Navan O’Mahony’s 1-11 Simonstown Gaels 1-11

With the leads changing hands six times throughout the game, there was nothing separating the sides at the end of this all-Navan encounter, with both sides feeling they could have snatched it throughout the game.

Half forward, Jack “Gout” McConnell opened the scoring with a well taken point from play shortly after the throw-in. At the opposite end of the field, Simonstown Gaels responded with a point to draw the match after three minutes. 

Points from Jack Bellamy and Robbie Keelaghan saw Navan O’Mahony’s get their noses in front by two points. The visitors were then faced with a numerical disadvantage following the dismissal of full forward Shane McCarthy on a straight red card. A goal from play from Seamus Kenny saw Simonstown Gaels take the lead for the first time, putting them ahead by a point, which they soon followed up with a point from play.

The deficit narrowed once again following a converted free from Keelaghan in the nineteenth minute. Almost immediately afterwards, Bellamy saw his chance and took it. Bursting through the Simonstown defence, he picked his spot in the top corner and rattled the net with an excellent shot. This left Navan O’Mahony’s two points to the good, increasing to four with points from play from Keelaghan and Ciaran Vaughan.  Two scores in the closing minutes of the half from Simonstown Gaels left little between the sides at the interval, with the game very much still to play for in the second half.

Navan O’Mahony’s 1-06 Simonstown Gaels 1-04

Navan O’Mahony’s got off to a good start in the second half when Keelaghan added to his earlier tally with a point from play. There was a lull in scoring for a period before Simonstown Gaels enjoyed a purple patch. Scoring three points in a row, they chipped away at Navan O’Mahony’s lead and the sides were level after thirteen minutes. 

A free halfway through the half gave the North Navan side the lead, soon nullified by a Cormac McGuinness point. Jack Flynn gave his side the lead with a point from play with twelve minutes remaining, although this was soon reversed with three points from Simonstown Gaels, two from play and one from a free. 

Bellamy narrowed the gap between the sides with a good point from play, before being shown the line for a second yellow-card offence. With it looking like it would be Simonstown’s day, an injury time point from Flynn left the sides sharing the spoils. 

Navan O’Mahony’s: Niall Devlin, Miall Gorman, Andy Leech, Evan Murtagh, Ciaran Vaughan (0-01), Niall McGrane, Craig Nolan, Jack Walsh, Jack Bellamy (1-02), Jack McConnell (0-01), Robbie Keelaghan (0-04), Hugo Fitzherbert, Jack Flynn (0-02), Shane McCarthy, Ian Matthews

Cormac McGuinness (0-01) for Fitzherbert, Ben Forde for Keelaghan, Thomas Cully for Gorman 

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