Late Shamrocks scoring burst seals final berth to deny valiant Rosemount

A scoring burst in the final ten minutes was enough to see Mullingar Shamrocks through to the U21 final for 2009 after an entertaining game, played in a cold and foggy Tubber across the border in Co. Offaly on Friday night last. This was always going to be a slug fest as opposed to a footballing spectacle but, in fairness to both teams, they tried valiantly to overcome the conditions and give the large attendance something to warm themselves with on a bitterly cold evening. An opening salvo from Shamrocks in which they led by seven points seemed to have settled the game as early as the 19th minute ,but they retreated somewhat into a shell and the black and ambers came rattling back at them and held them scoreless until the 49th minute. In the interim, Rosemount had levelled matters with seven unanswered points but, when the chips were down, Shamrocks' star players came to the fore. Kieran Gavin, Denis Corroon, Lorcan Smyth and, particularly, Daragh Daly hauled them back into the game and they ran out comfortable, if slightly flattering, five-point winners in the end. For their part, Rosemount will rue their many missed chances, but there is no doubt that the better team won in the end and Shamrocks will now contest the final. However, Rosemount can take encouragement from this display for the season ahead. Shamrocks started much the brighter and had the opening score on the board inside a minute when Conor Moore and Simon Quinn combined for the latter to open proceedings with a fine point. Rosemount hit back immediately with David McCormack bringing a good save from Shamrocks custodian Ronan Tyrrell. Shamrocks came back down the field with Ciaran Curley adding a lovely point to double their advantage. Rosemount then hit 4 wides in a row, all from very scorable chances and indeed the game became scrappy and disjointed, before Lorcan Smyth added a third point for Shamrocks (free), and then Quinn added another free. It was a sea of green at this stage as Rosemount really found themselves under the cosh from a rampant Shamrocks attack and that pressure told when Moore set Smyth through. Although his pile driver was superbly saved by Eoin Carberry in the Rosemount goal, Curley was on hand to tap into an empty net to put the Mullingar side 7 points up. At this stage the game looked a formality for Shamrocks and that Rosemount were just on a damage limitation exercise, but they were not going to simply lie down and roll over. And after David Malynn opened their account with a free, James Geoghegan lifted spirits superbly with a marvellous score from a very acute angle. After Shamrocks had wasted good possession, Malynn added another from close range. The first half scoring was completed by Thomas Duffy from a well worked Rosemount move that could have been even more, but at the break 3 points separated the sides, with Shamrocks leading 1-4 to 0-4. Rosemount had stifled the Shamrocks attack but they needed a good start to the second half and they got it when Duffy finished a flowing move with a well-taken point. When Malynn pointed a free moments later there was just a single point between the sides and the black and ambers had scored the last 6 points without reply. That was to become 7 when Geoghegan levelled the game with a superb score that visibly lifted not just his team but the huge Rosemount support as well. This was now the important time for both teams but in truth the game descended into mediocrity as chances were created and wasted on both sides. Shamrocks midfielder Daragh Daly rallied his troops with a marvellous score after great work by Denis Corroon. Quinn and Smyth and indeed Corroon were now really coming into the game, along with county star Kieran Gavin, and they were renewing Shamrocks' challenge. Quinn pointed a free to double the advantage, but David Tone restored Rosemount spirits when he pounced on some poor Shamrocks defending. Gavin and Corroon then combined superbly to set Curley free and the full-forward pointed again and, seconds later, Quinn struck with the outside of the boot for possibly the score of the game. Corroon should have finished matters when free near the goal but Rosemount defended stoutly to clear. Smyth finished off another fine move for Shamrocks with a well-taken score, and Curley put the gloss on the victory when he pointed almost from the kick out to put the game beyond any doubt. Daragh Daly was without doubt Shamrocks' best player over the 60 minutes and his fielding and distribution were excellent throughout. The Gavin brothers, Kieran and David, were excellent and, when older brother Kieran came out to centre-back, young David took up the mantle of his sibling superbly, slotting in at full back with consummate ease. Denis Corroon, Quinn, Smyth and Curley were others to shine, but Shamrocks will know that they were slightly fortunate at times and that they will need to improve significantly if they are to lift the title. Malynn and Mullen led Rosemount superbly from midfield while Duffy, Geoghegan and David Tone kept the Shamrocks rearguard busy, while Liam McCormack, Paddy Boland and Shane Tone were tigerish in their defending, but they simply ran out of steam toward the end. SCORERS - Shamrocks: C Curley 1-3, S Quinn 0-4 (2f), L Smyth 0-2 (1f), D Daly 0-1. Rosemount: D Malynn 0-3 (2f), T Duffy, J Geoghegan 0-2 each, D Tone 0-1. Rosemount: Eoin Carberry, Enda Boland, Liam McCormack, Luke Kelly, Eamonn Boland, Paddy Boland, Shane Tone, Declan Mullen, David Malynn, Thomas Duffy, Cyril Elliffe, Brian Clarke, David Tone, David McCormack, James Geoghegan. Sub: Emmet Heavin for Eamonn Boland (47 mins). Mullingar Shamrocks: Ronan Tyrrell, Calvin Kirwan, Kieran Gavin, Conor McEntee, Darren Masterson, Denis Corroon, Davy Gavin, Mark Collentine, Daragh Daly, Simon Quinn, Lorcan Smyth, Alan Cashman, Conor Moore, Ciaran Curley, Adam Corroon. Subs: Mark Irwin for Kirwan (38 mins), Niall Hardiman for Collentine (47), Stephen Noonan for Moore (57). Referee: Mick Gordon (Shandonagh).