Be yourself, but be careful.
An Spidéal of Galway and Naomh Eanna of Antrim met half-way in Navan for the All-Ireland intermediate football semi-final on Sunday afternoon.
For January, the pitch was in fine order with the sun scorching down on top of Páirc Tailteann. The champions of Connacht against the champions of Ulster with a place in the All-Ireland final at stake.
And off they went.
It was the men of Ulster, in the amber and black who started the better in county Meath. Kristian Healy got in for a goal for them after seven minutes and that sent them on their way.
CÚL!!!
É faighte ag Kristian Healy ó @NaomhEannaGAA @AIB_GAA @GAA_BEO #GAABEO pic.twitter.com/ZsuFab9X72
— Spórt TG4 (@SportTG4) January 20, 2019
Ruairí Scott was coming to his milk too and in the seventeenth minute, the lively forward put the Belfast men 2-3 to 0-3 to the good.
An Spidéal were battling away but the Naomh Eanna defence were mean and they were well on top. And then disaster struck for the Connemara men.
Big Maghnus Breathnach, who made a name for himself in Connacht when he left his goals in the rear-view mirror and won the crucial free to win the title, went walkabout again.
The ball broke into his hands and with the green grass open and tempting in front of him, he raced into it. He went for a dandy one two with a teammate except the two didn’t really land.
He dropped the return pass to the wrong man. Joe Maskey, the rangy Naomh Eanna midfielder gathered and he lashed the outside of the right at it from all of 45 yards out.
After an eternity in the air, his kick dropped past the line and into the net.
Perfection.
CÚL eile ag @NaomhEannaCLG
Agus cad é mar chúl, sin é an contúirt nuair a thagann an cúlbaire amach!@NaomhEannaCLG 3-4@CLG_AnSpideal 0-4@GAA_BEO @AntrimGAA pic.twitter.com/iTGJZs6Tha
— Spórt TG4 (@SportTG4) January 20, 2019
With many siding with the Rory Beggan school of goalkeeping recently, this is just a warning.
Naomh Eanna went on to win well and they’ll take on Kerry’s Kilcummin in the final, after the Kingdom men defeated Two Mile House in the second semi.
