Boden Beat Tullamore To Reach Leinster Decider

Image courtesy Sportsfile

BALLYBODEN ST ENDA’S 2-19

TULLAMORE 0-10

Ballyboden St Enda’s progressed to the final of the AIB Leinster Senior Club Football Championship when accounting for Tullamore by fifteen points at Glenisk O’Connor Park on Saturday afternoon.

The bulk of the damage was done in the first-half as goals from Ross McGarry and Colm Basquel (penalty) saw the Dublin champions race into a 2-12 to 0-4 lead by the interval.

With the breeze at their backs, Tullamore controlled the third quarter, kicking six points on the bounce but St Enda’s regained the initiative for the closing stages with Daire Sweeney finishing the contest with nine points to his name.  

The hosts made a lively start and took the lead in the opening minute as Cormac Egan fed Niall Plunkett for a well-taken score from the left flank.

Sweeney levelled matters three minutes later from a placed ball but Tullamore regained a deserved lead as Harry Plunkett tapped over a free following a foul on Cillian Bourke in the 6th minute.

Having been slow to settle, Ballyboden began to click into gear and pounced for the game’s opening goal in the 8th minute as Céin D’Arcy and Colm Basquel combined well to release McGarry, who sidestepped Corey White before firing into the empty net.

This score prompted a dominant period of possession for the visitors as they added to their lead through points from Ryan Basquel and Sweeney to lead by four points by the end of the first quarter.

The lively Ryan O’Dwyer gained reward for his industry with a brace of points in quick succession before Luke Plunkett offered the hosts a crumb of encouragement when kicking his team’s third point in the 18th minute.  

However, a second goal arrived for St Enda’s in the 21st minute as O’Dwyer was upended close to goal and Colm Basquel nonchalantly converted the resultant penalty as he sent White the wrong way.

The procession towards the home goal continued as O’Dwyer added another brace and a two-pointed score from Sweeney reflected the ease at which Ballyboden were cutting through the home defence.

There was little respite for Tullamore as an excellent McGarry score preceded two Ryan Basquel points as the visitors entered the break leading by fourteen points. 

The hosts were far improved in the early stages of the second-half as Bourke and Plunkett kicked points within three minutes of the restart.

However, a series of poor wides undermined their comeback ambitions as they completely controlled possession with their opponents lacking the intensity of their first-half effort.

A trio of Plunkett frees brought Tullamore’s deficit down to a more manageable nine points by the end of the third quarter but from their first attack of the half, Sweeney popped over a crucial point, turning the momentum back to Boden’s favour in the process.

Sweeney and O’Dwyer added to their personal tallies as the home challenge ran out of steam as Ballyboden’s focus turned to next week’s provincial decider at Croke Park.     

Scorers – Ballyboden St Enda’s: D Sweeney 0-9 (3f, 1 P2); R O’Dwyer 0-5; R McGarry 1-1; C Basquel 1-0 (penalty); R Basquel 0-3 (1f); C D’Arcy 0-1. Tullamore: H Plunkett 0-5 (5f); N Furlong, C Bourke 0-2 each; L Plunkett 0-1.

Ballyboden St Enda’s: H O’Sullivan; B Bobbett, C Flaherty, R Baynes; J Holland, P Warren, P Healy; C D’Arcy, A Gavin; R O’Dwyer, R McGarry, P Dunleavy; R Basquel, C Basquel, D Sweeney. Subs: H Donaghy for Gavin (36), L O’Donoghue for Dunleavy (51), C O’Dwyer for C Basquel (53), K Kennedy for Healy (56), D O’Reilly for R Basquel (59).

Tullamore: C White; B Heffernan, D Hogan, D McDaid; C Egan, J Furlong, O Keenan-Martin; C Bourke, A Leavy; D Egan, M Brazil, N Furlong; M Fox, H Plunkett, L Plunkett. Subs: L Bourke for J Furlong (18), L Dillane for Brazil (53), S Dooley for L Plunkett (63).   

Referee: Brendan Cawley (Kildare).