2024/2025 TUS Corn Dhonncha Uí Nuanáin (Under 19 B Football) Final – Cashel Community School 1-8 Coláiste na Sceilge 1-5

Cashel Community School defeated Coláiste na Sceilge by 1-8 to 1-5 in the TUS Corn Dhonncha Uí Nuanáin (Under 19 B Football) Final on Saturday February 8th at Ballyagran.

---

Niall Hallissey goal key to Cashel beating Coláiste na Sceilge in Munster final

Report by Tom Clancy courtesy of the Irish Examiner newspaper

Corn Dhonncha Uí Nuanáin final: Cashel Community School 1-8 Coláiste na Sceilge 1-5

A controlled and measured Cashel Community School collected the Corn Dhonnacha Uí Nuanáin Munster B Post Primary Schools football crown after doing enough to see off Coláiste na Sceilge in Ballyagran.

Played at the Limerick venue with dry but cold conditions, this contest was kept alive right to the final whistle by the Kerry side, but they’d left themselves too much to do against a strong and athletic Cashel outfit.

The winners will point to the key opening goal from Niall Hallissey, which took the wind out of the Sceilge challenge, as the crucial moment. The losing side did find a stoppage time goal from sub Ryan O’Connor, but the clock beat them after an entertaining contest.

Cashel Community School follow in the footsteps of Tipperary town school, Abbey CBS, who won this competition in both 2022 and 2023. They led this game for all bar a total of ninety seconds.

Leading from captain Sam Hall’s opening minute free, the Premier side were pegged back when Michael Scanlon’s dropping shot went over via the crossbar. However, the reply was swift, as Charlie Walsh curled over a free from close range.

Possession and territory was certainly in the winners’ favour for most of the first half, with Hall curling their first from play on the quarter mark before adding another when a goal looked likely.

Hall was at the end of a Tom O’Driscoll and Niall Hallissey counter attack, but blazed his shot over to extend the lead. Colliding with the keeper, David Murphy, Hall certainly was curtailed with an ankle problem for much of the remainder.

By half-time it was 0-5 to 0-2, with Rory O’Mahony and Tom Clifford (free) exchanging points late in the half. Cashel had also registered five wides as they looked to kill off the Kingdom hope.

However, after soaking up the early Cashel pressure after the resumption, Coláiste na Sceilge found a great point from David Kennedy with their first shot before Clifford made no mistake with a free. Suddenly, it was a one point game.

The game defining goal arrived soon after, with Hallissey pouncing on a breaking ball to drill to the net. Niall Hallissey’s dropping shot was a contest between Seamus Kennedy and the goalkeeper allowing the Cashel King Cormacs forward the space to blast to the net.

Crucially, Enda Sheehan got the next score for Gearóid O’Driscoll’s men, but Cashel hit back with two quick-fire points. Ryan O’Sullivan curled two beautiful efforts within sixty seconds to open up a five point lead. Walsh’s late free looked to have sealed it but Sheehan fed O’Connor who scrambled the ball home with a minute remaining.

The Kerry students couldn’t muster another opening and the silverware heads back to Tipperary after a quality team display, under the stewardship of Robert Costigan and Paddy Carroll.

Scorers for Cashel Community School: N Hallissey 1-0; S Hall 0-3 (0-1 free); C Walsh (0-2 frees), R O’Sullivan 0-2 each; R O’Mahony 0-1.

Scorers for Coláiste na Sceilge: R O’Connor 1-0; T Clifford 0-2 (0-2 frees); M Scanlan, D Kennedy, E Sheehan 0-1 each.

CASHEL COMMUNITY SCHOOL: E O’Neill (Cashel King Cormacs); A Tobin (Clonmel Óg), C Lonergan (Golden Kilfeacle), T O’Driscoll (Knockavilla Donaskeigh Kickhams); C Ryan (Cashel King Cormacs), N O’Flynn (Fethard), S Kennedy (Clonoulty Rossmore); S Cooney (Clerihan), C Walsh (Fethard); H Fogarty (Golden Kilfeacle), S Hall (Golden Kilfeacle) (Capt), R O’Mahony (Fethard); N Hallissey (Cashel King Cormacs), C Bourke (Rosegreen), R O’Sullivan (Clerihan).
Subs: C Hall (Golden-Kilfeacle) for Fogarty (43); B O’Donoghue (Cashel King Cormacs) for O’Sullivan (52); W Colville (Rosegreen) for Bourke (52); B Gleeson (Boherlahan-Dulla) for S Hall (57).

COLÁISTE NA SCEILGE: D Murphy (Reenard); M Scanlan (St. Michaels/Foilmore), N O’Sullivan (St. Michaels/Foilmore), C Casey (St. Michaels/Foilmore); P O’Sullivan (Waterville), D Surgrue ((St. Michaels/Foilmore), J Moriarty (Reenard); S Goggin (St. Michaels/Foilmore), A Quigley (Valentia); E Sheehan (St. Michaels/Foilmore), D Kennedy (Skellig Rangers), J Curran (Valentia); T Clifford (Sneem/Derrynane), F O’Sullivan (Reenard), C O’Sullivan (Sneem/Derrynane).
Subs: J Kidd (Valentia) for Moriarty (38); R O’Connor (Piarsaigh na Dromoda) for C O’Sullivan (55); B O’Connell (Reenard) for Curran (55).

Referee: T McGrath (Oola, Limerick).