And breathe.
An action-packed provincial club championship Sunday has come to a thrilling close after a helter-skelter schedule threw up some nerve-riddled encounters.
Munster SHC semi-finals
Kilmallock (Limerick) 3-22 Sarsfields (Cork) 3-20
The Limerick champs came through the most enthralling of battles at Kilmallock to see off Sarsfields and set up a Munster final clash with Cratloe.
Denis Maher saw red after all of 10 seconds for the Cork men after an incident at the throw-in and, when Kieran Kennelly booted to goals for Kilmallock’s first score, it looked ominous for Sarsfields. It wasn’t to be one-sided though and, in fact, the blue jerseys took a one-point lead in at the break after Eoin Quigley raised a green flag at the other end before a fine individual run from Michael Cussen was buried as well.
A long range Brian O’Sullivan strike ended in the net after the restart for the hosts and, when Paddy O’Loughlin goaled to put six in it with time running out, Kilmallock looked to be home and hosed. But a spirited Sarsfields simply refused to go away, Kieran Murphy finding the net for his side before Cian McCarthy kept his nerve to level with two injury time frees.
The sides went point for point in an extra time battle that just never let up but, in the dying seconds, Paddy O’Loughlin and Graeme Mulcahy split the posts to snatch victory and send their side into the decider.
Cratloe (Clare) 1-18 Thurles Sarsfields (Tipperary) 0-14
It was more straight forward for the Clare men who kept their Tipperary visitors at an arm’s length in Ennis.
A Podge Collins goal was enough to keep Cratloe in the driving seat throughout and, with one Muster final place already booked, the club will turn its attention to football this week to see if they can make it a double provincial decider to look forward to.
Leinster SFC quarter-finals
Portlaoise (Laois) 0-10 St. Vincent’s (Dublin) 3-11
The All-Ireland champions ran riot in Laois against last year’s beaten Leinster finalists.
Tommy Conroy’s men sent out a warning shot to the rest of Ireland with another slick display that was up and running early on from the moment Diarmuid Connolly sent Mossy Quinn through on goals to finish.
The Laois men did work their way back into the tie with just one point separating them at the break but two second half goals courtesy of Shane Carthy’s boot had Vinny’s heading back up the road for Dublin unscathed.
Garrycastle (Westmeath) 1-11 Emmet Óg Killoe (Longford) 1-10
Garrycastle’s reward for coming through this tense affair? A semi final meeting with Vincent’s.
The Westmeath men are probably best placed to tackle the Dubs but they were made to work for this one as a brave Longford outfit – fired by a first half Paddy Thompson goal – were undone nine minutes from time by a Marc McCallon green flag.
Rhode (Offaly) 4-10 Navan O’Mahony’s (Meath) 0-13
There was no hanging about for Rhode here as a four-goal display helped them put Navan to the sword en route to a semi pairing with Moorefield.
Two Glen O’Connell goals had them on their way before Niall McNamee and Brian Darby joined in on the act to secure the win.
Rathnew (Wicklow) 2-7 Moorefield (Kildare) 0-17
An on-fire Enda O’Connor led the way for a dominant Moorefield in this tie in Aughrim.
The Kildare champions needed seven white flags from their hit man O’Connor who kicked a number of long range frees to keep Moorefield ticking along nicely into the final four.
Ulster SFC quarter-finals
Slaughtneil (Derry) 0-11 Cavan Gaels (Cavan) 0-9
In a battle between Mickey Moran and Peter Canavan, it was the Derry man and the Derry men who prevailed but they had to hang on and survive a late onslaught.
Slaughtneil looked to be on course for a cruising session when they took a 0-9 to 0-4 lead into the half time interval with centre forward Chrissy Bradley leading the line but the Owenbeg wind favoured the Cavan champions in the second half and Canavan’s men rallied.
He was the hero on final day to dethrone Ballinderry a few weeks ago and he was arguably the hero again today, Gerald Bradley step forward. After the sides were separated by the minimum, the youngster’s point late on – Slaughtneil’s second of the half – helped them over the line and into a wide open semi-final with neither Crossmaglen or St. Gall’s remaining in Ulster.
St. Eunan’s (Donegal) 1-9 Roslea (Fermanagh) 0-6
Letterkenny cruised into the last four relatively unchallenged by their Fermanagh opponents.
Indeed, Roslea failed to score throughout the entire first half as Eunan’s racked up 1-5, 1-4 coming from Conal Dunne – the goal from a penalty.
Even with 13 minutes remaining, Roslea had registered just once as the Donegal men coasted through.
Connacht SFC semi-finals
Ballintubber (Mayo) 3-10 St. Brigid’s (Roscommon) 1-13
Ballintubber recorded a momentous victory over 2013 All-Ireland champions St. Brigid’s to reach their first ever Connacht senior final.
Goals from Padraic O’Connor and Alan Plunkett had them ahead at the break 2-4 to 0-7 but, after the Roscommon men worked their way back into the reckoning at McHale Park, the Mayo champs needed a Cillian O’Connor goal nine minutes from time to see them through.
Aughwillan (Leitrim) 0-6 Corofin (Galway) 7 (seven) – 20 (twenty)
The steaming Galway champions justified their 1/50 favourties tag with another blistering performance that has seen them smash their way through the county and into the provincial decider.
The Leitrim men actually put up a decent fight of it in the first half but Corofin still managed a 0-11 to 0-4 advantage by the end of it.
Then, the floodgates opened. Lord knows they will find it tougher against Ballintubber but when Corofin are in the mood, it is bloody tough to get them out of it. A Michael Lundy hat-trick inspired their seven second half goals as they waltzed back out of Leitrim with 35 points to spare.
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