It was a high-noon showdown for this u15 Division 1 Shield final in a windswept Grangegodden between old rivals Gaeil Colmcille/ Loughcrew Gaels and Ratoath .
Both sides traded early scores and were level at 3pts apiece after 10 minutes on the clock.
The Gaeils were playing into a strong wind but used the ball well and found their rhythm half way through the first half with a well taken goal from Dillon Glynn and another from wing forward Charlie Fox. Eoin Smith split the uprights with a superb free out on the sideline to put the North Meath outfit 5 points ahead. Ratoath then hut a purple patch scoring 4 unanswered points (ironically they were not to score for another 30 minutes). Another point from Smith and a majestic over the shoulder point from sharpshooter Daniel Callary from the sideline gave the Gaeils a 3 point cushion at the break. 2-5 to 8pts.
The half time talk was calm and the message was ” stick to the plan” . Aided by the wind the Gaeils shifted gears and put on an exceptional display of hurling for the sizable crowd in attendance.
With the backs fully in command they kept the Ratoath forward line scoreless for the first 20 mins of the 2nd half!
At the other end the Gaeils forward line were causing all sorts of havoc, their link play and intelligent use of the ball saw Daniel Callary rattle the net twice more and Cillian Burke also raised a green flag. Charlie Fox and Dillon Glynn were ripping the Ratoath defence apart which led to further points from Smith, Callary and Fox.
With 10 mins remaining on the clock and 16 points to the good Gaeil Colmcille started to introduced as many of their 16 subs as possible, during this period Ratoath did manage 3 late goals but did find themselves still 8 points short at the final whistle.
Joint Captains Ross McDonnell and Eoin Smith gave a fantastic speech before lifting the trophy to great cheer from team mates, family and supporters.
Na Gaeils Abú
Gaeil Colmcille/Loughcrew Gaels: Ben Thornton, Luke McKeown, Mark Halpin, Anthony Gallagher, Adam D’Arcy, Ross McDonnell, Evan Connell, Michael Gormley, Conor Tunney, Charlie Fox(1-03), Eoin Smith(0-04), Conor Larkin, Dillon Glynn(1-0), Daniel Callary (2-04), Cillian Burke (1-00).
Subs used: Charlie Crawley, Donnacha Ryan, Fionn Sheridan, Matthew Lynch, Frankie McElherron, Ruairi Carry, Liam McDonnell.
Subs: Ciaran Walsh, Luke Dardis, James Carolan, Adam Gillespie, Aodhan Early, Simon Fox, Scott Brown, Hugo Morris, Conan Clarke and Jack Hand
