Second-time lucky for Ratoath in SHC decider

Ratoath dispatched Kiltale to claim their second SHC title in a row in the SHC Final replay on Saturday.

Ratoath 2-22

Kiltale 4-10

Ratoath hit 1-7 on the spin in a crucial period before half-time as they dispatched Kiltale at the second time of asking and claimed their second SHC title in a row at Navan on Saturday. Despite playing with 14 men for the majority of the second-half, Kiltale never stopped battling and they hit 3-3 in the final 10 minutes.

Ratoath made a better start to the contest than they did last week and they raced into a 0-5 to 0-2 lead. Kiltale began to settle at the start of the second quarter and hit three points to draw level with the eventual winners. Ratoath then seized back momentum and hit 1-7 without response before the interval to lead by 10.

Kiltale came out in the second-half in search of goals and they got one within two minutes through James Kelly. However, John Donoghue’s side suffered a blow when they were reduced down to 14 men after Philip Garvey was given his marching orders.

Ratoath initially made good use of the extra man and they scored the next three points to restore the10 point gap with 15 minutes remaining. Kiltale now had to go for broke and they did outscore Ratoath by 3-3 to 1-5 in the final 10 minutes but ultimately they had left themselves too much to do.

Ratoath’s performance vastly improved from last week. In that drawn game, Ross Ryan, Hugh O’Sullivan and Peter Durnin combined for an impressive tally of 2-7. Their influence on Saturday was very well curtailed by a strong Ratoath defence and the trio only managed 0-2 between them. Darragh Kelly and Conor McGill were at the forefront of that impressive showing from the Ratoath backs.

Ratoath’s attack were potent throughout. In the first-half, Gavin McGowan, Daithi McGowan and Bryan McMahon really stood out. In the second 30 minutes, it was Podge O’Hanrahan, Niall McLarnon and Cian Rogers who delivered for the men in blue and yellow.

Ratoath raced into an early 0-5 to 0-2 lead, the highlight of which was Gavin McGowan’s point in the 8th minute. After a long diagonal ball from Darragh Kelly, the corner forward came from behind Kiltale’s Conor Ryan to rob possession and strike on the turn for a lovely score.

In the 18th minute, Peter Durnin captalised on a mistake at the back by Ratoath and brought Kiltale back to within one before Jack Regan hit the equaliser less than a minute later.

Regan’s levelling score seemed to ignite Ratoath and they used the strong wind to their advantage to hit 1-7 on the spin. Daithi McGowan, Jack McGowan, O’Hanrahan and McLarnan all contributed to the scoreboard before Gavin McGowan cut in from the right-hand side and set up Bryan McMahon for a lovely goal.

Andy Dermody’s side finished out the half with a flourish and points from O’Hanrahan, Darragh Kelly and McMahon ensured a nice half-time cushion of 1-12 to 0-5 for Ratoath.

Kiltale came out in the second-half with only goals on their mind. They showed their intent in the first minute when Regan went for a goal from a free but to no avail. However, they did raise their first green flag in the 32nd minute when Durnin’s shot on goal was initially saved but James Kelly was on hand to finish off the rebound.

Kiltale failed to make much more inroads into Ratoath’s lead in the third quarter as the eventual winners' defence snuffed out plenty of opportunities. John Donoghue’s side then suffered a major blow when Philip Garvey received two yellow cards in the space of a minute for two hefty high tackles, firstly on Rogers and then on McLarnon.

Ratoath initially took advantage of the extra man and they fired over the next three points through a brace of O’Hanrahan frees and a nice McMahon point. A well-worked move that had some nice link-up play between Cian Kelly and Bryan McMahon was polished off by O’Hanrahan.

Regan reduced the gap back to 10 before a long ball from Darragh Kelly fell nicely for Rogers and he finished to the net with a strike from the ground. It was now do-or-die time for Kiltale. Regan raised a green flag before he sent a long free into the danger zone and Adam Murphy produced a wonderful finish.

With five minutes remaining, the gap was back to seven. A hectic last five minutes included goal chances for Mark O’Sullivan and James Kelly. The two highlights were Jack Regan’s stunning goal from a free kick and Podge O’Hanrahan’s wonderful point from right in front of the dug-out.

It was Ratoath who had the final say and a superb Daithi McGowan catch and pass set up Cian Rogers who brought his personal tally to 1-2. Moments later, Masterson’s final whistle confirmed Ratoath as champions.

Ratoath - Colm O’Riordan; Liam Corbett, Ben McGowan, Conor McGill; Cian Kelly, Darragh Kelly (0-2), Domhnall Rogers; Ciaran O’Hanrahan, Jack McGowan (0-1); Niall McLarnonn (0-2), Daithi McGowan (0-3), Podge O’Hanrahan (0-8 five frees); Bryan McMahon (1-2), Cian Rogers (1-2), Gavin McGowan (0-2). Subs - Tomas Corbett for Jack McGowan 33m, Roby Hayes for Cian Kelly 59m, Tim Fitzpatrick for Ben McGowan 64m.

Kiltale - Shane McGann; Padraig Kelly, Iarla Hughes, Jack Bannon (0-1); Conor McNally, Philip Garvey (0-1), Conor Ryan; Brian O’Reilly, Fearghal McCabe; Adam Murphy (1-2), Hugh O’Sullivan (0-1), James Kelly (1-0); Peter Durnin (0-1), Ross Ryan, Jack Regan (2-3, 1-3 frees). Subs - Craig Gilsenan for Padraig Kelly, Anthony Forde (0-1) for Conor McNally both half-time, Mark O’Sullivan for Conor Ryan 41m, Cathal McCabe for Durnin 49m, Dara McVann for F McCabe 54m

Referee - Stephen Masterson (Kildalkey)