Monaleen leave it late to seal All-Ireland Intermediate Hurling Final berth

The City side will contest a first ever All-Ireland final in the new year after continuing their winning streak in Offaly.

A pair of late goals was enough for Monaleen to see off Bray Emmets and book their place in January’s All-Ireland Intermediate Hurling Final.

Andrew La Touche Cosgrave and Dan Power both raised green flags inside the last ten minutes as the Limerick side eventually pulled away for a 2-19 to 0-20 win in O’Connor Park.

The Wicklow men were ahead at the interval and even drew level following La Touche Cosgrave’s goal before Power’s timely intervention just saw them over the line as they hit the final three scores of the game.

After a starring role in the Munster final win over Roscrea where he hit 0-15, Mark O’Dwyer had to the leave the field with injury early in the second half with others standing up in his place namely Limerick U20s Donnacha O’Dalaigh and Ronan Lyons who both hit 0-4 from play.

Their reward is a meeting with Mayo Champions Tooreen who overcame Down’s Liatroim Fontenoys 1-18 to 1-14 on Sunday afternoon. They will meet in Croke Park on January 14.

In Tullamore and against the breeze, Monaleen continued in the form that saw them upset the odds in the Munster final, racing into a 0-5 to 0-2 lead with O’Dalaigh at the double. But aided by Christy Moorehouse’s accuracy from placed balls, Bray found parity which became a one point lead just prior to the break.

Ronan Lyons grabbed his first score of the game immediately after the restart and it was the first of six times in the second period that the sides were level. The same man had Monaleen ahead but with ten to play the Wicklow men were the ones in the ascendancy.

That was prior to La Touche Cosgrave’s timely intervention with seven minutes to play as he pushed his side 1-16 to 0-17 clear. But quickfire points followed from the Leinster championship who refused to give up.

But a second goal, this time from Power on 58 was the final straw with scores from La Touche Cosgrave, O’Dalaigh and Lyons easing Monaleen to the finish line and a place in the decider.

Monaleen are the first Limerick club to reach the All-Ireland Intermediate title and will look to follow Blackrock and Na Piarsaigh as the only other Treaty clubs to win national titles.

Scorers for Monaleen: Donnacha Ó Dálaigh (0-5, 1 free); Andrew La Touche Cosgrave (1-1); Ronan Lyons (0-4); Dan Power (1-0), Ed Doyle (0-3), Mark O’Dwyer (0-3, 2 frees); Luke Murphy 0-2.

Scorers for Bray Emmets: Christy Moorehouse (0-13, 11 frees); Diarmuid Masterson, Michael Boland (0-2 each), Padraig Doyle, Marc Lennon, Brian Nesbitt (all 0-1).