Leinster Club Championship: Moorefield 2-9 Mullingar Shamrocks 1-6.

No joy for Mullingar Shamrocks in this first round Leinster championship match against a more experienced Moorefield team but the defeat came after a battling performance that was typical of the spirit displayed throughout the season. After three minutes of fiercely intensive football in which both sides tested their opponents defensive and tackling capabilities to the maximum, Denis Corroon opened the scoring with a pointed free and this was followed by a fine left-footed long-range effort from Tye Adamson to put Shamrocks 0-2 ahead. A Dean Moore snapshot was well saved by Thomas Corley in the Moorfield goal before Ronan Sweeney had the Kildare champions first score in the tenth minute. James Murray added a second from long range to level matters in the twelfth minute. Tye Adamson from a free restored Shamrocks lead. The final fifteen minutes of the half belonged to Adam Tyrrell as the Moorefield No.14 went on a scoring spree that effectively secured the victory. Twice he out-fielded Shamrocks defenders and goaled and added three points (two from play), to emphasise his class. Mullingar Shamrocks only response was a Dean Moore pointed free in the eighteenth minute. In the crucial last fifteen minutes Shamrocks had been outpointed 2-3 to 0-1 and were punished with a few turnovers that proved costly. Tyrrell was again on target on resumption with the opening point; in the eleventh minute Éanna O'Connor kicked a good long range point from play to extend the Moorfield lead (2-7 to 0-4). Shamrocks mounted a mini-comeback with Simon Quinn covering acres of ground and Efe Siode defending in typical manner and a Denis Corroon free and Paddy Fagan point from play reduced the deficit. Kieran Gavin was now playing at full-forward and Shamrocks began to use a less-patient more direct approach and this paid dividends in the twenty-third minute when Gavin was fouled and a penalty resulted. Dean Moore blasted to the net. However two pointed frees by the man from Kerry, Éanna O' Connor sealed the deal for Moorfield. And so what has been a brilliant championship year ended for Shamrocks and in the final analysis the task of repeating the intensity of the county final proved to be an impossible mental task in the short period of time available but every Mullingar Shamrocks player gave 100 per cent to the cause. That is all one can ask for and on the day Moorfield were deserving winners.

Mullingar Shamrocks: Philly Shaw; Eddie Moore, Kieran Gavin, Efe Siode; Killian Daly, Micheál Curley, Paddy Joyce (Billy Flynn); Denis Corroon (0-2), Daragh Daly (Brendan O'Reilly), Alan Cashman (Adam Purcell), Paddy Fagan (0-1) [Ross Corroon], Simon Quinn; Tye Adamson (0-2) [Ciarán Curley], Dónal Ó Donoghue, Dean Moore (1-1)