Clane come out on top over Sarsfields in Aldridge Cup decider

It was looking an extra time decider as Clane and Sarsfields were deadlocked as we entered the 63 minute of the 2025 decider of the Aldridge Cup at Manguard Park, Hawkfield, on Saturday evening.

Clane had held the upper hand for most of the game despite Sarsfields opening an early lead in the premier Kildare pre-season competition.

After Sam McCormack had leveled it up at 0-13 apiece as we reached the final minute of time added, following the kick-out, Sarsfields went on the attack, a free was awarded some 45m out, close to the stand side and into Milltown end.

However, referee Ray Cahill was alerted by a line umpire that Sarsfields had broken the 3x3 at the back and the match official had no hesitation in bringing the ball up to the Sarsfields 20m line where Sam McCormack had no difficulty in tapping over for the winning score as the final whistle arrived.

So the new rules certainly had a big impact on this game, a game with plenty of good football, fine score-taking but in the end extremely harsh to lose a game in such a manner but it makes no difference whether this type of indiscretion is in the first minute of the late in time added on, the rules are the same.

It is a certainly a lesson, not only for Sarsfields, but for every other club team, any sort of indiscipline and while many will feel the punishment doesn't match the crime in this situation, it is a matter of sucking it up and learning from the experience.

It was Clane's Tadhg Montgomery who open the scoring for the boys in white after 28 seconds but Sarsfields hit back with four points in a row from Karl and Conor Hartley and two frees from the accurate boot of Shane Doyle to lead 0-4 to 0-1 after just seven minutes.

Clane got a grip of affairs soon after that and with two excellent points from senior panelist Alan Fanning along with white flags from the influential Sean Dunne and a Sam McCormack free Clane regained the lead by a single point with 13 minutes on the clock.

It was end-to-end stuff at this stage, Sarsfields leveled up with Karl Hartley cutting in along the end line before being fouled and Shane Doyle tied it up at 0-5 apiece.

The first of the game's two-pointers arrived with Killian O'Sullivan finding the range and when Cian Costigan replied, two converted frees from Sam McCormack had the Clane boys three clear as we reached the half-way mark, Clane 0-9 Sarsfields 0-6.

Points from Daragh Ryan and Shane Doyle instantly reduced the gap on the resumption but an alert referee spotted a foul 'inside' on Alan Fanning saw Killian O'Sullivan convert a two-pointer free to restore the three point gap.
Sarsfields who played a lot better in the second half then took control land points from Conor Hartley, set up by Shea Ryan,

Conor Hartley and an excellent effort from Gavin Anderson had the sides level at 0-12 apiece with 53 minutes on the clock.
Sam McCormack found Adam Fanning but a brilliant block by Kieran Dwyer denied him.

Clane hit two wides before substitute Jake Loakman made no mistake from a free and Sarsfields were in front for the first time since the seventh minute of the opening half.

A high ball into the Sarsfields danger area caused a bit of havoc but was cleared however a free ensued, brought into the centre and Sam McCormack tied it up with 62 minutes on the clock.

The rest as they say is history; from the kick-out, The Sash awarded a free but referee informed that the Newbridge had breached the 3x3 rule, brought the ball up to the 20m line and Same McCormack hit over the winner.

A fine game and early silverware for Clane's new manager, Paul Kelly (former Naas headman) but it was a game that could have gone either way and Sarsfields boss, Vinny Walsh, will not lose too much sleep over this result.

Next up the senior league gets under way this weekend.

The season is about to officially begin.

Scorers: Clane, Sam McCormack 0-5 (5 frees), Killian O'Sullivan 0-4 (two-pointers, one free), Adam Fanning 0-2, Sean Dunne 0-1, Tadhg Montgomery 0-1, Adam Fitzpatrick 0-1.

Sarsfields, Shane Doyle 0-4 (3 frees), Conor Hartley 0-3, Conor Hartley 0-1, Daragh Ryan, Cian Costigan 0-1, Harry Redmond 0-1, Gavin Anderson 0-1, Jake Loakman 0-1 (free).

CLANE: Hugh Muldoon; Conor Walsh, Sean Callan, Cian Shanahan; James Donlon, Hugh Prendergast, Shane McCormack; Daragh Mullaly, Sean Dunne; Killian O'Sullivan, Sam McCormack, Tadhg Montgomery; Adam Fanning, Shane O'Sullivan, Oisin Tighe. Subs: Adam Fitzpatrick for Cillian O'Sullivan (39 minutes); Cormac Vizzard for Oisin Tighe (43 minutes); Shane O'Connor for Shane O'Sullivan (48 minutes); Stephen Brereton for James Donlon (61 minutes).

SARSFIELDS: Marc Courtney Byrne; Daragh Conlon, Kieran Dwyer, David Higgins; Daragh Ryan, Shea Ryan, David Shalvey; Gavin Anderson, Tadhg Hoey; Harry Redmond, Cian Costigan, Ryan Kearney; Karl Hartley, Conor Hartley, Shane Doyle. Subs: Jack Keogh for Gavin Anderson (blood sub 3-10); James Aspell for Daragh Ryan (blood sub 20-23); Jack Mahon for Tadhg Hoey (41 minutes); Jake Loakman for Daragh Conlon (43 minutes); Cian McHugh for Shane Doyle (49 minutes); Conor O'Donovan for Karl Hartley (49 minutes); James Aspell for Cian Costigan (57 minutes).

REFEREE: Ray Kelly.

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