Clondegad 1-11
St Breckan’s 2-7
TWO and a half minutes into their first senior championship game since winning the intermediate title last year, Clondegad were gasping for air. St Breckan’s had them on the floor, leading 1-2 to 0-0.
Clondegad’s first attack culminated in a Gary Brennan wide, before the North Clare men took over. First off, Seán Cormican coolly finished a slick St Breckan’s move to Declan O’Loughlin’s net before his twin brother Conor and Denis O’Driscoll added points.
When Stephen Tierney pointed a free, won by Dara Considine in the 10th minute, the portents were bleak for Clondegad. 1-3 to 0-0 down, could they respond?
Between the 12th and 62nd minutes, Clondegad outscored their 2010 intermediate final opponents 1-11 to 0-4. Denis O’Driscoll netted St Breckan’s second goal with the last kick of the game, three minutes into injury time.
In the interim, Clondegad took over. Gary Brennan curled over an inspirational opener before the excellent Podge McMahon and Francie Neylon added three points. McMahon was then impeded six minutes before half time, allowing Brian Carrig the opportunity to dispatch Clondegad’s penalty to Daniel Collins’ net. Just before half-time, Podge McMahon finished a superb Clondegad move, leaving Martin Brennan’s team 1-5 to 1-3 up at half-time.
To underpin their superiority, Clondegad kicked the opening three points of the second half with Kieran Browne and Podge McMahon (two) pointing. Now 1-8 to 1-3 up, six minutes into the second half, Clondegad had established control. Brian Murphy was excelling in the full-back line, while Conor Gavin, the Brennans, Brian Carrig and Podge McMahon had too much movement and work rate for St Breckan’s.
Shane O’Connor kicked St Breckan’s first point of the second half in the ninth minute, while Conor Cormican tagged on an excellent score, followed by a brace of Pat Nagle frees.
Clondegad kept the scoreboard ticking over with scores from Kenneth Kelly, Shane Brennan and Podge McMahon again, with his sixth and best score of the game in the 60th minute.
Four points up in injury time, Clondegad could afford to concede a very late goal, which turned out to be the final action of the game.
St Breckan’s must find it difficult to establish how they fell away so tamely having started so positively? Dara Considine, Stephen Tierney and the Cormicans tried their best but Clondegad were too sharp once they got going. Aside from the excellence of Podge McMahon, Brian Murphy was equally impressive at corner-back in what was an evenly balanced Clondegad display, once they got going.
Clondegad manager Martin Brennan was delighted with the result but acknowledged they had started slowly and finished somewhat sluggishly. “We were very happy with the middle 40 minutes. There might have been a bit at the beginning and at the end that we weren’t overly happy with but the result was achieved,” the Clondegad mentor said.
Brennan attributed his side’s slow start partly to nerves as the game marked the players’ first senior club football championship game.
“There was a bit of nerves evident but once we settled, I thought we performed reasonably well,” he said.
Clondegad will take on Doonbeg in Round 2. The winners will progress to the quarter-final, with the losers playing a winning team from the losers’ group.
Clondegad: Declan O’Loughlin; Brian Murphy, Flan Enright, Cormac Ryan; Francie Neylon, Paddy O’Connell, Conor Gavin; Shane Brennan, Brian Carrig; Kenneth Kelly, Kieran Browne, Francie O’Reilly; Gary Brennan, Eoghan Donnellan, Podge McMahon.
Sub: Gearóid O’Connell for Kenneth Kelly.
Scorers: Podge McMahon (0-6, 1f, 1 45’), Brian Carrig 1-0, Gary Brennan, Francie Neylon, Kenneth Kelly, Kieran Browne and Shane Brennan (0-1 each).
Frees for: 16; wides: 7; 45s: 1
Yellow cards: Cormac Ryan and Brian Carrig.
St Breckan’s: Daniel Collins; Raphael Considine, Donal Howley, Michael Reddan; John Carey, Stephen Tierney, Cathal Blood; Mikey Keating, Dara Considine; Denis O’Driscoll (captain), Seán Cormican, Dale Masterson; Shane O’Connor, Conor Cormican, Pat Nagle.
Sub: Neil Hawes for John Carey.
Scorers: Denis O’Driscoll (1-1), Seán Cormican (1-0), Conor Cormican (0-2), Pat Nagle (0-2f), Stephen Tierney and Shane O’Connor (0-1 each).
Frees for: 24; wides: 11; 45s: 1
Yellow cards: Seán Cormican, Raphael Considine, Denis O’Driscoll and Neil Hawes.
Referee: John Hannon.
