In a closely contested first half, there was little to separate the two teams until the final three minutes when ace marksman Christy Mc Naughton hit the men in red with a two-goal salvo that edged the 'Dall ahead at half-time on a score-line of 2.08 to 1.07. Christy had also tapped over three points from frees while Alex Delargy who was 'lording' it at midfield did likewise from play. The 'Dall mentors also played their part in turning things around when they switched Ryan Mc Cambridge to full back and re-positioned Cormac Mc Alister in the half-back line. The move worked almost instantly and suddenly the Shamrocks' forays into the Cushendall half were yielding less dividends.
Loughgiel started the second half the better team and they dominated the first ten minutes but failed to convert that superiority into scores. During this period, Loughgiel added four points but Christy Mc Naughton, living on a limited supply of ball, snatched 1.02 to keep the Ruairis' lead intact. Then came the turning point in the game when Ronan Mc Grady, who had just been introduced as a substitute, was rather harshly sent off in the 50th minute. This decision looked like it had handed the Shamrocks the incentive to go on and win the game but the men in maroon had other ideas. The forwards in particular upped their game with the likes of Sean Mc Afee, Conrad Mc Donnell and Dom Delargy turning on the style and providing a work-rate that the Loughgiel backs just could not cope with in the final ten minutes. A combination of fighting for every ball as if their lives depended on it and displaying skills of the highest order resulted in one of the best Ruairi Og team displays seen in recent times. Three goals, five points, a breath-taking ferocity and an easy-on the-eye style in the final ten minutes confirmed Ruairi Og's place in the final. The three goals from Dom Delargy(2) and Conrad Mc Donnell were top-drawer finishes and adequate reward for some great combination and support play from the forwards' division. A very game and skilful Loughgiel team who had trailed by only four points entering the final ten minutes looked somewhat shell-shocked at the final whistle to have lost by seventeen points. In truth this was a really close game for the most part but having said that the final score did not flatter the winners such was the quality of their play in those last 10 minutes - simply sublime! Final score: Ruairi Og 6.17 v 1.15 Loughgiel
How they played: Ruairi Og struggled to find their rhythm in the first half and it took two goals from Christy Mc Naughton to seemingly settle the nerves. Ryan Mc Cambridge's move to full back consolidated our defence and provided the bedrock for victory. Alex Delargy, particularly in the first half, was a major influence on the game while all the forwards in the second half showed a marked improvement playing more as unit. Christy Mc Naughton made a telling contribution throughout the game while Sean Mc Afee, Dom Delargy and Conrad Mc Donnell were outstanding in the final 20 minutes.
Team: Conor Mc Alister, Eoin Mc Manus, Cormac Mc Alister, Conor Grant, Ryan Mc Cambridge, Paddy Burke, Stephen Walsh, Eoghan Campbell, Alex Delargy(0.03), Cormac Mc Clafferty(0.01), Sean Mc Afee(0.01), Conrad Mc Donnell(1.04), Christy Mc Naughton(3.06), Dom Delargy(2.02), Andrew Delargy
Subs used: Ryan Delargy, Ronan Mc Grady & Joe Mc Curry