Ennistymon Edge The Battle Of The Magpies In Clare SFC

Clare SFC: Ennistymon 0-11 Doonbeg 0-10

Ennistymon edged the battle of the Magpies to fly into the winners round of the Clare senior football championship.

The game was slow to build any real momentum, and it took until the 10th minute before the first score arrived. Predictably for Doonbeg, it came through a David Tubridy free with the West Clare Magpies losing Paul Dillon to a black card early in the contest.

Ennistymon settled and restored parity with a Cillian Rouine free but a big score almost arrived when David Fitzgerald rattled the outside of Eamon Tubridy’s post. Michael McDonagh angled over the resulting rebound and they led 0-2 to 0-1 at the opening water break.

The second quarter began with another Tubridy free, but it would prove their final score of the half as four in a row for Ennistymon sent them 0-6 to 0-2 clear at the break. Kevin Hehir’s energy on the right wing was rewarded with a fine score while two more Rouine frees came either side of a fine score from distance by McDonagh to give them a deserved cushion.

Doonbeg’s attacking options were limited as the long ball option to Colm Dillon was easily dealt with by the Ennistymon defence and while Tadgh Lillis and Sean Conway were carrying the ball well, turnovers were punished as Ennistymon broke at pace.

It needed a change of approach with a more patient style proving fruitful for Doonbeg in the third quarter. More runners were offering the outlet in support, particularly in the form of Lillis, and it paid dividends as the gap was cut to the minimum. David Tubridy was also operating in a more advanced position and the stalwart led the charge with three scores while Eoghan Tubridy was also on target with a tidy effort.

Ennistymon needed to respond and they did with the final two points of the quarter through Rouine and Fitzgerald and with the final quarter looming they held a 0-9 to 0-6 advantage.

Tubridy kicked his sixth score of the game to leave just two between the sides, and Ennistymon were reduced to 14 for ten minutes as David McNamara was shown a black card. Rouine and O’Mahony swapped points to keep the gap at two, before another from Eoghan Tubridy left one between them.

Cillian Rouine’s sixth point gave Ennistymon breathing space in the closing stages, but the long ball for Doonbeg paid off as Enda Doyle picked up a break to cut the gap once more. Eoin Conway saw red late on and the levelling score proved a bridge too far

Ennistymon: Shane Keane; Darragh Connelly, Sean O’Driscoll, Adam Ralph; David McNamara, Cillian Rouine, Tiernan Hogan; Mattie Kinch, Cathal Malone; Kevin Hehir, Sean Rouine, Eoin Rouine; Ryan Barry, David Fitzgerald, Michael McDonagh.

Subs: Michael Leigh for Eoin Rouine, Niall Canavan for Barry, Sean McConigley for McDonagh

Scorers: Cillian Rouine (0-6, 5f), Michael McDonagh (0-3), David Fitzgerald and Kevin Hehir (0-1 each).

Doonbeg: Eamon Tubridy; Cian O’Mahoney, Eoin Conway, Joe Blake; Paraic Aherne, Tadgh Lillis, Sean Conway; David Tubridy, Michael Tubridy; Ronan Good, Paul Dillon, Cathal Killeen; Eoghan Tubridy, Colm Dillon, Brian Egan.

Subs: Enda Doyle for Paul Dillon,

Scorers: David Tubridy (0-6, 4f), Eoghan Tubridy (0-2), Cian O’Mahony and Enda Doyle (0-1 each).

Ref: Wayne King (St Joseph’s Doora Barefield)