Clinical Curraha cruise into JFC final

Slane swept aside as the Ha seek quick return

Curraha ..............................4-2-13 (29)

Slane ...................................1-1-5 (10)

Curraha reaffirmed their status as favourites for county and provincial JFC honours with a scintillating second half performance in Skryne on Sunday evening,writes Davy Rispin.

After a lacklustre opening half, the red-hot JFC favourites demolished Slane after the restart to book a final showdown with Ballinlough.

Fresh from back-to-back relegations and a slide from Senior to Junior, the 2015 Meath and Leinster Junior champions appear firmly focused on making their stay at this level a brief one.

Appearing in their third successive semi-final, Slane stuck doggedly to their task for as long as possible, but the sheer pace, power, physicality and strength in depth of Curraha eventually proved too much as they eased to a 19-point victory.

Despite the emphatic margin, Stephen Morgan and Gavin Coyle’s side certainly did not have things all their own way during the opening half.

Following a cagey opening, Jack O’Connor edged the eventual winners in front in the eighth minute before Slane, inspired by Senan Duffy, enjoyed their best spell of the contest. The lively corner forward struck four points from play in the space of two minutes to give the Boynesiders a three-point advantage.

O’Connor replied with his second before Conor O’Farrell struck for the game’s opening goal. The full back dispossessed Peter Martyn before combining with Neil Shortall and James McEntee and coolly slotting beyond Braydon Colfer.

Diarmuid Moriarty landed a two pointer moments later to give Curraha a 1-4 to 0-4 lead after 23 minutes, but Slane were undeterred and responded in style with 1-1 in the space of a couple of minutes. Veteran Alan Harding pointed before James Grogan somehow squeezed a shot past Luke McCarthy following some persistent work by Podge McGowan.

Despite some sloppy and wasteful play throughout the opening 30 minutes, Curraha managed to nose themselves back in front before the interval. Stoppage time points from Padraic O’Hanrahan and O’Connor, the latter initially appearing to be a two pointer before only a white flag was raised, left them ahead by the minimum at the break, 1-6 to 1-5.

Whatever was said in the Curraha dressing room at half time had the desired effect.

Straight from the restart, Diarmuid Moriarty broke the ball down to O’Connor, who burst through the heart of the Slane defence before finding half time substitute Conor Moriarty. With his first touch of the contest, Conor Moriarty applied the palmed finish to give Curraha the perfect start to the second period.

That score appeared to break Slane’s resistance and the electrifying O’Connor soon curled over a two pointer to stretch the lead to six by the 37th minute. Colfer converted a ’45' for Slane’s opening score of the half, but Curraha responded by registering 1-4 in quick succession to effectively end the game as a contest.

Niall McLarnon finished Curraha’s third major, while O’Connor added another two points and O’Hanrahan and Shortall also found the target as the favourites surged into a commanding 3-12 to 1-6 lead entering the final 10 minutes.

Evan Murray blazed over in the 54th minute for what proved to be Slane’s second and final score of the half, before Curraha reeled off a further 1-5 in the closing stages to put further gloss on an emphatic victory.

Conor Moriarty cushioned home his second goal in the 55th minute, completing an impressive cameo from the substitute, while his brother Diarmuid, O’Connor, Andrew Coyle and the returning David Toner all contributed as Curraha closed out a rampant second half display and booked their place in the decider.

Curraha: Luke McCarthy; Seán Ronan, Conor O’Farrell 1-0, Seamus Hogan; Seán O’Hanrahan, Oisin Fay, Padraic O’Hanrahan (0-2); Niall McLarnon (1-0), Diarmuid Moriarty (0-3 one two-pointer); Jack O’Connor (0-8 one free, one two-pointer), Neil Shortall (0-1), James McEntee; Ruairí O’Sullivan, Brian Joyce, Ronan Flynn. Subs: Conor Moriarty (2-1) for O’Sullivan half-time, Ciaran O’Hanrahan for Flynn 41m, David Toner (0-1) for Ronan 43m, Eoghan Burke for S O’Hanrahan 52m, Andrew Coyle (0-1) for McEntee 54m.

Slane: Braydon Colfer (0-1 ’45'); Shane O’Sullivan, Evan Murray (0-1), Kyle Tallon; Ciall Flynn, Jim Marry, Tadhg Martyn; Francis Marry, Peter Martyn; James Grogan (1-0), Matthew Tully, Ethan Harding; Senan Duffy (0-4 one two-pointer), Alan Harding (0-1), Podge McGowan. Subs: Eoin Feeley for E Harding 35m, Eanna Mooney for McGowan 42m, Oisín Mooney for A Harding 55m, Sean Murray for Flynn 57m.

Referee: Liam Reddy (Duleek-Bellewstown).