A run of six unanswered points in the final fifteen minutes gave Wicklow victory over Donegal in a tough Nicky Rackard Cup Final.
Donegal….3-12 Wicklow…. 1-20
This was Donegal’s fifth appearance in the Nicky Rackard Cup Final, they had won three of the previous four, the latest against Mayo in 2020.
By Charlie Collins at Croke Park
These two teams had already met on three occasions this year with Wicklow winning Group matches in Division 2B of the League and this competition , both in O Donnell Park , but Donegal winning the league semi-final in Aughrim.
With a number of key players missing through injury Donegal faced a tough challenge against a strong Wicklow team who went into this one as favourites.
However, Mickey McCann’s squad has shown that they could raise their game on the big day before and prove difficult opponents and with a mixture of experience and youth they were never going to make it easy for Wicklow.
The game got off to a very lively with six points from play in the opening seven minutes , four for Donegal and two for Wicklow , Ronan McDermott with two , Ruairi Campbell and Liam McKinney for Donegal , Luke Evans and Jack Doyle for Wicklow.
We had a scoreless six minute period before Wicklow narrowed the gap to one point , Micheal Poland tapping over from play.
Donegal hit back with the game’s first goal , Ryan Hilferty drilling a super low shot to the bottom corner off the inside of the post, 1-04 to 0-03. Jack O Loughlin added a Donegal point but Wicklow hit back with an Eoin McCormack score .
Points from Christy Moorehouse and Andy O Brien for Wicklow left a goal between them but that quickly changed with a second Donegal goal. Ronan McDermott who was causing all sorts of problems , won a ball against the odds and fed Liam McKinney who blasted the ball to the net , 2-06 to 0-06 in the 22nd minute.
Christy Moorehouse converted two frees for Wicklow but Ronan and Christopher McDermott replied each time for Donegal to keep the gap at six points .
Moorehouse knocked over the last two points of the half to leave four in it at the break , 2-08 to 0-10 points in favour of Donegal.
Gerry Gilmore pointed a sideline ball to start a run of scores , mainly for Wicklow .Moorhouse , Seanie Germaine pointed and then Andy O Brien flicked a dropping ball to the net to level the scores, 2-09 to 1-12.
Danny Cullen and Brian McIntyre for Donegal and Staunton and Germaine for Wicklow kept things level , and then Luke White’s long range free put Donegal ahead again , 2-12 to 1-14.
Wicklow took over after that, their bench proving a vital assets as they hit six points in a row without reply to lead by 1-20 to 2-12 and lead by five points .
Luke White goaled from a free in injury-time to narrow that to just two but it came too late as the final whistle followed and Wicklow had won the Nicky Rackard Cup against a gallant Donegal team.
Donegal: Luke White ( 1-02), Stephen McBride, , Michael Donoghue, Padraig Doherty , Gavin Browne , Danny Cullen (0-01), Christopher McDermott (0-01), Stephen Gillespie , Jack O Loughlin (0-01), Ryan Hilferty ( 1-00 ), Ronan McDermott (0-03), Liam McKinney ( 1-01), Gerry Gilmore (0-01), Conor Gartland , Ruairi Campbell ( 0-01).
Subs ; Brian McIntyre ( 0-01)for Chris McDermott (40mins ), Sean Ward for Gartland (45mins) Richie Ryan for Campbell (47mins), Ciaran Bradley for Hilferty ( 57mins), Oisín Marley for Gilmore ( 67mins).
Referee ; James Clarke ( Cavan).
