The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
Let’s start with the row, which involved about 20 players and resulted in sendings off for Doonbeg manager Ciaran O’Neill, their substitute, Paudie Nugent and Kilmurry’s Shane Hickey. In a separate incident involving Martin McMahon, Doonbeg’s Frank O’Dea was red-carded 12 minutes into the second half of Saturday’s Cusack Cup round two fixture.
The row exploded seven minutes from full-time, in front of the stand in Quilty and close to the Doonbeg dugout. The game had been scoreless for nine minutes as Mark McCarthy lined up a Kilmurry free from outside the Doonbeg 45′.
Behind him, Paudie Nugent and Shane Hickey grappled with each other while behind them, Ciaran O’Neill had entered the field to issue an instruction to David Tubridy, with Kilmurry full-back Darren Hickey trying to listen in.
Within seconds, the Nugent-Shane Hickey incident quickly escalated into a full-scale brawl, with reinforcements piling in from all angles.
The game was held up for four minutes, with referee Pat Cosgrove eventually red-carding Nugent and Hickey, while he also ordered Ciaran O’Neill from the pitch. In fact, the referee personally escorted the Doora-Barefield man from the enclosure, while a number of enraged Kilmurry supporters let fly verbally at the former dual player from the stand.
Although yellow cards were issued to Colm Dillon, Enda Doyle and Paul Dillon (Doonbeg) along with Thomas O’Connor and Declan Callinan (Kilmurry) in the first half, there wasn’t a particularly virulent edge to the game, until the mass brawl.
As for the quality of football, the second half was exceptionally poor, with just three points scored.
Kilmurry led 2-2 to 0-7 at half-time. Mark McCarthy, from a 45-yard free won by Thomas Lernihan pointed the first of Kilmurry’s second-half points, with Michael O’Dwyer superbly landing the other. They kicked seven second-half wides in total.
David Tubridy, from an 11th minute free won by Colm Dillon, registered Doonbeg’s sole second-half score.
Doonbeg played some very good football in the opening quarter and led 0-4 to 0-0 after 15 minutes. Playing with the wind, Jamie Whelan, Paul Dillon and Tubridy, with two points, helped the Magpies establish that early advantage.
Ian McInerney put over Kilmurry’s first score in the 17th minute after Michael O’Dwyer had been fouled by Paraic Aherne. Two minutes later, Kilmurry drew level when Enda Coughlan buried a penalty. Shane Hickey, attacking from the full-back line, was fouled off the ball as Evan Talty kicked towards the Doonbeg goalmouth. Shortly afterwards, Coughlan went off injured and was replaced by Ciaran Morrissey.
Doonbeg responded, with Tubridy pointing a free won by Jamie Whelan, who was fouled by Shane Hickey.
Four minutes before half-time, Shane Hickey made an incisive burst and linked up with Ian McInerney and Mark McCarthy, with the latter pointing from play.
A minute before the end of normal time in the opening half, Mark McCarthy delivered a dangerous, diagonal ball, which was met by Ian McInerney, who deflected the ball to the Doonbeg net.
Although they had been outplayed for much of the first half, Kilmurry now led 2-2 to 0-5 with half-time approaching.
Late points from Cian O’Mahony and wing-back Conor Whelan pulled Doonbeg to within a point of the winners, 2-2 to 0-7 at the interval. Doonbeg had deployed Enda Doyle at full-forward for much of the first half, while he was moved to wing-back after half-time.
The quality of football dipped in the second half and that aforementioned mass brawl was the primary talking point in Quilty and Doonbeg on Saturday evening.
Those that played some good football included Thomas Lernihan, Evan Talty, Michael O’Dwyer and Mark McCarthy for Kilmurry while Paraic Aherne and Jamie Whelan, who was very surprisingly substituted, played well for Doonbeg.
Kilmurry Ibrickane: Peter O’Dwyer; Shane Hickey, Darren Hickey, Martin McMahon; Thomas Lernihan, Even Talty, Declan Callinan; Paul O’Connor, Seamus Murrihy; Thomas O’Connor, Michael O’Dwyer, Seamus Lynch; Ian McInerney, Mark McCarthy, Enda Coughlan.
Subs: Ciaran Morrissey for Enda Coughlan (inj, 27) and Darragh Pender for Thomas O’Connor (44).
Scorers: Ian McInerney (1-1, 0-1f), Enda Coughlan (1-0 pen), Mark McCarthy (0-2, 0-1f), Michael O’Dwyer (0-1).
Doonbeg: Eamon O’Dea; Richie Vaughan, Padraig Gallagher, Seán O’Dea; Conor Whelan, Brian Dillon, Paraic Aherne; Frank O’Dea, Enda Doyle; Cian O’Mahony, Colm Dillon, Paul Dillon; Jamie Whelan, David Tubridy, Brian Egan.
Subs: Paudie Nugent for Jamie Whelan (44) and Eamon Tubridy for Paul Dillon (45),
Scorers: David Tubridy (0-4, 0-2f), Jamie Whelan, Paul Dillon, Conor Whelan, Cian O’Mahony (0-1 each).
Referee: Pat Cosgrove (Corofin).
