Key moment: The opening seven minutes of the second half proved decisive. Milltown’s 2-4 without response killed the game as a contest, with Henry Duncan and Jarlath Boyce’s goals the defining moments on their path to victory.

Score of the match: Luke Gunning’s two-pointer from play in the opening minute of the second half was the standout score. A superb strike at the end of a slick team move set the tone for Milltown’s second-half surge.

Match officials: Niall Ward and his officials had a solid game, managing proceedings well overall in as game that lacked intensity. A possible breach of the ‘three up’ rule by Milltown went unpenalised, but otherwise the referee and his team turned in a good performance.

Talking points: The margins were expected to be much tighter in this game, and it was overall a disappointing spectacle for the neutral. The absence of Shandonagh’s top scorer, Brian Kavanagh, due to suspension was a major loss, and the absence of key player Luke Tynan through injury also had a big impact. However, Milltown’s total dominance throughout was the main talking point.

Next up: Milltown will meet Offaly side Ballinagar in the Leinster Intermediate Football quarter-final on Saturday, November 14.

Scorers - Milltown: J Duncan 1-2 (0-2f); L Gunning 0-4 (1tp); H Duncan and J Boyce 1-0 each; C Lynn and B McGauran (3f) 0-3 each; C Dillon 0-2; M Gunning and A Geraghty (‘45) 0-1 each. Shandonagh: R Donnelly (1f) and D Scahill (tpf) 0-2 each; R O’Brien, K Boyle and B Killian 0-1 each.

Milltown: Alan Geraghty; Sean Dillon, Bernard Kiernan, Diarmuid Maguire; Matthew Gunning, Shane O’Malley, Peter Ballesty; Henry Duncan, Dylan Murtagh; Jack Duncan, Conor Dillon, Jarlath Boyce; Ben McGauran, Conor Lynn, Luke Gunning. Subs: Patrick Somers for H Duncan (41), Aidan Maguire for Ballesty (51), Frank McLoughlin for Boyce (57), Paul Mahon for L Gunning (57), Conor Gibney for O’Malley (57).

Shandonagh: Cian Molloy; Ben Treanor, Aaron Craig, Maitiú Scully; Gareth Carr, Adam Treanor, Danny Scahill; Caelum Faughnan, Eoin Conlon; Rory O’Brien, Simon Carr, Brendan Killian; Tom Molloy, Ryan Donnelly, Kevin Boyle. Subs: Jake Costello for Donnelly (49), Daire Conway for S Carr (50), Joseph Cahill for B Treanor (57), Jack O’Brien for Killian (57).

Referee: Niall Ward (Garrycastle).