SENIOR FOOTBALL: Austin Stacks 0-9; Dingle 1-6.
On a perfect evening for football in Connolly Park this opening round of this season’s curtailed Co. League ended all square after our last minute equalizer. We had a brilliant start and led by four points to no score as the half entered the last five minutes. Only twenty five seconds had elapsed when Ronan Shanahan put through this season’s captain, Fiachna Mangan for a super opener. Fiachna was on target again with our 4th point in the 22nd minute and in between we had points from Brendan O’Sullivan and Greg Horan. But then in the space of two minutes Dingle drew level with an opening point and a well-taken goal. Both sides had a point each in the closing minutes – ours coming from a second by Brendan O’Sullivan to level matters at the break (0-5 to 1-2).
Dingle took the lead with a point seven minutes after the resumption but we dominated the remaining quarter of the second half and lead by two points at the second water-break (0-8 to 1-3) with three consecutive points from Greg Horan, Ferdia O’Brien and Brendan O’Sullivan. It was the visitors turn then to dominate the closing quarter with three unanswered points from team captain Michael Geaney to give them a one point lead (1-6 to 0-8) as the game entered added time. But one last attack saw Wayne Guthrie putting through Ferdia O’Brien who put over the equalizer to share the spoils.
Team: Robbie Murphy, Colin Griffin, Barry Shanahan, Paul O’Sullivan, Ciarán O’Reilly, Ronan Shanahan, Ciarán O’Connell, Brendan O’Sullivan (0-3), Shane Walsh, Greg Horan 0-2), Fiachna Mangan (Capt) (0-2), Donagh McKivergan, Michael O’Donnell, Ferdia O’Brien (0-2).
Subs: Donagh McMahon (ht), Shane Carroll (41m), Niall Fitzmaurice (46m), Wayne Guthrie (54m).
Wayne Quillinan and his Management Team of Jonathan Conway, Eoin Colgan, Tommy Naughton, John O’Sullivan, Damien Ryall and Mikey Collins will be happy with the result after a 37 week layoff by our lads from competitive action.
We now travel to play Spa Killarney in next week’s second round at @7.30pm on Saturday June 19th
B FOOTBALL: Laune Rangers B 1-7; Austin Stacks B 6-10.
When we led by a point at the interval (2-4 to 1-6) in this opening round of Div. 5A of the Co. League played in Killorglin on this Sunday afternoon (13th June) some people were wondering would this game also end up all square like our Senior game the night before. But what a second half our lads put in – holding the opposition to just one more point during that second half while adding a further four goals and six points to end up with an eighteen points winning margin.
Rangers started brightly with the one and only Mike Frank Russell as sharp as ever and were two points up before Andrew Morrissey opened our account in the 8th minute followed shortly after by a pointed free by Gearóid Sheehan after a foul on Conor Myers. They went ahead again in the 10th minute but when Cian Purcell goaled from a penalty in the 13th minute they were never to take the lead again.
The second quarter was tit for tat with Rangers scoring 1-3 to our 1-2. Conor Myers with a goal and a pointed mark and a point by Dean Scanlon from play were our scorers to give us that one point lead at half time.
Twenty seven seconds had just elapsed in the second half when Shane Carroll added to our tally followed by another pointed free, three minutes later, by Gearóid Sheehan following another foul on Conor Myers. Then, within a minute, came what turned out to be Rangers last score of the game. We added two more before the second half water break (Shane Carroll from a free and Conor Myers from a mark) to leave us four ahead at that stage (2-8 to 1-7).
However the fourth quarter of the game was all Austin Stacks and one could say was all Conor Myers. Conor scored a hat-trick of goals during this quarter to add to his first half goal (ending up with 4-2 in total). Cian Purcell added a goal (his second of the day) and a point and second-half substitute Seán Ryan also pointed during this final quarter.
Team: David Hennessy, Ruairí O’Connell, David Burke, John Murphy (Capt), Paul Barrett, Paul Galvin, Eoghan Carroll, Ciarán O’Connell, Shane Carroll (0-2 – one free), Andrew Morrissey (0-1), Gearóid Sheehan (0-2 frees), Daniel O’Rourke, Cian Purcell (2-1 – one penalty goal), Conor Myers (4-2 – two pointed marks), Dean Scanlan (0-1).
Subs: Rory Forbes (ht), Seán Ryan (35m) (0-1), Tom O’Farrell (53m).
The Management Team of Paddy Barry, Tim McMahon, TJ Sheehan, Kieran Kelliher, Eamonn O’Reilly and Dale Counihan will be well satisfied with such a display as we prepare to take on Moyvane in round 2 at home this Sunday at 2pm.