Oola secure hard fought Limerick Premier U20 football semi-final win over Cappagh-Rathkeale

“SEMI-FINALS are always nerve-wracking. We didn't take the chances to kill the game off before half-time but we held our nerve right at the end,” was how manager Derek Ryan summed up Oola's narrow 2-8 to 1-10 vicory over the Cappagh-Rathkeale amalgamation in the Limerick Premier U-20 football semi-final on the 4G GAA pitch at ULs North Campus on Saturday evening.

Despite dominating the first half after two early goals, Oola were trailing by three going into the final quarter, but held their nerve to edge home with the game's final score a minute from the end of regulation time.

Oola will now go forward to meet Mungret St Paul's in the Limerick Premier U20 football final.

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In a game where Cappagh-Rathkeale's dominance of primary possession was matched by their opponents' speed on the break, the result could have gone either way in a chaotic final quarter. 

However, when push came to shove, it was Oola's composure under pressure that delivered their ticket to the decider.

Oola soaked up sustained early pressure from the kickout and got their reward when Donal Coughlan fisted over a point at the end of a break.

Cappagh-Rathkeale's dominance of the middle third around the ball-winning capabilities of Aidan O'Shea and Markus Vang led to Scott Murphy's equalising point from a free and Jack Keogh's score under pressure.

However, the lead was short-lived as Dylan McGrath won the resulting kickout, soloed up the middle past the challenges and laid off to Paddy Ryan to bury in the net for Oola.

No sooner had Donal Coughlan's overhead fist to a long delivery flashed just wide of the upright than Tom Ryan's rasper thundered back off the far post and Paddy Ryan pounced on the rebound for his secod goal of the semi-final.

However, the O'Shea-Vang axis was still mopping up the lion's share of the primary possession allowing O'Shea's two-pointer score and Seán McDonnell at the end of a long pass to steady the Deelside ship going into the second quarter.

A free brought into the 20-metre line for dissent allowed Tom Ryan to move Oola's advantage back out to three points. However, they were still being pressed back into their own half and were drawn into conceding frees to Murphy and John Fitzgerald as the lead narrowed to a single point 2-2 to 0-7 at the break.

Within minutes of the restart, Cappagh-Rathkeale thought they had grabbed the lead, but Darragh O'Carroll's goal was chalked off for a square ball.

However, the advantage finally changed hands as steady pressure drew another foul for Murphy to equalise and then follow up with a point off a pass and return with O'Carroll that flashed into the corner beyond Cian McGrath.

That should have been the West Limerick team's signal to march on, but their attacks began to lose focus and, coming up to the three-quarter mark, John Stokes and Coughlan brought Oola back to within a point with further scores.

There the gap stayed for another eight minutes as both sides failed to find the target but, just as Cappagh-Rathkeale looked like taking advantage of their dominance of the middle third, they conceded a foul and then contested the decision for Tom Ryan to equalise from tap-over range.

When substitute Pakie Richardson and brother Éamonn followed up with further scores, it was advantage Oola.

However, the Cappagh-Rathkeale pressure continued and drew a pair of fouls for Fitzgerald to send over and equalise with two minutes to go.

However, a long clearance from defence found Coughlan restoring the East Limerick team's lead. Cappagh-Rathkeale launched all-out attack but, when they found the space to respond, Eoin Dee's last shot of the game drifted just wide of the upright.

SCORERS: OOLA: Paddy Ryan M 2-0, Donal Coughlan 0-3, Tom Ryan B 0-2 (2 frees), John Stokes, Pakie Richardson, Éamonn Richardson 0-1 each. CAPPAGH-RATHKEALE: Scott Murphy 1-4 (0-2 frees, 0-2 2xfree), John Fitzgerald 0-3 (3 frees), Aidan O'Shea 0-2 (1 2x), Jack Keogh 0-1.

OOLA: Cian McGrath; Pádraig Crowe, Sean Ryan R, Fionn Roche; Éamonn Richardson, Paddy Downey, John Stokes; Dylan McGrath, Darragh Coughlan; Seán Hanley, Tom Ryan B, Seán McDonnell; Steve O'Grady, Donal Coughlan, Paddy Ryan M. SUB: Pakie Richardson for Seán McDonnell (49 minutes).

CAPPAGH-RATHKEALE: Ben Cremin (Cappagh); Gearóid Lowry (Cappagh), Eoin Dee (Cappagh), Alan Walsh (Rathkeale); Maurice Lenihan (Cappagh), Markus Vang (Cappagh), Jack Geoghegan (Rathkeale); Aidan O'Shea (Cappagh), Sonny Madigan (Cappagh); Cian Costello (Cappagh), Fintan McNamara (Rathkeale), Jack Keogh (Rathkeale); Darragh O'Carroll (Cappagh), John Fitzgerald (Cappagh), Scott Murphy (Cappagh). SUB: Declan Walsh (Cappagh) for Gearóid Lowry (36 minutes).

REFEREE: Mike Browne (Dromcollogher-Broadford).