Borris-Ileigh GAA Match Report
Under 19 County Final- Vs Cappawhite Gaels
November 20th 2022
Borris-Ileigh Starting Lineup
Archie Devaney
Conor Murray Colm Boyle Aaron Ryan
Cian Murphy Mikey Kennedy Eamon Groome
Tom Delaney (1pt) Eoin Boyle (1pt)
Sam Patton Eddie Ryan (12pts (8fs) (1 sideline) Patrick Brett (1pt)
Razuk Atik (1pt) Harry Gould Paddy McCormack (2-1)
Borris-Ileigh’s U19 team travelled to Templederry for a contest against Cappawhite Gaels with the county championship at stake on Sunday, the 20th of November. Borris emerged victorious against St.Pats in their semi final, a long gap of two months as schedules clashed but a tough game expected against a Gaels team that showed their quality with a win over Upperchurch last week. Borris made one change to their starting 15 with Sam Patton replacing Dan Ryan in the forward line, unpredictable weather conditions looked likely to impact the game. Both teams started sharply enough, a good sign for the north champs after the aforementioned break and Razuk Atik opening the team’s scoring with a well taken score from the left hand side, the Gaels matching soon after for a level game after 5 minutes. The Gaels showed their danger early on up front but a resolute defensive line led to Borris’ second score, the opening free success by reliable free taker and captain, Eddie Ryan. A key theme early on was the Borris toughness in the tackle which then led to excess efforts from Cappawhite which allowed a platform to launch potential attacks, both teams negating each other early on. The tide soon turned when Cappawhite continued to threaten the Borris defences with the spine of their attack standing out and fantastic battles emerging, in particular full back Colm Boyle’s frequent involvement indicating an increasing Cappawhite threat. Eddie was able to replicate his earlier free success with number 2 as the Borris boys led 3 points to 2 after 13 minutes. Tom Delaney was proving a standout in midfield early on with multiple possessions and excellent handling ability in difficult conditions and finished the quarter with an excellent solo point from the left hand side, a final positive for the team as Cappawhite regained control of the game with multiple points before scoring a goal that they deserved and a 1-4 to 5 point advantage. Paddy McCormack brought Borris’ presence back on the scoreboard with a catch and shoot success from the puckout before wing forward Paddy Brett showed quick reactions to score his first as Borris pulled back the deficit via the goal. Cappawhite however wouldn’t be deterred however and were hunting more green flags, two opportunities going amiss through dogged defending. The goal chances seemed to give Borris a wake up call as they stepped up their work rate in the middle third which garnered Eddie’s third free before a vital goal came courtesy of a Sam Patton delivery into the pocket behind the centre back where a running Paddy Mc collected possession, side stepped the goalkeeper and finished with conviction to the back of the net, a 1-7 to 1-5 advantage after 28 minutes for Borris a huge relief after the earlier backs against the walls period of play. A key positional change in the second quarter was the primary reason behind the uptick in scoring for Borris as Paddy and Eddie changed positions with Eddie now starting to open up his own scoring chances when left one on one inside, a 3 point surge from the captain (2 from play, 1 from frees) really put an exclamation point on Borris’ turnaround in the quarter and as the half arrived, a 1-10 to 1-5 advantage. As mentioned before, the opening moments of the game were tentative with perhaps a Gaels teaming coming off a tense win last week coupled with Borris’ long layoff, the Gaels gaining the upper hand early on with the goal but rued missed chances led to Borris taking control and the key reasons being the Eddie/Paddy switch, the high workrate of the backline and the likes of Tom Delaney, Eoin Boyle and Razuk Atik putting in savage yards making life difficult for Cappawhite.
The second half began perfectly for Borris as Paddy Mc replicated his goal from Tipp’s All Ireland win when he rose highest to a long free and flicked the ball past the hapless efforts of the goalkeeper to really hammer home a dominance on the scoreboard, the feeling however that all points would be needed as Gaels proved their danger in the first half and with ever changing overhead conditions at play. Eddie refused to let the conditions affect his free taking with number 5 as Borris led 2-11 to 1-5, an incredible turnaround from 1-4 to 5 points down, a 2-6 to 1 point overturn. The surge ended there however as Borris dropped back and encouraged Cappawhite on to them with multiple frees that looked dangerous near goal and a 2 point period for the Gaels, a lung busting run from Eoin Boyle resulting in a foul and Eddie’s 6th free, a welcome sight after a run without scoring. The next quarter brought little scoring but savage work rate from the Borris forwards in particular who made life very difficult for Cappawhite which had the domino effect of inferior delivery into their forwards. The work rate resulted in the point of the game when forwards Harry Gould and Paddy Brett hounded their markers before Eddie flicked the ball off a defender and scored off his left side right beside the stand as the large contingent of Borris supporters roared in support. The game then went into a period of little threat with both teams hitting aimless ball down the pitch with Borris looking slightly comfortable in defence. Eddie then stepped up for a side line cut from a difficult angle stand side to extend the gap from the Gaels before Eoin Boyle was rewarded for his constant running with a solo point as conditions continued to worsen, Cappawhite looking like they had run out of answers with Borris able to drop back their forwards to shore up any gaps. The game finished with captain Eddie scoring free’s 7 and 8 as Borris began to relax in the knowing that the game was finished which duly followed and a final score of 2-17 to 1-12 for Borris and a fully deserved U19 County Championship victory.
The key turning point in this game was the second quarter when Cappawhite failed to maximise their moment of dominance with a second and perhaps third goal, the moments proving a wake up call for Borris who really stepped up with a scoring surge led by forwards Paddy McCormack and Eddie Ryan. The positional change led to 1-3 from play in the second quarter and both players deserve huge credit for an overall contribution of 2-13 towards the final result. Another key theme of the game was the savage work rate by all lines of the team with particular emphasis on the backs in the first half under constant pressure with Colm Boyle showing great maturity in marshalling the defence and the incredible efforts put forward by the attacking line in the second half to snuff out good clean deliveries, Harry Gould in particular really came into the game. The engine room of the team really played up to the term with both Tom Delaney and Eoin Boyle getting on mountains of possession and consistent running throughout. All players could be mentioned with no weak links in this team, their resilience proven with a huge turnaround victory in the North Final down 10, a hard hitting and physical win in the semi final and a fantastic sense of game management in the final as Borris win their second county championship at the grade in three years following the 2019 success. Congratulations to players and management for their hard work, dedication and skill showcase during the year.
