Rosslare boys rule after two second-half goals
TWO second-half goals were worth their weight in gold as far as St. Mary’s (Rosslare) were concerned as they claimed the Féile Peil na nOg Loch Garman Division 3 title after a titanic tussle with Ballyhogue in Sunday’s thrilling final at a sunny Ferns Centre of Excellence.
The Bree boys had displayed tremendous battling spirit to first overturn a six-point deficit in the opening half, and then a five-point gap after the break, to come close to making amends for their loss in the hurling equivalent a week earlier.
Indeed, the seasiders looked unplayable at times in the first quarter, as they surged 1-4 to 0-1 in front by the eighth minute, with their goal coming from Tadhg Brohan when his attempt at the posts dipped into the net via the crossbar.
However, the Ballyhogue recovering process appeared in full operation when points from Odhrán Kehoe and Jamie Fitzpatrick preceded Ben Asple floating a free all the way to the net as the difference was reduced to 1-5 to 1-3 by half-time.
Rosslare introduced Seán Clifford for the new half, and when he was located at the edge of the square on 25 minutes, he tucked away to re-establish some breathing space for his side (2-5 to 1-3).
But Ballyhogue proved difficult to shake off as, shortly after being denied by a point-blank save from Eoghan Byrne, Asple caught, steadied himself and flashed home a brilliant second goal on 29 minutes.
And when the same player knocked over a simple free two minutes later, extra-time looked a distinct possibility.
However, the all-important goal that secured St. Mary’s a place in the national competition was a masterpiece as Kyle Sinnott gathered a crossfield pass before unleashing a bullet to the top corner, while the excellent Kyle Clarke tagged on an insurance point late on.
Ballyhogue continued to probe, but couldn’t breach Rosslare’s defence again, with Shane Roche stopped twice in quick succession with the goal in his sights.
A notable feature of a game played in quite warm conditions was the constant attacking play favoured by both teams. Such a positive approach requires optimum fitness levels and composure up front, and credit must go to everyone involved for maintaining such high standards right up to the final whistle.
St. Mary’s (Rosslare): Eoghan Byrne; Ciarán Woodcock, Danny Howlin, Adam Murphy; Darragh Hayes, Tadhg Hayes, Shane Fortune; David O’Rourke (capt., 0-1), Kyle Clarke (05, 1 free); Tadhg Brohan (1-0), Kyle Sinnott (1-0), William Lin; Eoin Murphy, Conor Murphy, Robbie Byrne. Subs. - Seán Clifford (1-0) for E. Murphy (HT), Josh Duggan for A. Murphy (23), Shea Ryan for Byrne (38), also Garvan Woodcock, Diarmuid Roche, Adam Lambert, Ben Power.
Ballyhogue: Cian McCormack; Liam Parnell, Nicky Dempsey (capt.), Oscar Redmond; Conor O’Brien, Keith Roche, Keith Gashinka; Jamie Fitzpatrick (0-2), James Reville; Conor Kelly, Shane Roche, Oisín Rochford; Odhrán Kehoe (0-1), Ben Asple (2-1, 1-1 frees), Adam Carney. Subs. - Mark Asple, Ryan McGlynn, Mark Dawson, Daniel Cullen, Eamon Asple, Zach Levingston, Darragh Bates, Daniel Cullen.
Referee: Eddie O’Sullivan (Kilanerin).