Direct first-half approach pays off for Éire Óg against Kilrush
Éire Óg 2-6
Kilrush 1-5
RURAL GAA clubs are often heard complaining that their playing numbers have eroded significantly.
It’s very unlikely though that any of Clare’s other 15 senior clubs had less players togged this weekend than Éire Óg. First-half goals from full-forward Seán Crotty and Stephen Hickey were crucial scores against a young Kilrush team who gave it everything but didn’t possess sufficient scoring threat in attack.
“Going back years ago, we would have had 30 players togged out. I think we’d 19 there today. That’s where we are at the moment. We’ll have a few fellas back, including Darren O’Neill and Dean Ryan and there’s a good minor team there and we’d be hoping to bring in few of those as well,” Éire Óg manager James Hanrahan told The Clare Champion after the game on Friday evening in Kilmihil.
“The main thing was to win the game. After the draw was made, ourselves and Kilrush would have looked at it as a great draw for both of us. Both teams gave it their all.
“We’re happy enough. We won by four points but we missed a lot of chances. We played some good patches of football and we’re happy enough about that. At the end of the day, we’re not in a relegation battle,” Hanrahan added.
Éire Óg took less than three minutes to net their first championship goal of 2012 when Crotty flicked a David Russell long ball to the Kilrush net, holding off Niall Gilbride. Crotty enjoyed an excellent opening 20 minutes at full-forward, forcing Kilrush to switch John Hayes off him and station Chris Dixon at full-back.
“He got quick ball in. That’s what we’d worked on during the week, getting good ball in and not giving them a chance to get men back behind the ball but we know we need to improve. Whoever we get in the second round is going to be upping the stakes again,” Hanrahan predicted.
It wasn’t all Éire Óg however, as Stephen Sweeney buried a superb seventh-minute goal to equalise. The goal was set up by Ruaidhrí O’Connor, who was fouled and took a fast free.
Éire Óg responded with an Eoin Glynn free, while Cathal Lyons cleared off the line from Hickey, who goaled a couple of minutes later following excellent football from Colin Smith, Éire Óg’s hardest working forward.
Now 2-1 to 1-1 up, Brian Dolan and Seán O’Meara added points for Éire Óg while Jim Young from a free won by Sweeney and O’Connor put over Kilrush’s remaining points.
The winners led 2-3 to 1-3 at half-time.
With Jim Young now at midfield, Kilrush won plenty of second-half possession and showed plenty of spirit and fight. Éire Óg however, always held at least a two-point advantage.
Stephen Sweeney scored the opening point of the second half, while Jim Young put over Kilrush’s other score, from a free won by Darragh Bolton.
Hickey from a 45’ and Glynn twice from play completed Éire Óg’s tally.
Donie Lyne, Saran Butler and Shane Daniels played well in defence for Éire Óg while up front, Crotty in the first half, Colin Smith and Eoin Glynn gave their all.
Matthew Moloney gave his last drop at centre-back for Kilrush, offering inspirational leadership while elsewhere, Cathal Lyons, Con O’Brien and Stephen Sweeney gave their all.
Éire Óg: Eoin Slattery; Saran Butler, Donie Lyne, Francie Keane; Seán Corry, Shane Daniels, David Smith; David Russell, Brian Frawley; Colin Smith, Eoin Glynn, Brian Dolan; Seán O’Meara, Seán Crotty, Stephen Hickey.
Subs: Danny Russell for Brian Dolan, Darren O’Meara for Seán O’Meara and Paul Madden for Colin Smith.
Scorers: Stephen Hickey (1-1, 1 45’), Eoin Glynn (0-3), Seán Crotty (1-0), Brian Dolan, Seán O’Meara (0-1) each.
Wides: 10; frees won: 14: 45s: 1.
Yellow cards: Shane Daniels, David Russell.
Kilrush: Tony Burke; Niall Gilbride, John Hayes, Cathal Lyons; Con O’Brien, Matthew Moloney, Chris Dixon; Eoin Tarrant, Calum Bond; Niall Clancy, Stephen Sweeney, Darragh Bolton; Ruaidhrí O’Connor, Jim Young, Padjoe McGrath.
Subs: Niall Brennan for Calum Bond, Jamie Gilligan for Stephen Sweeney, Paul Heaslip for Niall Clancy and Martin Griffin for Darragh Bolton.
Scorers: Stephen Sweeney (1-1), Jim Young (0-3f), Ruaidhrí O’Connor (0-1).
Wides: 8; Frees won: 18.
Yellow cards: John Hayes.
Referee: Michael Rock (Ennistymon).