Pearses Complete Minor Double

Wednesday 14.09.2022

Club

Galbally 3-11 Cookstown 1-12

Galbally are grade two Minor double winners for 2022 after they edged past a gallant Cookstown side in a pulsating championship decider that required extra time to decide.

It was a game where the Pearses were rarely in front until two minutes from the end of extra time when they grabbed their second goal which was quickly followed by their third one. It was tough on the young Father Rocks on a night when both sets of players deserve immense praise for the quality of football that was served up.

Joseph Corrigan and Michael McElhatton traded early points before Cookstown established a 0-5 to 0-2 interval lead thanks to efforts from Charlie Hawker, Conall Sheehy and McElhatton. McElhatton stretched that advantage on the restart before Galbally responded with points from Sean Hughes and Darragh Donaghy. A well taken Sheehy point was followed by one from a Keegan Hampsey free as Cookstown led 0-8 to 0-4 going into the final quarter.

Galbally then began to pile on the pressure and two well struck frees from Eoghan O’Neill was followed by a superb “45” from the boot of Hughes to leave just the minimum between the two sides. Hampsey and Darragh Donaghy exchanged points before a free from Hughes in injury time left it all square 0-9 each to force extra time.

Cookstown drew first blood with a point from a McElhatton free and that was the only score in the first half of extra time. A Hughes free levelled matters on the restart but when McElhatton got a goal in the 4^th minute it looked like being the decisive score. Galbally though came straight down the field for Corrigan to find the net as the tension rose.

With three minutes to go a McElhatton free put Cookstown back in front but the drama was far from finished as moments later Martin Hurson got a second Galbally goal and the title was then secured when defender Mark Tally punched in a third major late on.