Armagh SFC final: Clann Éireann 3-13 Clan na Gael 0-15
Clann Éireann turned on the style in the Armagh senior football championship final with a powerhouse second-half performance to beat Clan na Gael at the Athletic Grounds.
They may have been stretched in the first half in particular but after the break they stamped their authority on the contest with their brisk, all-action style.
It was Clann Éireann who seized the initiative in the early stages when they mounted a series of attacks that kept the Clan na Gael defence at full stretch.
And Clann Éireann did not have long to wait for their reward. After Shane McPartlan had swept over a point from a free for Clan na Gael, Clann Éireann launched an incisive break which took them close to the Clan na Gael posts and when the ball broke loose, Emmet Magee pounced for an opportunist goal.
This was the signal for a concerted burst of Clann Éireann pressure that saw Conor Turbitt land a three-point blast that rocked Clan na Gael back on their heels. Their cause was not helped either when defender Sam McLarnon was shown a black card by referee Paudie Hughes.
But Clan na Gael showed considerable courage in mounting a recovery, which was highlighted by a brace of points from McPartlan and another from Jack Lavery.
It was Clann Éireann who finished the first half on a high note though. Turbitt pocketed his fifth point of the game, before the lurking Jack Conlon swept in a spectacular goal from the narrowest of angles to leave the sides deadlocked at 1-6 each at the interval.
In the second half, Clann Éireann cut loose. They were bolstered by a second goal at the start of the half which eased them into a 2-6 to 0-6 lead and when Conor McConville crashed in their third goal in the closing stages, he was merely lending further emphasis to his team’s superb overall display.
The mercurial Turbitt had brought his points tally to eight and with Jack Conlon, Rioghan Meehan and Ruairi McDonald landing points, Clann Éireann coasted to their triumph.
The all-Lurgan clash had emphasised the current strength of football in the area and will certainly have made an impact on Armagh manager Kieran McGeeney as he turns his attention towards 2025.
Clann Éireann: E Mulholland; S Heffron, M O’Shea, C O’Carroll; B McCambridge (0-1), S McCarthy, R Owens; T Kelly, C McConville (1-0); J Conlon (1-1), D Magee, A Kelly; R McDonald (0-2), C Turbitt (0-8, two frees), E Magee (1-0). Subs: D McCarthy for A Kelly (38), R Meehan (0-1) for D Magee (39), J Magee for J Conlon (41), R Frinse for C O’Carroll (63).
Clan na Gael: R Conway; S McLarnon, A McCreanor, J Lavery (0-1); N Loney, M McConville, J Brady; D O’Hagan, S McPartlan (0-6, five frees); B O’Hagan (0-2), N Henderson, C O’Neill; Brendan O’Hagan, S Campbell (0-5), D Loney. Subs: R Mioghan for Kelly (37), D McCarthy for D Magee (37), C Francie for B O’Hagan (43), M Lennon for D O’Hagan (43), J Magee for J Conlon (48), J Austin for D Loney (50).
Referee: Paudie Hughes
