Gaeil Colmcille needing a seven point victory to progress from the group came up just short as they ran out four point winners over Navan O’Mahony’s in Paddy O’Brien Park on Saturday afternoon.
Gaeil Colmcille playing with the aid of a strong breeze got off to the best possible start going 0-02 to no score up inside the opening three minutes thanks to Fionn’s Smith and Ferguson. Navan O’Mahony’s got their first score of the game but that was soon cancelled out by a Ferguson free kick.
Conditions meant scores were hard found and it wouldn’t be until the 16th minute for the next score when the home side reduced the gap to the minimum. Kells did finish the half the stronger tagging two more points thanks to the boot of Ferguson who pointed a free and a lovely score from play to see The Gaeils take a 0-05 to 0-02 lead in at the break.
With Gaeil Colmcille leading by three at the break they would need to win the second half by four to progress but that job was made harder when The Brews Hill side got the opening score of the half to reduce the gap to two. Gaeil Colmcille seemed to revel in the challenge of the conditions and found carrying the ball into the wind easier than being forced to kick it like they did in the first half and a four minute purple patch saw Kells hit four unanswered points thanks to two from Ferguson, a free from Liam Barry and a superb point by Gary McGovern.
The lead was out to six but Gaeil Colmcille couldn’t add to it and two points for Navan O’Mahony’s closed out the games scoring and was it not for an excellent save by Sean Thornton in the Gaeils goals it would have been a lot closer. The result ended in a four point victory for the Kells side but all importantly it was O’Mahony’s who advance to the Semi-Final on points difference.
Gaeil Colmcille: Sean Thornton, Taidgh Dardis, Conor Arkins, Bruno Griffin, Kilian Kelly, Fionn Smith (0-01), Daniel Farrelly, Ahmed Lawal, Evan Sheridan, Oisin O’Reilly, Gary McGovern (0-01), Liam Barry (0-01), Andrew Butler, Fionn Ferguson (0-06), Zak Griffin.
Subs: Paulie Tormay, Stephen Reddy, Harry Flanagan, Caolán McConnell, Mark Gormley, Gary Arkins.
