Leinster final ticket for Longwood

The year just keeps getting better and better for Longwood who now have a Leinster Club JFC final to look forward to after they trounced Wexford side Blackwater at Longwood on Sunday. And this was very much a trouncing with the visitors looking ragged and beaten long before the final whistle as the home team were left to toy with their opponents. Just as they have done with teams all year on the domestic front Longwood utilised their pace and power to pummel their opponents into submission and surge on to set up a provincial showdown with Louth side St Mochta's. Longwood's approach to games is on one level, straightforward enough. Mickey Burke and John Cullinane work hard to get a foothold in midfield and invariably succeed, Rory Maguire comes deep to pick up possession and causes consternation in opposite defences with his searing runs. The rest of the players are in a state of constant motion looking for angles and openings to either give or receive a pass. It's straightforward, but devilishly difficult to stop and it proved far too much for a limited Blackwater side who certainly weren't helped when they had one of their best performers - midfielder Michael Lillis - sent off midway through the second-half. It was a harsh decision and came after the Blackwater player had a brief and harmless looking altercation with Longwood's hard-working Jim Mahon who, as ever, gave a wholehearted display. Instead of inspiring them to greater efforts the red card appeared to drain the Wexford side of any remaining reserves of energy and resolve. The visitors travelled up from the little village of Blackwater on the Wexford coast. They are better known as a hurling club and they have a rich tradition in the game. Back in 1899 and 1901 they represented the Model County in the All-Ireland SHC finals. It was the era when the county champions represented the county and it seems in those days Blackwater were big guns although they lost both finals. They must have made the long trip to Longwood on Sunday morning reasonably confident of returning home with a victory. Certainly their mentors appeared hopeful before the throw-in although they also pointed out that hurling is the number one game in their area. Longwood played into the wind in the opening half however, they had the slope in their favour and soon after the start they began to get their short passing game moving, punching little holes in a Blackwater backline that looked woefully short of pace. Points from Aaron Ennis (two), Michael Weir, Wayne Leonard and Eoin Lynch put the home side into a 0-5 to 0-0 lead after 15 minutes and the template of the game was established. Lynch had a good chance for a goal. Wisely he opted to shoot over. Any time Blackwater attacked they were met with a solid white defensive wall. The Wexford side eventually did get on the scoreboard when their centre-forward Johnny Murphy split the posts from a free to leave it 0-6 to 0-1 on the scoreboard. By half-time it was 0-8 to 0-3. The visitors bagged only two points from play and that says a lot about the potency of their attack, one of them coming from Murphy the other from Denis Carroll. Contrast that with Longwood's statistics. Seven of their players got on the scoresheet with Maguire leading the way with four points, two frees, while Lynch and Aaron Ennis each split the posts three times. One of the most important aspects of Longwood's game is the way they swiftly pass the ball around. A perfect example of just how dangerous they can be in this department came early in the second-half. The move started deep in their own half and ended with the ball nestling in the net for the only goal of the game. Corner-back James Colgan, who had a good game, did well to win the ball close to his own goals. He passed to Lynch and Maguire, Mahon, Burke and Leonard were all involved in getting the ball forward. Leonard did well to flick the ball to Karl Ennis who found himself in front of goals with only Blackwater's Sean Furlong to beat. His shot was partially blocked however, the ball carried enough power to make it into the net. "That's it now," said one observer on the sideline and there was never any real threat from then on that the home side would be dislodged from their perch. Longwood manager Mark McDonagh made a raft of substitutions late on to give players an opportunity to get a run out and see what they could do. McDonagh knew at that stage that it was all over and this week he will be turning his attention to St Mocthas and how he can extend Longwood's great run to one more game at least. Longwood - J Cully; C Greene, E Dixon, J Colgan; B Hanna, V Byrne, J Mahon; J Cullinane, M Burke (0-1); E Lynch (0-3), M Weir (0-1), K Ennis (1-1); A Ennis (0-3), W Leonard (0-2), R Maguire (0-4, two frees). Subs - C Lynch for Weir 48 mins; P Bannon for K Ennis 51m; K Cleary for A Ennis 53m; G Ennis for Mahon 53m. St Brigid's, Blackwater - S Furlong; J Mooney, E Byrne, M Moran; A Roche, E Leacy, K O'Brien; P O'Leary (0-2), M Lillis; D Carroll (0-1), J Murphy (0-3, two frees), J O'Leary; P Murphy, L Leacy, K Murphy. Subs - D Clarke for Moran 16 mins; J Neville for P Murphy 52m; S Cash for L Leacy 53m. Referee - Fergal Kelly (Longford).