SENIOR FOOTBALL Co. League Rd. 5:
Austin Stacks 3-11; Laune Rangers 0-9.
Laune Rangers settled the quicker and went into an early two points lead with Mike Frank Russell and Seamie Foley on target from play.
Then in the 8th minute referee Seamus Mulvihill pointed to the spot after Darragh Long was fouled going through and David Mannix coolly converted the resultant penalty.
We could have gone behind again in the 17th minute but goalkeeper, Darragh O’Brien made a point blank save.
We registered our first point from play, a beauty by David Mannix from an acute angle, in the 19th minute.
With Wayne Gutherie and William Kirby dominating midfield we went on to put over another four points to one for the visitors before the break. Graham O’Connell, Darragh Long (free), Padraig McCannon and Mikey Collins were on target for the Rock while Rangers solitary point came from Kieran Doona.
This left us ahead by 1-5 to 0-3 at half time.
Rangers came more into the game during the first quarter of the second half. They put over five points with Mike Frank (3 – two frees), Peter Crowley and Shane McSweeney (a beauty from out near the sideline) on target.
During that 3rd quarter we scored three points with two (one from a free) by Darragh Long and one by David Mannix.
This left us ahead by just three points (1-8 to 0-8).
However in the final quarter we introduced some young blood and their impetus set us up to score 2-3 (to 0-1 for Rangers) in that final quarter.
A second David Mannix goal from a penalty in the 54th minute and a goal (from play in the 61st minute) and two points by Darragh Long and a point by Paul O’Donoghue (not long on the pitch on his debut game), saw us comfortably ahead.
Rangers only score in that final quarter came from a Mike Frank effort from play.
Team: Darragh O’Brien, Pa McCarthy, David Leonard (Capt), Paul Barrett, Barry Shanahan, Daniel Bohan, Alain Creagh, Wayne Gutherie, William Kirby, Fiachna Mangan, Michael Collins (0-1), Padraig McCannon (0-1), Graham O’Connell (0-1), David Mannix (2-2 – two penalty goals), Darragh Long (1-5 – 2 frees).
Subs: Shane O’Callaghan (49m), Shane Carroll (50m), Darragh O’Brien (MF) (55m), Paul O’Donoghue (57m) (0-1), and Eoin Colgan (blood sub 59m to 61m).
Our next game is a first round Co. Championship tie against Ardfert on Sunday week (12th June) in Austin Stack Park at 3pm.
Our next Co. League game is scheduled for the weekend of 25th/26th June when we travel to Killarney to play Dr. Crokes.