Fr Griffin’s/Éire Óg revive memories of former glories with final win over Pearses
Fr Griffin’s/Éire Óg 3-8
Padraig Pearses 1-8
SEVENTY years on from their formation and lifting of the senior crown at their first attempt, Fr Griffin’s/Éire Óg returned to the limelight last Friday night as they overcame a determined Padraig Pearses outfit to be crowned Junior A football champions.
Surrounded by senior clubs in both football and hurling, the city side may have been long forgotten by many younger followers of Galway GAA, yet on a cold night in Ballinasloe the club relived the glory days with a county title cherished by young and old members alike.
During a passionate speech after lifting the trophy, Adrian MacPhiblin spoke about how close his club had come to folding before an amalgamation just a few years ago, but with three goals and an impressive tally of 3-7 from play, the fifth most successful side in Galway football history continue to move closer to a return to the big time.
From the off, both sides showcased a will to give the crowd a good attacking game, an ability to field around the middle and run at defences being key to success on a perfect evening for football.
It was John Moylan’s city side that opened the scoring after just two minutes as Stephen Killeen bolted through the middle and pointed from close range, while two interceptions from Pearses’ kick outs resulted in Paul Healy tapping over twice to give his side an early advantage.
The East Galway outfit, who have had a football wing to their club at adult level since 2013, were looking to make it back to back promotions following their Junior B triumph over Oughterard last year, and they too had success through solo runs when securing the ball in midfield as Enda Cunniffe did when getting the game’s first goal chance only to miss the target from close range.
In the opening 10 minutes, it was Stephen Killeen who was causing Pearses the most trouble, constantly using his power and pace to create chances for his side. However, the Liam Mellows hurler would be black carded in what was the first of three blacks and one red shown in a hotly contested county final.
James Clancy’s troops would finally get themselves on the board through a Tom Flannery free on 11 minutes, while soon after Kerrill Hardiman pointed following an impressive team move from one end of the pitch to the other leaving just a single point between the sides by the end of the first quarter.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
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