Foley hits late equaliser
FAYTHE HARRIERS 1-13 RAPPAREES 2-10
SUBSTITUTE TOMMY Foley knocked over a last-minute point to rescue a share of the spoils for Rapparees in a hotly-contested Permanent TSB Junior hurling championship Group B clash in Bree on Sunday.
Foley plucked the ball from the air in the middle of the park and struck a classy and instinctive effort on the turn that sailed over the black spot.
Fellow replacement Richie Farrell also played his part, grabbing a goal with three minutes remaining to drag the Enniscorthy outfit back into the game when it looked like the Harriers were destined for their first win of the campaign.
Rapparees overcame Davidstown-Courtnacuddy in their opening fixture and they began the game with the swagger of a team high on confidence, with Caolan Carty slotting over the opening point and Gary Murphy following it up with a goal in the ninth minute, firing the ball past James Henebery after being teed up by Carty.
However, Rapparees didn’t register another score until the 27th minute, with the Harriers, who lost their opening match against Gusserane, determined to get their first win on the board.
A Daniel Lynch point and two frees from Conor Halligan reduced the gap to the minimum, and they tightened their grip on the contest when Fiach O Crualaoich got the green flag waving with 21 minutes on the clock, gathering a handpass from Eoin Roche and rifling the ball to the corner of the net.
Daniel Lynch added a point two minutes later and Roche then stretched the advantage to four, brilliantly blasting a first-time pull off the ground over the bar.
Lee Murphy finally stopped the rot for the Rapps, and points from Declan Ruth (free) and Tommy Foley, either side of a Fiach O Crualaoich score, meant there was only two in it at the break (1-6 to 1-4).
The Harriers began the second-half brightly, with Eoin Roche steering over from an acute angle and Fiach O Crualaoich also doing the needful to restore the fourpoint buffer.
The lead was out to five points midway through the half, with a great long-range score from Jack O’Leary and a booming Jim Berry free helping them to a 1-11 to 1-6 lead.
That gap remained until the 53rd minute, with Neil McCrea converting a placed ball and Shane Howard replying with a good score from the right wing, but another McCrea free and a Tommy Foley point kick-started the Rapps revival.
The Enniscorthy men then plundered the goal they craved with three minutes remaining as Richie Farrell rose highest to gather a Brian Ronan delivery, swivelled and planted the ball in the corner of the net to level the contest.
The Harriers weren’t licking their wounds for long though as Jack O’Leary fired over an instant reply to edge the Wexford town side back in front.
Rapparees needed a moment of inspiration and Tommy ‘Tucker’ Foley stepped up to mark, gathering possession and confidently splitting the posts to salvage a draw.
Faythe Harriers: James Henebery; Cillian Lawlor, Emmet Keeling, Danny Walsh; Fran Cleary, Jim Berry (0-1 free), Alan Lynch; Tomás Campbell, Jack Murphy; Conor Halligan (0-3 frees), Shane Howard (0-1), Daniel Lynch (0-2); Fiach O Crualaoich (1-2), Jack O’Leary (0-2), Eoin Roche (0-2). Subs. - Stephen Cummins for Lawlor, Damien Roche for E. Roche.
Rapparees: Aaron Sinnott; Joe Carley, John Barron, Ryan Hadley; Ronan Kirwan, Declan Ruth (0-2 frees), Brendan Kearney; Brian Ronan, Seánie O’Gorman; Lee Murphy (0-1), Tom Ryan, Gary Murphy (1-0); Caolan Carty (0-1), Lee Treacy, Neil McCrea (0-3 frees). Subs. - Tommy Foley (0-3) for Hadley, Richie Farrell (1-0) for Treacy, John Ryan for L. Murphy.
Referee: John Tobin (Geraldine O’Hanrahans).