Rathkenny bow out after failing Skryne test
SKRYNE 3-7 RATHKENNY 1-9
THEY say you shouldn’t sprint the first 100 yards of a marathon. Well, Rathkenny did something close and had little puff in reserve when it came to the business end of this crucial match at Simonstown on Sunday.
Des Lane’s side started at a terrific pace and were dominant in most sectors in the opening quarter, during which they registered five successive points.
Skryne had no answer to Rathkenny’s movement or tenacious play in that spell and the north Meath outfit, needing nothing less than a win to secure a knockout spot, seemed well capable of achieving that goal.
Skryne also needed something from the game to keep their interest in the championship alive, but they were miles off the tempo for much of the opening half. They improved somewhat as the half progressed, though, and despite kicking seven wides managed four unanswered points to trail by the minimum.
Thomas McGuinness, Caolach Halligan, Thomas Martin (two frees) and Jack Gore were all on target for Rathkenny, before Paddy O’Rourke opened Skryne’s account from a ‘45 on 18 minutes. O’Rourke also converted a free, while Brian Davis and Aidan Tuite accounted for Skryne’s other scores of the half.
There was little to enthuse about in that opening period, but that all changed in an incident-packed second half-hour.
Within three minutes Brian Lenehan blasted to the Skryne net after taking a pass from Thomas Martin and suddenly the game sparked to life. That put the Rathkenny men back in the ascendancy, but their dominance didn’t last long. Stephen O’Brien responded with a point and then on 36 minutes the Tara men were awarded a penalty after Harry Rooney was hauled down as he was about to pull the trigger. It resulted in a black card
for Rathkenny’s James Macken, before Paddy O’Rourke blasted the resultant spot kick high to the net. That left the sides level and Eoin Smyth then pointed his side ahead for the first time. However, Skryne hopes received a setback when Tuite was dismissed on receipt of a second yellow card. Rathkenny were unable to take advantage, though, despite a Jack Gore equaliser.
County man Harry Rooney proved his worth at that stage and turned in a powerful second-half display as Skryne eventually hit top form and kicked on to record a deserved win.
The introduction of subs Conor O’Brien and Paddy Fox was to prove pivotal for the Blues, with O’Brien in particular playing a crucial role as the Skryne men moved into overdrive. O’Brien took a pass from a Paddy O’Rourke sideline to fire over the lead point within a minute of coming on. Then moments later wing back Thomas McKeown strolled through the Rathkenny rearguard before finishing to the net.
Rathkenny responded with a point, but as the game entered the final five minutes O’Brien was on hand to find the Rathkenny net and put his side into an unassailable lead.
Caolach Halligan and Jack Gore shot late points for what was a deflated Rathkenny at that stage and Skryne progressed to a quarter-final with Summerhill.