Tempo 3-16 Coa 1-06
A physically powerful Tempo team outgunned a 14-man Coa side in a one-sided MFL Division Three final at a drizzly Brewster Park.
The winners were on top in all departments and in Ben Warnock, Owen Fee and Rian Bogue in particular, they have players with clear senior potential.
In context, all but one of Coa’s team will be underage next year where they could mount a real challenge.
And while this was not a controversial game, well handled by Shane Connolly there were conflicting views on the sending off of Coa player Ryan Gallagher following an alleged incident with Tempo’s Rian Bogue.
Tempo, and a number of other sources, were adamant that it was another Coa player who was involved in the alleged incident.
For Coa, Gallagher, Cohen Murphy, Andrew Moore and Shay McCarney tried hard to stem the maroon tide-but they lacked the physical power to halt the Tempo surge.
Bogue got Tempo off the mark with a snappy point after two minutes which was followed by two uncharacteristic wides from star midfielder Ben Warnock.
His partner Owen Fee burst through and hit two fine points on the trot to put his side into a 0-3 to 0-0 lead after ten minutes.
It got even better for the winners two minutes later Ryan McCann broke through the Coa defence and hit a rasper to the roof of the net.
Coa did manage a riposte of sorts when full forward Philip McGarrity was pulled down in the square and the impressive Cohen Murphy (a son of ex-Fermanagh hurling great Gerry Murphy) cooly tucked away the spot kick.
But it did not quell the rising Tempo tide as Finn Breen and Fee made it 1-5 to 1-0.
Bogue, who had an excellent game then hit three points on the trot to leave Tempo leading by 1-8 to 1-1 at the break after Shay McCarney hit the last score of the half from a free.
Tempo continued to rack up the wides.
Gallagher pointed for Coa, but this was swiftly negated by another Tempo goal after Michael Cleary profited from a poor kickout and steered the ball low to the Coa net to put the winners into a 1-8 to 1-3 lead.
Ian McManus replied for Coa just before Gallagher was lined.
Corey Porter and Warnock tacked on two more points for the winners and Shay McCarney, for Coa, made it 2-10 to 1-4 as the finishing line beckoned.
Fee hit two rapid points with Mick McGowan adding a third for Tempo. Bogue landed another point for Tempo.
Phil McGarrity pointed for Tempo with Tiarnan McGrath responding for Coa.
Bogue burst through and hit a cracking goal as McGarrity hit another point to round off the scoring.
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