Champions exit despite victory

Seldom can a SFC victory have been greeted with such a lack of enthusiasm or joy as this one was at Pairc Tailteann on Saturday evening. Skyrne won this particular battle, but they lost the war failing to reach the knock-out stages and relinquishing their title at the same time, although at times they out-played Dunboyne. One of the cruel ironies for Skryne on a dank, dark evening at the Brews Hill venue was that they produced arguably their best display of the summer taking an early stranglehold and never really looking like they would be caught. Yet it was all to no avail. They led 0-9 to 0-4 at the interval and while their rate of scoring slowed down considerably in the second-half they never looked like they were going to be over-taken by a Dunboyne side who were already qualified. There was a real end-of-season feel about this game with the small crowd at no stage getting whipped up into a state of excitement with the play meandering aimlessly along at times. Defeats suffered earlier in their championship campaign cost Skryne dearly in the end and their loss to Walterstown, and inferior scoring difference, was too much of a handicap although they had chances to win this encounter by considerably more than they did. Barney Rock & Co were left to rue missed chances and they were left to think of what might have been. Paddy O'Rourke displayed some fine place-kicking skills to notch up seven points, all frees, including one exceptional score from the terrace sideline in the second-half, somehow arrowing the ball between the posts from a very awkward angle. Yet the towering Meath player also missed a penalty in the closing stages when he drove his shot straight at David Gallagher who had played most of the game at full-back, but replaced Padraig Curran for the spot-kick before resuming his normal position in front of the square. Skryne will also reflect on how a shot from the lively Mark Battersby cannoned off the bar on 46 minutes and how efforts from Kevin Mulvaney and Paddy Fox flew wide when they might easily have ended up in the net. At times Skryne produced some fine football, moving the ball around quickly and drawing fouls from a reshuffled Dunboyne side, without the injured Nigel Crawford. With a cause to play for Skryne showed far sharper get-up-and-at'em approach. In addition to O'Rourke's seven-point haul others contributed well-worked points from play including James Hegarty, Paddy Fox, Allan Carty and Battersby who was a handful for the Dunboyne defence all evening. Aidan Tuite, Carty and Martin Mulvaney were among those to show up well in an enterprising overall display from the Tara men. Dunboyne appeared preoccupied with just getting through this game and it would be understandable if they had one eye on their next assignment. At times they did show some invention with Ger Barry, Donal Lenehan and David Clarke firing over well-worked points from play. It says a lot that their top scorer was Gallagher who converted two '45s' and a free. For them it was all about trying a few players out in certain positions and see what happens. Skryne needed much more from this game. They didn't get and the champions have now lost their crown. Dunboyne - P Curran; S McKenna, D Gallagher (0-3, two '45s' free), G Timoney; S Hogan, G Watters, G Barry (0-1); G Gallagher, S McGarrell; M O'Grady, G Robinson, S Moran (0-1, free); D Lenehan (0-1), D Clarke (0-1), D Gallagher. Subs - T O'Connor for O'Grady 41mins; C Clarke for Moran 45m; C Finn for Lenehan 49m. Skyrne - F O'Rourke; T McKeown, M Mulvaney, M Jordan; J Looby, C Lenehan, J Hegarty (0-3, two frees); A Tuite, D McGoldrick; P O'Rourke (0-7, four frees, two '45s', sideline), T Giles, P Fox (0-1); K Mulvaney, A Carty (0-1), M Battersby (0-1). Subs - R McCabe for Carty 51mins. Referee - John Farrelly (Syddan).