NACB Finals – Philadelphia, September 2005 Junior B Quarter-final Setanta San Diego GFC vs Philadelphia Donegal GFC Setanta San Diego opened the defence of the Junior B crown they so valiantly won in Boulder, Colorado in 2004 with a match against the toughest possible opening opponents they could have faced. The home team, Philadelphia Donegal, had won the NACB intermediate title 2 years previously but had regraded down two divisions this year, an unprecedented move at this level. The early afternoon temperature was hot but thankfully the East coast humidity was not as oppressive as had been feared. Setanta started brightly with a few flowing moves that unfortunately failed to yield a score. Philadelphia were much more efficient and picked off two points in quick succession. As befitting champions, Setanta responded sharply. A good clearance from pacey corner-back Geoff Barnett, who had an impressive game, found Barry Caulfield in the right-half forward position. Caulfield turned his marker and then switched on the after-burners as he accelerated past another defender and unleashed a ferocious shot across the Philadelphia goalkeeper into the top corner of the net for an incredible goal. The goal set off a spark in Setanta who immediately launched another attack through Colm Conneely, who played the ball to midfielder Eoin O’Neill. O’Neill fed corner forward Anto Carolan who quickly laid the ball off to the onrushing centre-half forward Jason “YoYo” Giles. Giles unleashed a ferocious shot which rebounded off the keeper but Giles was first to react and buried the ball into the back of the net. In spite of this whirlwind start, Philadelphia responded well and started to dominate midfield. This provided a solid foundation for Philadelphia for the rest of the game and they duly made their mark on the scoreboard with a series of points from their dynamic full-forwards. Setanta were struggling to provide a decent supply of ball to their full forwards with Rory ‘Hips’ O’Loughlin and Anto Carolan forced to feed off scraps for large periods of the game. Setanta got back on the scoreboard when Anto Carolan found his way blocked but was able to pass the ball to left-half forward Conor Smith, who calmly slotted the ball over the bar for a valuable point. Philadelphia hit Setanta with two sucker punches however when a high ball into the Setanta box was punched to the back of the net by a Philadelphia forward which appeared to be a square ball. However, controversial referee, “Red” Declan Gallagher from Donegal, allowed the goal to stand. With Setanta still stunned, Philadelphia scored another goal when their right corner-forward cut inside the Setanta defence and blasted the ball past Adrian Callaghan in the Setanta goal. Jason Giles tried to get Setanta back into the game when he barged past two defenders and struck a beautiful left-footed point. Philadelphia’s dominance at midfield ensured they had a constant supply to their forward line and they tacked on another two points before half-time to leave the Half-time score: Setanta 2-2 v Philadelphia Donegal 2-10 Setanta started the second half in lively fashion as they attempted to wrest control of the midfield sector from Philadelphia. Captain Ray McCormack tried to lift his troops as Setanta tightened up in defence and managed to cut out goalscoring opportunities for Philadelphia. Philadelphia’s momentum carried through from the first half as they scored another two points to leave Setanta trailing by ten. Half-backs, Donal Sheridan, Colm Conneely and Steven Glynn, all of whom had been under severe pressure for most of the game, became more prominent and contributed to win vital possession that led to Jason Giles responding with a point before Conor Smith knocked over a trademark free to reduce the deficit. Setanta were still struggling through the middle however and this led to the introduction of Scott McBrayer for Vinnie McCarthy, who was suffering from the flu. McBrayer brought fire and passion to the midfield and made a dramatic impact as he outjumped and outfought the Philadelphia midfielders. Setanta still had difficulty making possession count on the scoreboard but on an incisive foray they won a free in front of the Philadelphia goal, one of the few concessions made by the referee to Setanta. In spite of having six defenders on the goal line, Barry Caulfield stepped up and drilled the ball low and hard into the back of the net to give Setanta hope. After this, both teams exchanged scores with Jason Giles, now playing at corner-forward having switched with Anto Carolan, getting his third point of the contest. Philadelphia were still finding points easier to come by and extended their lead yet again. Setanta kept foraging but the continuing scarcity of supply to the full forwards Jason Giles and the busy Rory O’Laughlin meant that Setanta lacked penetration. Anto Carolan completed a period of Setanta pressure by scoring a nice point but this was to be Setanta’s last score of the game. Philadelphia rounded out the scoring with another point shortly before the final whistle and so eliminated Setanta from the competition. It was an ignominious way to lose their crown but Setanta defended their title as best they could given the strength of the opposition and some inexplicable refereeing decisions. The venue for the finals was the Riverview fields which ominously were situated beside a prison. For Setanta, there would be no escape from defeat. Final Score: Setanta San Diego 3-06 v Philadelphia Donegal 2-17 Scorers: Jason Giles(Kerry) 1-3 Barry Caulfield (Dublin) 2-0 Conor Smith (Dublin) 0-2 Anto Carolan (Louth) 0-1 Setanta: Callaghan, Barnett, McCormack(Capt), Sheridan, Conneely, Glynn, O'Neill, McCarthy, B Caulfield, Giles, Smith, O'Loughlin, Carolan Subs: McBrayer for McCarthy