In the recent Tyrone Senior Football Championship final, Errigal Ciaran clinched their second title in three years, narrowly outplaying reigning champions Trillick at O’Neills Healy Park. A performance of note, Ruairi Canavan contributed six points to their victory as the team from Dunmoyle secured the O’Neill Cup once again.
Trillick, playing with the wind in their favour, took an early lead with Lee Brennan and Mattie Donnelly scoring a two-point lead while their solid defence kept the Errigal team at bay. The tide turned when the Canavan brothers scored a pair of points, with Darragh Canavan demonstrating his persistence by overcoming a shoulder injury that had caused doubts about his participation.
Brennan brought Trillick back ahead with a free from 45 meters, but an equalising long-range effort from Peter Óg McCartan marked an engaging first quarter. Joe Oguz showed his mettle in the midfield tussle, and with crucial contributions from Peter Harte, Errigal began gaining momentum. A wonderfully executed manoeuvre from Ruairi Canavan put Errigal once again in the lead.
Even with occasional signs of vulnerability in defence, goals from Ruairi Canavan and Ben McDonnell gave Errigal a two-point lead. Mattie Donnelly of Trillick showed his prowess, facilitating goals that levelled the match, finished by Lee Brennan. Eventually, a signature Darragh Canavan point put Errigal ahead with a 0-7 to 0-6 lead at the midway point. However, this lead was short-lived as Ryan Gray levelled the score yet again at the start of the second half.
Errigal gradually started to take control over the game, guided by Peter Harte, Oguz, Ben McDonnell, and Niall Kelly in their continued assaults. Trillick was faced with extinguishing numerous threats, while struggling to counterattack a rival who strived on all cylinders. Four consecutive points were scored, including two by Ruairi Canavan, which led to a four-point score gap at the 40-minute mark.
Their assurance in maintaining a well-guarded defensive line is commendable as it forced their holding adversaries to repeatedly turn the ball over, thus revealing their weaknesses. However, the game’s momentum shifted once again at the start of the last quarter. Stevie O’Donnell came to rescue, taking advantage of Mattie Donnelly’s inspiring point to send Ciaran Daly down the field for an angled goal, thus tying the score.
With the last ten minutes ticking on the scoreboard, the lead was again secured by Errigal because of Ruairi Canavan. Their outstanding and disciplined defense as well as superior game strategy lead them to triumph, further aided by vital turnovers by Eoin Kelly and Joe Oguz.
ERRIGAL CIARAN: D McAnenly; Cormac Quinn, A McCrory, Ciaran Quinn; T Colhoun, N Kelly, P Óg McCartan (0-1); B McDonnell (0-1), J Oguz; C McGinley, P Harte (0-1, f), P McGirr; D Canavan (0-2), O Robinson (0-1), R Canavan (0-6, 3f). Subs: T Canavan replaced McGinley at 39 minutes, M Kavanagh came in for Colhoun at half-time, E Kelly swapped with McCartan at 55, and P Traynor replaced McGirr at 57.
TRILLICK: J Maguire; Stevie O’Donnell, P McCaughey, D Gallagher; C Garrity, R Brennan, Seanie O’Donnell; R Donnelly, L Gray; C Daly (1-0), M Donnelly (0-2), R Gray (0-2); D Donnelly, L Brennan (0-3, 3f), J Garrity (0-1). Subs: M Gallagher came on for R Gray at 46 minutes, and D Tunney replaced Stevie O’Donnell at 59.
The referee was S Hurson from Galbally.
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