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Final score farce as hurlers
go out
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Confusion as referee
messes up score Monaghan...0-19 (B. O’Brien 0-8 (0-5 frees, 2 ’65s); S. Lambe 0-5 (4 frees); M. Dolan 0-2; M. Greaney 0-1; A. Hughes 0-1; P. Dowdall 0-1; B. Phelan 0-1) Donegal...1-15 (K. Campbell 1-8 (1-5 free, 1’65); L. Henderson 0-2; C. Dowds 0-2; N. Campbell 0-2; C. McLaughlin 0-1) by Damian Dowds, Inishowen Independent, in Clones DONEGAL exited the Rackard Cup in Clones on Saturday afternoon, but the game ended in farce after referee Brendan Sweeney told the Donegal players that they had won by a point, only to reverse that outcome after 20 minutes of consultation with his officials in the bowels of the Gerry Arthurs Stand. Sweeney had told Donegal players that they had won by 1-16 to 0-18, a result that would have seen Donegal advance to the quarter-finals. However, after discussing the result with his officials, the word came that Monaghan had won by 0-19 to 1-15. No further explanation was offered, but one can only surmise that Sweeney credited a point scored by Monaghan to Donegal. Whatever the reason, Donegal are out and Monaghan and Tyrone advance to the Rackard Cup quarter-finals. |
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Donegal played only in fits
and starts over the 70 minutes but led by four points as
the game entered its final phase. However, the accurate
free-taking of midfielder Bernard O’Brien brought
Monaghan back to parity and he hit the game’s final
score – a tremendous, long-distance free from the
junction of the 65m line and the sideline – in injury
time to give Monaghan the win. O’Brien had opened the scoring for Monaghan when he converted a free awarded for a Donegal foul at the throw-in, but Donegal hit five unanswered points – three Kevin Campbell placed balls and two from play from the lively Lee Henderson – to lead by 0-5 to 0-1 after ten minutes. Michael Dolan and Stephen Lambe pulled a couple of points back for the home side but a 22nd minute Kevin Campbell free put Donegal three clear and cruising. |
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However, Donegal were
posted missing for a ten minute spell as tactical
changes enabled Monaghan to reel off five unanswered
points and assume a two point lead. Monaghan withdrew
Michael Dolan out the field to create a two-man full
forward line. But to their credit, veterans Anthony
McDaid and Barry Friel dealt comfortably with the speed
and craft of their direct opponents. On the few occasions when the Monaghan men broke through on goal, they found Ryan Scanlon in superb form between the posts and the Setanta ’keeper made a series of top quality saves. With Dolan out the field Donegal full back Ciaran Dowds was, after some delay, given instruction from the sideline to play a roving role around the middle rather than a holding role at the centre of defence. The change suited the Burt man and he got on the end of a good move involving Sean McVeigh and Lee Henderson to strike Donegal’s seventh point two minutes before the break. His club colleague Niall Campbell added another Donegal point but Bernard O’Brien gave Monaghan a 0-9 to 0-8 half-time lead with the conversion of a 65m free. Kevin Campbell and Bernard O’Brien swapped frees early in the second half and Monaghan were leading by 0-11 to 0-9 when Lee Henderson was fouled on the right wing some 25m from goal. Monaghan put five men on the goal-line, but Kevin Campbell rifled a low Paul Flynn-style shot to the back of the net to give his side a massive shot in the arm. Centre forward Stephen Lambe drew Monaghan level from the puck out, before substitute Conor McLaughlin slipped his marker to score a fine point and restore Donegal’s lead. Moments later Enda McDermott combined with Ciaran Dowds for the latter to point from close range as Donegal entered something of a purple patch. An O’Brien free pulled a point back for Monaghan, but two Kevin Campbell frees and a super 50m solo run that resulted in a point for the Setanta man put Donegal 1-14 to 0-13 ahead as the game entered its final quarter. But just as they had in the first half, Donegal threw away their lead. Monaghan were attacking in waves and keeper Scanlon made a good save at his near-hand post from Galway-native Michael Greaney. Moments later Ciaran Dowds was on hand to block a goal-bound shot from Brian McGuigan out for a 65. Two pointed 65s and a free from O’Brien, and a point from play from his midfield partner Brian Phelan drew Monaghan level in the 65th minute. The referee wasn’t the only one having problems with the score at this stage – the scoreboard operator had also lost the plot and the scoreboard indicated that Donegal was a point ahead. A Stephen Lambe free put Monaghan 0-18 to 1-14 ahead four minutes from time and play was further delayed when St Eunan’s Colm Breathnach suffered a bad leg injury and had to be replaced by Warren Scanlon. As the game entered injury time Donegal mounted their final attack. Ciaran Dowds passed to Enda McDermott who released Niall Campbell some 30m from goal on the right. With the scoreboard wrongly showing that the sides were level, Campbell tapped over when he could have carried the sliotar and shot for goal. To underline the farcical score-keeping, Campbell’s point was recorded on three levels: it put Donegal two points ahead in the referee’s notebook, put them a point ahead on the electronic scoreboard, but in reality it simply drew them level. A wild swing on an opponent Paddy Hannigan deep in injury time resulted in a yellow card and a free to Monaghan. It was Hannigan’s second yellow card, but given his difficulty in keeping track of the score it was no surprise that referee Sweeney wasn’t able to keep track of bookings either and he failed to issue the Mac Cumhaill’s man with a red card. However, the supremely accurate O’Brien converted the free from more than 80m out and tight to the sideline to give Monaghan their disputed win. Monaghan: Michael McHugh; Aidan Kerr, David Connolly, Paul Murphy; Padraig Dowdall, Jim McHugh, Gordon Coleman; Bernard O’Brien, Brian Phelan; Éanna Mac Suibhne, Stephen Lambe, Arthur Hughes; Michael Greaney, Michael Dolan, Brian McGuigan. Subs: Declan Crowe for A. Hughes (53 mins); Kevin Boylan for E. Mac Suibhne (55 mins); Donegal: Ryan Scanlon; Anthony McDaid, Ciaran Dowds, Barry Friel; Paddy Hannigan, Mickey McCann, Colm Breathnach; Danny Cullen, Ger Dwyer; Kevin Campbell, Enda McDermott, Niall Campbell; Lee Henderson, Eugene Organ, Sean McVeigh. Subs: Conor McLaughlin for E. Organ (half-time); Warren Scanlon for C. Breathnach (70 mins). For full coverage of all your weekend sport, read the Inishowen Independent. |
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