Navan O’Mahony’s 0-15 Simonstown Gaels  0-13

The sun was shining and there was a large crowd in Paddy O’Brien Park for this all-Navan encounter in the Div. 2 FL, which doubled up as the Seamus Heaney Cup. Over €1300 was raised by the supporters of both clubs for the Oncology Unit in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital.

Little separated the sides throughout the entirety of the match. Simonstown opened the scoring with a converted mark after three minutes, before Aodhan Mallon equalised with a point two minutes later. Ivo Fitzherbert set up Oisín O’Brien to edge ahead in the sixth minute.

The next five minutes saw the visitors go ahead, kicking three points in quick succession. Two of these came from frees. After a number of wides for O’Mahony’s, Craig Munnelly O’Toole reduced it to a one-point game with a fisted point after O’Brien picked him out with a pass.

Simonstown nullified this quickly, and went three points up with two scores in quick succession. With the clock ticking down in the second half, Robbie Keelaghan pointed from play and Mallon added a free. One point separated the sides approaching half time until the last score of the half came from Simonstown from play.

Navan O’Mahony’s  0-05 Simonstown Gaels  0-07

Just as in the first half, there was never a sign of either side getting out of the grasp of the other. Conor Finnegan reduced the deficit to a single point. Simonstown’s first score of the second half was a two-pointer.

O’Mahony’s responded quickly, with Fitzherbert setting up Mallon for a point. Two minutes later, good combination play from Darragh Maguire and O’Brien ended with a pass to Ronan Clarke who split the posts. On the sixteen minute mark, Mallon equalised, leaving the sides level for the first time in 40 minutes.

Duggie Dillon pointed less than a minute later, with Simonstown drawing level equally as quickly. Keelaghan put his side in the in  the lead with ten minutes to go, before a five minute scoreless spell followed. Two points in the twenty-sixth and twenty-eighth minute left the advantage with Simonstown as the clock ticked down.

With a minute remaining, the sides looked set to share the points when Munnelly O’Toole fisted a point over the bar. Into injury time, Shane Maguire raised his first flag of the game. The same player stepped up again a moment later, finishing a burst of a run to disposess the Simonstown attack before Keelaghan gave O’Mahony’s an insurance point with the final score of the game.

After the game, Neil Quinn thanked everyone for their support and generosity before Mike O’Reilly received the Seamus Heaney Cup from members of the Heaney family.

Navan O’Mahony’s: Jamie O’Reilly, Darragh Murphy, Sean Betson, Dean Halpin, Darragh Maguire, Mike O’Reilly, Ivo Fitzherbert, Aodhán Mallon (0-04), Shane Maguire (0-01), Conor Finnegan (0-01), Oisín O’Brien (0-01), Duggie Dillon (0-01), Craig Munnelly O’Toole (0-02), Ronan Clarke (0-01), Robbie Keelaghan (0-04)

Sub: Evan Coffey for Clarke

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