Cormac Donnelly Armagh Senior Football Championship: Clann Eireann 3-13 Clan na Gael 0-15
CONOR Turbitt led the way as Clann Eireann added composure to their undoubted quality and completed a brilliant league and championship double with the fourth senior title in their history.
Any question marks over their character following last season’s semi-final loss to their neighbours were answered emphatically. Clann Eireann scored goals at the beginning, middle and end and although Clan na Gael kept pace with them in between those majors, they never buckled and, in Turbitt, had the outstanding individual.
“We tried to play the game and not the occasion and I thought the boys were brilliant,” said manager Ruairi Lavery as the party raged around him on the pitch.
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“To a man, every one of them and whoever came on were brilliant.
“Last year we felt we had control of the game and we let it slip and the Clans turned the screw and won the game. It’s like everything else, you can run away from it or you can face up to it and learn from it and I think we did this year.
“I think we’ve improved in terms of our mentality and our emotional intelligence and it’s great to see our boys go out and give that level of performance.”
Clann Eireann were worthy winners but the seven-point margin was sore on Clan na Gael. Twice they dragged themselves back into the game but they couldn’t muster the purple patch needed to turn it their way.
Ronan McMahon has guided them to back-to-back finals now and, as celebrations began in the dressingroom across the hall, the Clans manager was gracious in defeat.
“Clann Eireann were awesome at times and Conor Turbitt was phenomenal,” he said.
“It’s hard to mark a man like that when he’s on form. Last year we did a good job on him and we were hoping for the same tonight.
“We knew we would have to have loads of things go right for us and we were hoping they would lose their cool and miss chances… But everything seemed to go over for them.
“This a work in progress. The Clans won an intermediate championship in 2020, this is only 2024 and they’ve been in two senior finals. So they’re a credit and brilliant lads to work with.”
So much for the ‘cagey start’ prediction.
The clash of Shane McPartlan and Ryan Owens after the throw-in set the tone and the opening 10-minutes were frenetic.
McPartlan got the ball rolling with a free after Diarmuid O’Hagan had been fouled but that was the only time the Clans led. Their advantage was brief.
Owens – who kept tight shackles on Niall Henderson – showed for a mark which was brought forward and upgraded to a free after some needless back chat.
Clan na Gael switched off, Clann Eireann didn’t and Emmett Magee caught them napping.
Turbitt tapped the ball to him and he hammered it into net and the Clans were playing catch-up.
Stefan Campbell and Turbitt traded points and ‘Turbo’ added another from play from the restart to make it 1-2 to 0-2 after six and-a-half action-packed minutes.
There was no let up.
As the Clans pushed forward they left space at the back and Tiernan Kelly exploited it with accurate kick passing. Barry McCambridge fisted another score and the Clans’ defence couldn’t get a handle on Turbitt. He drifted deep and then rejoined the play and sent a steepling shot high over the bar and Clann Eireann were five ahead and threatening to run away with it.
McPartlan, outstanding over the hour, pulled one back but then Sam McClarnon was black-carded for obstruction on McCambridge and Turbitt tapped over the free.
That was the story for the Clans. They stayed hot on their rivals’ heels but could never quite close the gap.
They came close to doing so in the second quarter of this hammer-and-tongs affair. Turbitt dropped a shot short and the Clans worked the ball to Jack Lavery who stroked over a unfussy finish. McPartlan added two more to leave just two between them.
If half-time had come then, the Clans would have gone down the tunnel happy with their comeback and full of hope for the second half.
But injury-time remained and Clann Eireann made it count.
Turbitt, in irresistible form, ended his club’s jittery spell with his fifth point, another beauty after he cut in from the wing. Then full-back Michael O’Shea broke up an attack and Clann Eireann smelt blood on the counter. Turbitt and McCambridge combined to find Jack Conlon and his left foot shot dipped over Ryan Conway into the far corner of the net.
That left it 2-6 to 0-6 at the break and the Clans needed something special to turn it around in the second half.
They got the start they wanted. Brendan O’Hagan scored a free and although Callum O’Neill, who got through a ton of work for his side, shot wide when he had time to choose a better option, Campbell popped up with an inspirational score from the right wing.
But the ball was bouncing the Lake Street men’s way. Campbell and Tiernan Kelly jousted for a break and possession ended up in the hands of Ruairi McDonald. He slotted it over the bar and Conlon did the same to erase all the Clans’ good work at the start of the half.
Clann Eireann sat back and invited the Clans to run at them. Brendan O’Hagan and McPartlan scored frees to leave four in it (2-8 to 0-10) as the final quarter began but Clann Eireann were able to get a quick kickout away and McDonald eased their nerves with another fine finish.
Campbell curled over a free but anything he could do, Turbitt could do just as well and he split the posts from the left to restore the six-point gap.
The Clans wouldn’t go quietly. A Campbell free was followed by Redmond France’s score and then, after O’Shea had smothered Lavery’s shot on the ground, Campbell’s free left three in it with five minutes left.
Again Clann Eireann got a quick kickout away and again Turbitt (again from a Kelly pass) eased the nerves and Rioghan Meehan punched the air with delight as his shot sailed over the bar.
As Clans’ combative number six Michael McConville was red-carded and his club’s dwindling hopes left the field with him but there was still time left for the coup des grace.
Kelly to Aodhan McConville, to his cousin Conor McConville, the team skipper… Goal.
The icing on the cake for joyous Clann Eireann who’ll face the Derry champions in Ulster after a party in Lurgan’s orange quarter.
Clann Eireann: E Mulholland; S Heffron, M O’Shea, C O’Carroll; B McCambridge (0-1), S McCarthy, R Owens; T Kelly, C McConville (1-0); J Conlon (1-1), D Magee, A Kelly; R McDonald (0-2), C Turbitt (0-8, 0-2 frees), E Magee (1-0)
Subs: R Meehan (0-1) for A Kelly (36), D McCarthy for Magee (36), J Magee for Conlon (51), A McConville for McDonald (56), R French for O’Carroll (4)
Yellow card: D Magee (15)
Clan na Gael: R Conway; S McClarnon, S McCann, J Lavery (0-1); N Loney, M McConville, J Brady; D O’Hagan, S McPartlan (0-6, 0-5 frees); B O’Hagan (0-2 free), N Henderson, C O’Neill; M Ward, S Campbell (0-5, 0-3 frees), D Loney
Subs: C France (0-1) for B O’Hagan (42), M Lennon for M Lennon (52), J Austin for D Loney (52)
Yellow card: Henderson (40)
Red card: M McConville (60)
Black card: McClarnon (18-28)
Referee: P Hughes (Crossmaglen)
