Rathgormack: Eastern Under-21 Football Champions 2015. | Photo: Maurice Hennebry

Rathgormack 1-19
Gaultier 1-8

A second half scoring blitz saw an impressive Rathgormack claim another Tony Kirwan-sponsored Eastern Under-21 Football title against a young Gaultier side at St Mollerans on Friday evening last.

Leading by 0-9 to 0-7 at the break after an opening half hour of quality football and excellent point taking (featuring only three wides), Rathgormack overpowered Gaultier in the second half, keeping them scoreless in the opening 17 minutes, during which they rifled 10 additional points onto their tally.

The first half’s football gave no indication of the tsunami which was to overwhelm Gaultier in the second half hour, as they initially gave as good as they got against a talented, mobile Rathgormack unit.

Man of the match Jason Curry opened the scoring for Rathgormack in the second minute, and fellow half-forward Conor Murray soon added a second.

But Gaultier responded well, and levelled matters by the seventh minute thanks to two excellent Brian Kenny points. Kenny turned provider a minute later as full-forward Luke Nolan sent Gaultier ahead, and the wind was firmly blowing in Barony sails when Tim O’Sullivan pointed on 10 minutes after super approach play from Sean White.

But back came the favourites in the 11th and 12th minutes with fine individual points from Conor Murray and Minor All-Ireland hurling winner Willie Hahessy, much to the delight of the strong Rathgormack support.

Gaultier and Deise Under-21 skipper David Whitty denied Jason Gleeson (wearing 29) a goal when brilliantly blocking in the 16th minute but Jason Curry was to edge Rathgormack ahead with a point just a minute later.

Whitty was on hand again to save Hahessy’s 18th minute shot, but the ball broke to the razor sharp Jason Curry who sent Rathgormack two points clear. Sean White converted a 21st minute free from Gaultier before Michael Curry, latching onto Gavin Sheehan’s mammoth goal kick, charged forward to kick a tremendous individual score. White added another free in the 24th minute and Gaultier showed their hunger for the fight when White’s defence-splitting pass picked out Adam O’Donoghue, only for the wing-forward to send his shot over the crossbar when a goal opportunity has clearly presented itself.

Between then and half-time, some misplaced passing in defence by Gaultier was capitalised upon by Rathgormack, with Michael Curry and Conor Murray adding to their tally.

Thereafter, it was all red and green, and as the mist thickened over Coolnamuck, this Rathgormack side suggested that, come the Senior Championship (forget not how close they ran The Nire in last year’s quarter-final), they may prove a most sticky obstacle to negotiate.

Jason Curry, full of invention (though he’ll need to keep a lid on his discipline, one suspects) opened their second half account and when Jason Gleeson added another five minutes later, Gaultier’s challenge was already on the ropes. Luke Mulligan finished off a superb passing move come the 39th minute before the superb Hahessy, as comfortable with the big ball as he is with the sliothar, finished off a fine move instigated by the equally impressive Michael Curry.

Jason Curry’s 41st minute free was soon followed by a further point from Conor Murray, and Curry struck again come the 46th minute after great combination play from Michael and Conor Murray. Gaultier, who didn’t get inside the Rathgormack 45-metre line until the 48th minute, finally opened their second half account via Caomhán McGuire, but by then the contest had long since ended.

Seven minutes from time, Jason Gleeson rifled home a powerfully struck shot into the top left hand corner of David Whitty’s net, and when Michael Curry added his third point a minute later, Rathgormack were 13 points clear. Sean White provided some consolation for Gaultier when poking the ball into Gavin Sheehan’s net in the closing minute but, fittingly, the last word went to the outstanding Jason Curry, whose injury-time point sealed an emphatic win from the men in the Comeraghs’ shadow.

Rathgormack will now face Ballinacourty in Friday’s County Final (8.30pm) after the Abbeysiders dramatically saw off Saint Olivers in the Western Final Fraher Field on Friday last by 1-12 to 0-13, registering 1-2 of their tally in the closing four minutes.

The ‘B’ Final between St Mary’s and Brickey Rangers is the curtain raiser on Friday night in Dungarvan, and is scheduled for a 7pm throw-in.

Rathgormack: Gavin Sheehan; Brian Connolly, Pádraig Hunt, Jonathan Flynn; David Connolly, Dean Kirwan, Robbie Flynn; Michael Curry, Conor Walsh; Conor Murray, Jason Curry, Willie Hahessy; Daniel Crotty Jason Gleeson, Liam Mulligan.

Substitute: Aaron Power for Daniel Crotty (57 mins).

Scorers: Jason Curry (0-7; 0-2f), Jason Gleeson (1-1), Conor Murray and Michael Curry (0-3 each), Willie Hahessy (0-2), Conor Walsh, Daniel Crotty and Liam Mulligan (0-1 each).

Gaultier: David Whitty; Stephen Lynch, Josh Cunningham, Sean Kelly, Sean Hogan, Aaron Jones, Sean Whitty; Billy O’Keeffe, Adam O’Donoghue; Tim O’Sullivan, Sean White, Caomhán McGuire; Brian Kenny, Luke Nolan, Gary Cullinane.

Substitutes: David Jones for Sean Kelly (19 mins), Sean Barlow for Gary Cullinane (50), Dean Kearns for Tim O’Sullivan and Mike Hutchinson for Luke Nolan (both 53) and Sean Kearns for Brian Kenny (58).

Scorers: Sean White (1-2; 0-2f), Brian Kenny (0-2), Adam O’Donoghue, Tim O’Sullivan, Caomhán McGuire and Luke Nolan (0-1 each).

Man of the Match (sponsored by Tony Kirwan): Jason Curry (Rathgormack)

Referee: Kieran O’Toole (Naomh Pól)

Dermot Keyes at St Mollerans

Eyes fixed on the League: Selectors Ger Power, Tony Corcoran and manager Tom McGlinchey.

“We’re very pleased with the win, 3-12 was good scoring too and it’s great to start the year with a victory like this.

“Every team starts off the year hoping to get as many matches as they can, but it’s like a lot of competitions; you enter it and the further you progress in it, the more you want to win it, especially in these secondary competitions…and it was the same with our lads; they wanted to win because if we’d put in a bad performance tonight after beating Cork, everything would have blown up on us so it was good to win.”

The management and panel’s focus, the “bread and butter” that Tom McGlinchey has extolled over recent weekends, has been all about the Division Four opener against Wicklow in Fraher Field next Saturday (throw-in: 7pm). And that, unsurprisingly, remains the mantra.

“This is fantastic preparation but as Thomas (O’Gorman) said himself in the stand there a few minutes ago, it’s all about next Saturday – the lads are very keen to get out of Division Four.”

Praising the manner in which his team didn’t panic in spite of UCC’s lively first half showing, Tom McGlinchey said that momentum was key to any team building up a head of steam.

“It’s the same for the Corks and Kilkenny of this world; players love games and hopefully now next Saturday, we can continue this on again.”

Deise centre-back Maurice O’Gorman, quietly pleased with his goal on the night, said it the win was “great for the players that I’ve played with down through the years. I know it’s only the McGrath Cup and it’s very early in the year but still it’s nice to get silverware.

“You look through the roll of honour before tonight in the McGrath Cup, Waterford only had one notch on the board, but we’ve doubled that now, which is great…

“It’s great to playing competitive football and to be winning at this time of the year, and it’s great to have four wins on the trot as well. We’ve been scoring well too and we’re fortunate to have Podge Hurney, Michael O’Halloran and Gavin Nugent have come on board, and when you add that quality, that can only help us when it comes to winning matches.”