Dunlavin delight
Harney’s men reach IFC final
DUNLAVIN RATHNEW 1-13 1-06
DUNLAVIN are into the Intermediate championship final with a comprehensive victory over Rathnew, the seven-point margin really not reflecting their dominance on proceedings.
It’s difficult to point out any individual battle that Rathnew won and were it not for a poor Dunlavin conversion rate the difference could easily have been double figures. Dunlavin kicked eight wides and had three goal chances in the first half alone. Along with this, the Rathnew goal was a gift due to a poor Tom McGuirk kick out.
Dunlavin were excellent in midfield, starving Rathnew of any sort of platform from which they could launch attacks. Any time the ball went in towards Jordan Graham and Edward Doyle, Rathnew looked dangerous, however, those times were few and far between. The Dunlavin tackling was very good, they got a hand in here and there to intercept a pass or else they hounded the man in possession and forced him to go places where he didn’t want to go.
One tackle especially was worth noting, Paul Murtagh’s dispossession of Jonah Graham early in the game. Rather than try to dislodge the ball by putting his hand in over Graham’s arm and use power, he simply flicked the ball from underneath his arm and before Graham knew what had happened Murtagh was on the attack.
Dunlavin led by 1-09 to 1-03 at half-time and while they didn’t shoot the lights out in the second half they were never threatened, especially when Rathnew went down to 14 men in the 45th minute.
Edward Doyle received his second yellow, pushing out at Eoin Murtagh, and rather than Rathnew having a free in front of goal they had a man sent off and a throw ball.
Rathnew could not come back from that and Dunlavin eased away to win at their leisure. They laid the ground work in the first half with a storming start, three points within five minutes blowing Rathnew away, including Eoin Murtagh’s point from the throw in. Daniel Dawson almost got in for a goal too, Murtagh played an exquisite pass to him, but he couldn’t hold on to the ball.
Johnny Byrne responded with a free and then got a goal to put Rathnew ahead against the run of play. McGuirk tried a short kick out which was intercepted by Byrne who hit the back of the net. Game on you might think, these Rathnew lads know how to win.
Only it was not. Gary Allen replied with a goal of his own and the full-forward line tagged on a point each to make it 1-06 to 1-01 by the 20th minute. Rathnew were forced to do some remedial work out the field, first relocating Dean Franey and then Edward Doyle back around midfield to gain some sort of handle on the game.
They kicked two balls in towards Jordan Graham and scored two points from it, one a Doyle free and Graham with the second one. It gave them a glimmer of hope that Dunlavin quickly extinguished. Another point for each of their full-forward line made it 1-09 to 1-03 by half-time and if Rathnew found a way to win it would be a fantastic comeback and a dreadful collapse for Dunlavin.
It never looked on. Thomas Whelan, marking Graham, composed himself to win the next two balls that came between them, firmly closing the door on that avenue of attack. Dunlavin started the second half like the first, with a point from the throw in, this time Eoin Murtagh feeding Cian O’Sullivan.
The lead was seven in the 32nd minute after a point apiece, the same margin in the 42nd minute when Dunlavin tagged on another through Mark Rigley. Dunlavin weren’t giving Rathnew any chance at all to make a comeback, and when Doyle was sent off it went from difficult to nigh on impossible.
It proved to be the case and Dunlavin reach the final, though they may be without Tom McGuirk through suspension when he was sent off along with Jordan Graham.
A melee erupted around the Dunlavin goalmouth and a few punches were thrown, leaving one Dunlavin defender prone on the ground for a number of minutes. McGuirk got involved with Graham and both received a red card for their troubles.
Scorers – Dunlavin: Gary Allen 1-01; Cian O’Sullivan (2f) 0-04; James Walsh (1f), Shane Carty 0-03 each; Eoin Murtagh, Mark Rigley 0-01 each.
Rathnew: Johnny Byrne (3f) 1-03; Edward Doyle (2f) 0-02; Jordan Graham 0-01.
Tom McGuirk; Thomas Whelan, Thomas Kelly, James Sinnott; Fionn Deegan, Eoin Murtagh, Alan O’Sullivan; Paul Murtagh, Gary Allen; Aaron Phelan, Daniel Dawson, Thomas Davis; Cian O’Sullivan, Shane Carty, James Walsh. Subs: Mark Rigley for Thomas Davis (HT); Harry Coleborn for Thomas Whelan (58 mins).
Dylan Keogh; Ross Quinn, James Manley, Paddy O’Connor; Jamie O’Connor, Andrew O’Brien, Philly O’Neill; Stuart Murphy, Jonah Graham; Edward Doyle, Philly Murphy, Ronan Doyle; Johnny Byrne, Dean Franey, Jordan Graham. Subs: Seamus Cosgrove for Jamie O’Connor (HT); Ronan Manley for Ronan Doyle (37 mins); Jason Devlin for Ross Quinn (41 mins).
Robert Whelan