Landslide win for Moyle Rovers in County Minor A Football final

Moyle Rovers 6-13 Aherlow Gaels 0-9

Moyle Rovers came up trumps in this eagerly-awaited FBD Insurance County Minor A Football Championship final at Golden on Saturday afternoon, as they cemented the result of the 2025 Under 17 A final between the same sides.

On a day that was conducive to good football, this game that had promised so much in the lead-up never reached the expected heights, as the South champions ran riot over most of the game.

They totally dominated the middle third and their direct attacking opened up the Aherlow defence at will. They were sharper in most quarters and played the game on their terms as they scored three goals in each half, with 4-5 coming from open play from their full forward line alone. With the exception of a seven-minute period during the second half, when they kicked five points on the bounce, Aherlow played second fiddle to this well-drilled Rovers team.

Three first half goals, two from full forward Aaron McAndrew and one from Conal Morrisson, had this contest wrapped up by the short whistle as they led 3-6 to 0-2. They pushed on after the restart and went into a 16-point lead by the 37th minute before Aherlow hit them with five unanswered points. However, over the final quarter Moyle struck with three goals in the space of four minutes and finished out the game with a two-pointer from their top scorer Conal Morrisson.

Aaron Brazil briefly gave Aherlow the lead from a placed ball, coming up to the fourth minute, but this score was quickly cancelled out by Darragh O’Connor, before Conal Morrisson got in for goal number one after six minutes. That gave Rovers a lead that they held for the remainder of the game. Morrisson should have doubled his tally 90 seconds later but his shot was just outside the post, which was a big let-off at that stage for the West champions.

Aaron McAndrew, from a placed ball, opened his account after eleven minutes before Oisin Pearl came upfield to kick Aherlow’s lone score from open play during the opening thirty minutes. Moyle kicked on over the ten minutes before the half-time break, scoring 2-4 without reply, the goals coming from Aaron McAndrew, with goalkeeper James O’Brien landing a two-point free on the half-hour mark, to leave the South champions in a commanding position at the interval, as they led by 13 points.

After the restart, Moyle continued where they left off before the break, kicking three points over seven minutes from Darragh O’Gorman, Conal Morrisson and Conal Egan from a placed ball. Aherlow, to their credit, hit back with five unanswered minors from Aaron Brazil (two frees) and one each from Eoin O’Connell, Oisin Pearl and Christian Flanagan. However their mini-comeback petered out, as Moyle upped their game over the final quarter, outscoring Aherlow by 3-4 to 0-2.

Moyle hit three goals in a four-minute spell, the first from Joe O’Donovan after 50 minutes, which was followed two minutes later with Conal Egan getting on the end of a move started in midfield to tap home goal number five. They went on to see out the final minutes, with Conal Morrisson finding the net before closing out the scoring with a two-pointer three minutes from time.

Scorers: Moyle Rovers: Conal Morrisson (2-3, 1x2pt), Aaron McAndrew (2-1, 1f), Conal Egan (1-1, 1f), Joe O’Donovan (1-1), James O’Brien (0-2, 1x2ptf), Darragh O’Gorman (0-2), Aidan White (0-1),Liam Kelly (0-1), Conor Williams (0-1).

Aherlow Gaels: Aaron Brazil (0-3f), Oisin Pearl (0-2), Eoin O’Connell (0-2), Eoin O’Shea (0-1), Christian Flanagan (0-1).

Moyle Rovers: James O’Brien, Oisin McCarthy, Aidan White, Conor Hurley, Fergal Bradshaw, Jack Boland (captain), Conor Walsh, Liam Kelly, Fred Perry, Conal Egan, Conor Williams, Joe O’Donovan, Darragh O’Gorman, Aaron McAndrew, Conal Morrisson.

Subs: Sean Kelly for Conor Walsh (35), Ben Hoare for Conor Hurley (42), Joe Franklin for Aaron McAndrew (51), Jack Duggan for Darragh O’Gorman (51), Cillian Morrissey for Fred Perry (55).

Aherlow Gaels: Dylan Guerin, Sean Fitzgerald, Killian Peters, Donnacha O’Shea, Colm O’Shea, Padraic O’Brien, Oisin Pearl, Eoin O’Connell, Ciaran Hennessy, Eoin O’Shea, Christian Flanagan, Shane Kiely, Aaron Brazil, Calum Compton, Charlie Brazil.

Subs: Rory Maguire for Shane Kiely (41), Aaron Peters for Sean Fitzgerald (51), Sean Horan for Charlie Brazil (55).

Referee: Johnny Butler (Upperchurch Drombane).