Plunketts Preserve Senior 1 Status With Playoff Win Over Whitehall

ST OLIVER PLUNKETT/EOGHAN RUADH 2-15

WHITEHALL COLMCILLE 2-13

Image courtesy Matthew Lysaght

St Oliver Plunkett/Eoghan Ruadh produced an impressive second half display against Whitehall Colmcille at O’Toole Park on Saturday to preserve their PTSB Dublin Senior 1 Football Championship status.

Six points adrift in the early stages of the second half in a crunch relegation play-off, Plunkett’s proceeded to outscore their opponents by 1-11 to 0-6 and ultimately retain their place in the top-tier competition for 2027.

Aside from the evergreen Gareth ‘Nesty’ Smith chipping in with a personal haul of 0-5 (including a brace of two-pointers), Sean O’Connor and Conor Tyrrell also rattled the net to aid the cause of the Navan Road side. The Gannons – Lee and Sean – did register a combined 2-9 for Whitehall, but it wasn’t enough to prevent them dropping down to the Dublin Senior 2 Football Championship.

The Collins Avenue men lined up without the services of key duo Cormac Costello and Eoghan O’Donnell, and found themselves behind early on when a run from Sean Bugler created the platform for the aforementioned Smith to kick an opening score in the third minute. Lee Gannon did reply for Whitehall with a two-pointer off the outside of his right boot, but the game truly came to life when both teams found the net in quick succession.

There was just under seven minutes gone on the clock when Plunkett’s midfielder O’Connor gathered possession in towards the opposition posts and drilled a fine shot into the top right-hand corner. While this initially came as a set-back to Whitehall, they immediately went down the other end of the pitch and bagged a goal of their own through corner-forward Sean Gannon.

This was precisely the kind of lift that Whitehall required after coming into this tie off the back of a difficult end to their group stage campaign and Sean Gannon bolstered their prospects by firing over another two-pointer.

Although Sean Foran dragged a shot past the target after Plunkett’s wing-back Cillian Hayes had rattled the crossbar at the far end of the field, Peter Maloney stretched Whitehall further in front with a well-worked point.

Yet the northsiders struggled at times to seize upon a wind advantage in the opening period and saw their cushion subsequently reduced to the bare minimum when an Irinel Popa single was supplemented by a successful two-point free from netminder Cillian Campion.

There was some time remaining in the first half action and when Lee Gannon’s effort at securing another orange flag dropped short on 29 minutes, Sean Gannon on hand to claim possession and fire home his second goal of the game.

This left Whitehall four points clear (2-5 to 1-4) at the interval and even though the elements were tricky for them on the resumption, Lee Gannon and Foran both split the posts to keep their side very much in the ascendancy.

Plunkett’s didn’t panic, however, and when he was released by Bugler in the 37th minute, raiding defender Tyrrell fly-kicked to the net for the Martin Savage Park outfit’s second goal of the day. This was a major confidence boost for Plunkett’s and a spectacular two-pointer from ex-Dublin and Cavan footballer Smith had them right back in the mix moments later.

Whitehall were now coming under intense pressure, but pointed frees from Lee Gannon either side of a fine contribution by his Dublin team-mate Bugler helped them to establish a 2-9 to 2-7 buffer moving into the final-quarter.

Nevertheless, the tie was still delicately poised and parity was restored for the first time since the beginning of the action when the experienced Ted Furman knocked over a Plunkett's two-pointer in style on 52 minutes.

Despite Lee Gannon responding with another free for Whitehall, Plunkett’s suddenly regained the lead when Smith came up trumps once more with his second orange flag score of the half.  

Lee Gannon levelled matters again by curling over a free in the 57th minute, raising the possibility of extra-time in O’Toole Park. However, Plunkett’s were starting to display unerring accuracy from distance and quickfire two-pointers courtesy of Cian Maguire and Tyrrell had them four ahead moving into second-half stoppage-time.

Tempers did start to flare as the final whistle approached, but Whitehall gave themselves a fighting chance of a positive result when substitute Tony O’Sullivan registered a two-point free. There was a final chance for Colmcilles off a later attack, but Plunkett's eventually came away with possession and held out for a precious triumph.

Scorers – St Oliver Plunkett/Eoghan Ruadh: G Smith 0-5 (2 P2), C Tyrrell 1-2 (P2), S O’Connor 1-0, C Campion 0-2 (F2), C Maguire 0-2 (P2), T Furman 0-2 (P2), S Bugler, I Popa 0-1 each. Whitehall Colmcille: L Gannon 0-7 (1 P2, 4f), S Gannon 2-2 (P2), T O’Sullivan 0-2 (F2), S Foran, P Maloney 0-1 each.

St Oliver Plunkett/Eoghan Ruadh: C Campion; L Keating, J O’Donoghue, C Tyrrell; C Hayes, T Cullen, N Clerkin; S O’Connor, E Walshe; S Bugler, G Smith, B McSweeney; I Popa, L Hughes, J O’Shea. Subs: J Rouse for Walshe (36), T Furman for Hayes (44), C Maguire for Clerkin, C Walsh for Hughes, T Adamson for McSweeney (all 52).

Whitehall Colmcille: C Cummins; T Kellett, J Thorp, S Giles; L Gannon, E Moran, D Scanlon; M Moran, J McDermott; O Murray, S Foran, A McDermott; S Gannon, P Maloney, J Raftery. Subs: T O’Sullivan for Murray (44), R Kerins for A McDermott (48), Enda O’Donnell for Foran (52).

Referee: Seamus Farrelly (Ballinteer St John’s).