Stylish Duffry on scoring spree
DUFFRY ROVERS MONAGEER-BOOLAVOGUE 3-22 1-12
DUFFRY ROVERS knocked over 25 scores in 60 minutes of hurling for the second straight time as they beat Monageer-Boolavogue and advanced to the Enniscorthy District Under-21 Roinn 1 championship final in Coolree on Tuesday.
The hosts racked up 2-23 against Ballyhogue in the quarters but went a little better in this tie. It was another dominant showing from the Duffry. They defended well, the two Gavins were dynamic in midfield, but it was the quality of Liam Pender and Cian Fitzhenry that really shone through.
Pender dominated from his half-forward position, creating score after score as well as notching his fair share.
Fitzhenry is awfully tough to tie down in the corner, with his exceptional movement creating a string of scores while he registered 1-8 himself.
Monageer-Boolavogue were certainly disadvantaged by not having a game under their belts. In theory it’s nice to go directly into a semi-final encounter but in practice it’s pretty much impossible to gel together a side playing their first and only competitive game together.
With Pender and Fitzhenry on target three times each, the Duffry moved into a 0-6 to 0-1 lead after 13 minutes. Conor Coleman made a couple of solid stops to keep Monageer-Boolavogue at bay in the early stages, and they looked even more important when Pender’s long punt at the other end dropped between battling Art Sinnott and Gearóid Doyle and rolled into the net.
Five Diarmuid Fenlon points helped Monageer-Boolavogue stay in touch at the break, against a Duffry side which only boasted a third scorer when Tim Bowler picked off a fantastic point in first-half added-time (1-11 to 0-6 at the break).
Any faint hope that Monageer-Boolavogue held evaporated when Gavin Watchorn drilled low to the net from a tight angle on the right in the 34th minute.
Fitzhenry rifled home a major with his final touch in the 46th minute as the Duffry waltzed 3-16 to 0-10 ahead.
Monageer-Boolavogue refused to give up and netted and a consolation goal through the excellent Fenlon in the 52nd minute.
They had David Mernagh dismissed for a second yellow card for justifiably arguing a technical rules issue with referee Aiden O’Brien, but it mattered little to the eventual outcome as the Duffry booked a final spot opposite the winners of Cloughbawn and Shamrocks.
Duffry Rovers: Conor Coleman; Jamie Roban, Tomás Dunne, Eric Nolan; John Dunne, Michael O’Leary, Colm Redmond; Gavin Rafter (0-2), Gavin Watchorn (1-1); Jack Bates (0-1), Liam Pender (1-8, 0-6 frees, 0-1 ‘65), Tim Bowler (0-1); Michael Doyle, Gearóid Doyle, Cian Fitzhenry (1-8, 0-6 frees). Subs. - Seamus Doyle for M. Doyle (31), Aaron Coleman for Watchorn, temp. (44-46), Coleman (0-1) for Fitzhenry (47), Alan Doyle for Dunne (49).
Monageer-Boolavogue: Art Sinnott; Aaron Breslin, Graham O’Reilly, Seán O’Leary; Micheál Gahan, Robbie Donnelly, Liam McHale (0-1); Shane Gahan (0-1), Ian Hawkins; Colm McGannon, Cathal Walsh, Ciarán Rochford; David Mernagh, Diarmuid Fenlon (1-8, 0-4 frees), Pádraig Walsh (0-2). Subs. - Darragh Walsh for O’Leary (36), Adam Dunne for McGannon (47), also Cathal O’Leary.
Referee: Aiden O’Brien (Cloughbawn).