Culhane brothers sparkle as Salthill take the spoils

Moycullen 0-12

Mike Rafferty in Moycullen

THOUGH they might have being hanging on somewhat at the end, Salthill-Knocknacarra still emerged worthy winners of the West Board U20 Football Final played in Moycullen on Saturday.

In splendid conditions, the two sides threw up a thrilling competitive contest that ebbed one way and then the other, as little separated them in terms of ability and commitment. Indeed, both sides had spells of domination when the game looked to be going one way, only for the other to grasp an opportunity and turn matters in their favour.

Reflection will generally remind us of the closing stages of any game and, on this occasion, Moycullen will rue the amount of missed opportunities when they were on the comeback trail near the end. Four wides were punishment enough, but the losing margin of a point should really have been covered in that spell.

However, great credit is due to Salthill/Knocknacarra for their outstanding defensive work during that late onslaught. They got the numbers back in a packed defence and made the home side work hard for every opportunity. Also, deep in eight minutes of additional time, they enjoyed a rare breakaway in the Moycullen half and displayed great maturity in retaining possession for a long spell as they wound the clock down.

In somewhat of a rarity at underage sport, the Salthill/Knocknacarra side featured three brothers who left an outstanding mark on the game as Paddy, Mikey and Tomo Culhane contributed all bar a point of the winners’ total. Paddy got the game’s only goal after a spell in which Moycullen dominated and, in turn, it kick-started a most productive time for them in terms of scoring.

Fellow forward Tomo Culhane was a regular target man and his contribution far exceeded the five points he scored. Alongside Niall Hanahoe, midfielder Mikey Culhane shared many good moments as he also slotted over two points, with his second half long range effort a crucial score as it gave Salthill a lead they were never to lose.

While the winners were revelling in their success, Moycullen were lamenting the loss of two players who would have made a huge difference to their side as they had to line out without Paul Kelly, who was on basketball duty with the local club in Dublin, while James McLaughlin was missing through injury.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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