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You are > Home > IT Tralee passes final exam
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Thursday, March 04, 2010
IT Tralee passes final exam
BY FINTAN O’TOOLE
IT Tralee 2-06 Trinity College 0-10
THEY’VE seen great days in the Sigerson Cup in recent years, but IT Tralee’s celebration after lifting the Trench Cup on Saturday afternoon were just as joyous and fervoured.
The decision to regrade to the Trench Cup this year after a few seasons of under-performing at Sigerson Cup level was firmly vindicated as IT Tralee staved off the determined challenge of Trinity College in a pulsating final.
Played in Leixlip GAA club in Kildare, IT Tralee demonstrated their battling credentials with this two-point win, just as they had done in Friday’s 0-12 to 0-10 semi-final victory against Waterford IT.
IT Tralee manager John Sugrue paid tribute to his players resolve at the final whistle.
"It was a cliffhanger there in the finish. It wasn’t really football that brought us through more hard work," the South Kerry man said.
"In the first-half with the wind we didn’t control the ball as much as we wanted to. But we have been that way, we have tended to play better against the wind.
"We took a decision at the start of the year that we weren’t competing well enough at Sigerson. If you’re not competing in a competition there’s no point in being in it.
"We took a decision to go down to Trench and we said we’d have a right crack off it. The attitude and commitment of the guys has been exceptional, on dirty, wet nights in Tralee. I’m just delighted for those guys."
IT Tralee started with eight Kerry players in their starting 15 and a few of those produced sterling displays.
Skellig Rangers’ Gary O’Driscoll was inspirational at midfield, John Mitchels’ Alan O’Donoghue worked extremely hard in the full-forward line while back in defence, St Pats Blennerville’s Shane Brosnan played a captain’s role at full-back.
The main man though was John Mitchels’ Paul O’Donoghue who deservedly won the man-of-the-match accolade at the final whistle.
The first-half was a keenly contested affair with IT Tralee’s two goals proving crucial.
They enjoyed a huge slice of fortune with their opening strike in the sixth minute when Brendan Poff’s longrange free was horribly misjudged by the Trinity College goalkeeper and dropped into the net.
Then in the 22nd minute, they grabbed their second goal with a fantastic team move being finished expertly by Corkman Denis Crowley.
Trinity College’s main dangerman was Fermanagh cornerforward Thomas Corrigan and his five point scoring spree kept them in touch as they trailed 2-3 to 0-6 at the interval.
It was Trinity College that started the second-half the brighter and three points on the trot meant they had drawn level by the 45th minute at 2-3 to 0-9.
However, IT Tralee maintained their composure and crucially never allowed their opponents to go ahead on the scoreboard.
Manager John Sugrue made a few positional switches that worked the oracle as did the players that he sprung from the bench. Shane Hennessy, man-of-thematch for Castlegregory in the recent All-Ireland club junior football championship final, started the ball rolling with a great point in the 48th minute.
And then in the 57th minute, Skellig Rangers attacker Sean Courtney swung over a free from the left wing.
The finishing touch was applied by Michael Brennan’s point in the 59th minute. From there IT Tralee held firm for a famous win.
IT Tralee captain Shane Brosnan expressed his delight at the final whistle.
"It was a really tight game but we’ve been used to those battles. We went to extratime against Letterkenny IT in the earlier rounds, it was tight against Waterford IT on Friday and the same in the final. We’re just always managing to scrape through and I’m delighted for all the lads and John Sugrue who put in a big effort."
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