Five from five
Cushinstown still unbeaten
WITH BOTH sides having already qualified for the quarter-final stage, this was a case of playing for positions, with Rathgarogue-Cushinstown maintaining their one hundred per cent record as the result of a comfortable three-point victory over Glynn-Barntown in this Enniscorthy Farm Systems Junior football championship Group B game in Horeswood on Thursday.
While they were on the wrong end of the result, Glynn-Barntown take the fourth and final qualifying spot from the group but will need to show considerable improvement if they are to make an impact in the knockout stages.
In contrast, the New Ross District side looked quite impressive, playing all the quality attacking football, and with a fully-fit Eoin Porter on board they should improve on their finishing, which in turn would make them strong title contenders.
Both sides were guilty of erratic finishing through the opening exchanges, and it was left to two Porter points (one free) to eventually open the scoring.
When Matthew Cody stretched his side into a three-point lead after ten minutes, it was an advantage they were never subsequently to lose.
The Wexford District side had to wait until the eleventh minute to open their account through an excellent long-range Jack Brazill point, but the opposition immediately responded with a brace of points through Danny Martin Carroll and Robert Murphy to lead by 0-5 to 0-1.
While two neat Cormc Cooney points kept Glynn-Barntown in contention, Rathgarogue-Cushinstown still finished the half with a fine Tadhg Cody point to lead by 0-6 to 0-4 at the interval.
Within 13 minutes of the restart the eventual winners had stretched into a 0-11 to 0-4 advantage through points from Danny Martin Carroll (’45), Aaron Ryan, Daire Bolger and Porter, with Glynn-Barntown’s opening second-half score arriving on 47 minutes from Bill Joyce.
Glynn-Barntown applied lots of pressure in the closing stages but all they had to show were pointed frees from Jack Brazill as Rathgarogue-Cushinstown held out for a comfortable enough victory in the end.
Rathgarogue-Cushinstown: Nicky Sinnott; Ollie Bolger, Brian Cody, Patrick Murphy; Peadar Cody, Robert Murphy (0-1), Brian O’Neill; Danny Martin Carroll (0-2, 1 free, 1 ‘45), Matthew Cody (0-1); Daire Bolger (0-2), Eoin Porter (0-2, 1 free), Tadhg Cody (0-1); Jason Dunne, Bernard Furlong, Aaron Ryan (0-2). Subs. - Ricky McGrath for R. Murphy, Eric Cummins for Porter.
Glynn-Barntown: Adam O’Leary; Shane Codd, Conor Clarke, David Roche; Matthew Banvlle, Ger Dempsey, Shane Doyle; Aaron Kehoe, Cormac Rowe; Cormac Cooney (0-2), Darragh Nolan, Garbhan MacCormack; Jack Brazill (0-5, 3 frees), Bill Joyce (0-1), Ian Moran. Subs. - Luke Codd for Nolan, Daniel O’Regan for MacCormack, Matthew Joyce for Moran.
Referee: Fintan Whyte (St. James’).