Rosslare start and finish with flourish
ST. MARY’S (R’LARE) 2-15 NAOMH EANNA 0-10
FAST STARTING, strong finishing St. Mary’s (Rosslare) picked up their second Group B win of the Junior hurling championship at the expense of lack-lustre Naomh Éanna in Hollymount on Friday.
With centre-forward Robert Butler popping over seven points during the hour, the Wexford District side made light of playing into a first-half wind and then cruised to the finishing line, ending up eleven points to the good.
Butler’s individual contribution was more than the Gorey lads could muster from open play between the lot of them, with only three of their players on the scoresheet.
St. Mary’s set out their tactical stall early as they faced into the breeze, with Ultan Quirke in the right corner their attacking target man - and the strategy paid rapid dividends.
The number 13 had two goals and a point to his credit with 21 minutes played and the damage inflicted on the back-pedalling Naomh Eanna defence would have been more but for four wides from the ace attacker.
Meanwhile, the Gorey front runners were making little headway against a defence in which David Murphy, better known for his football prowess, supplied the subtle touches and Tiarnan Rossiter the lusty clearances.
The town side also suffered from limited scoring options, finishing the evening with just two of their forwards on the scoresheet, David Kennedy and free-taker Michael Murphy, with wing-back Ross Murphy also contributing a point from a nice long-range free.
They collapsed altogether in the later stages, after turning around five points (2-5 to 0-6) in arrears and briefly shaping to make a contest of the fixture immediately after the interval.
The Gorey scores dried up completely after Kennedy landed a nice point, his fifth, on the run from the left on 39 minutes, at which stage the gap was down to just three.
Rosslare’s response was to improve their accuracy up front, clamp down in defence and run the show for the concluding 20 minutes of an increasingly one-sided affair.
The pick of the late procession was Tiarnan Rossiter’s boomer launched from his own 65-metre line and the margin of victory would have been even greater but for a succession of wides - 14 in the second-half.
Andrew Murphy up the left flank and Gearóid Byrne up the right contributed mightily to the win and a night that their opponents will want to forget.
St. Mary’s (Rosslare): Niall Walsh; Stephen Cogley, Conor Cafferkey, Emmet Byrne; Ned Power, David Murphy, Conal Grant; Tiarnan Rossiter (0-1), Gearóid Byrne; Andrew Murphy, Robert Butler (0-7), Larry Morrissey; Ultan Quirke (2-2), Paul Kinsella (0-4, 3 frees), Ian Kavanagh. Subs. - Oscar Pitt for A. Murphy (41), Richard Murphy for Grant (54), Derek Brohan for Morrissey (58).
Naomh Éanna: Jack Cushe; Pat Cullen, John Stafford, Eoin Harris; Daniel Sunderland, Simon Doran, Ross Murphy (0-1 free); Kenneth Byrne, Seamus O’Donnell; David Kennedy (0-5), Fionn Doyle, Eoin McGuckin; John O’Brien, Michael Murphy (0-4, 3 frees), Dillon Kenny. Subs. - Cillian Donohue for Doran (55), Luke Willoughby for Harris (57).
Referee: Seán Slaven (Faythe Harriers).