Rossiter gets vital hat-trick
Full-forward is unstoppable
FORTH AND BARGY DUNBRODY GAELS
FORTH AND Bargy Gaels never looked back after a lightning start as they comfortably disposed of Dunbrody Gaels in the Greenstar Under-21 football Premier ‘B’ championship quarter-final in a chilly Tagoat on Saturday.
Imposing full-forward Naomhan Rossiter helped himself to two goals in the first five minutes and the Horeswood and St. James’ combination outfit were facing an uphill task thereafter.
On a freezing day, Dunbrody Gaels were certainly caught cold, with Cathal Devereux splitting the posts after 18 seconds and Rossiter grabbing his first goal with less than a minute on the clock.
Quinn Saunders, who sprayed the ball around well for the 60 minutes, picked out the full-forward and he swivelled in an instant and buried the ball past goalkeeper Aaron Mythen.
The same players combined moments later, with Saunders gathering a beautiful ball in from Shea Boggan before handpassing to Rossiter, who again showed his predatory instinct by confidently dispatching the ball to the net.
Jamie Myler converted a couple of frees for Dunbrody Gaels, but they were always fighting a losing battle as David Pettit, Cathal Devereux, Adam Devereux and Philip Lambert all found the range as the home side slotted over a succession of eye-catching scores.
Dunbrody Gaels kept plugging away, with Damien Hearn and Seán Nolan contributing points, but, trailing by 2-9 to 0-4 at halftime, they were really up against it after the break.
That task became an impossible one after the third quarter and again Naomhan Rossiter was the thorn in their sides.
After an early Eoin O’Callaghan effort was well saved by goalkeeper Aaron Mythen, Rossiter plundered two points, the second of which was diverted over the bar by the netminder, before pouncing for his third goal on 41 minutes.
This one was more about hard graft than finesse as he battled hard to win back possession before dribbling the ball along the ground and into an empty net.
Three minutes later the Forth and Bargy boys had the green flag waving again, with Quinn Saunders picking out David Pettit, who applied the clinical finish.
Dunbrody Gaels then got some reward for their efforts when Tomás Walsh arrowed a shot to the corner of the net past Eoin Cummins, but it was Forth and Bargy who confidently marched on to the semi-final against opponents to be decided.
Forth and Bargy Gaels: Eoin Cummins; Robert Cloney, Seán Finan, Josh Burke; Paul Cummins, Cian Boggan, Philip Lambert (0-1); Shea Boggan, Eoin O’Callaghan; Adam Devereux (0-1), Cathal Devereux (0-7, 3 frees), Quinn Saunders; Dean Corish, Naomhan Rossiter (3-2), David Pettit (1-2). Subs. - Kevin Power for Corish, Dean Corish for Rossiter.
Dunbrody Gaels: Aaron Mythen; Eamonn O’Sullivan, Kevin Parker, Jamie Doran; David Murphy, Darragh Lyons, Danny Byrne; Ryan Harris, Alan Walsh; James Fitzgerald, Jamie Myler (0-2 frees), Tomás Walsh (1-2, 0-1 free); Dylan Whitty, Seán Nolan (0-2), Damien Hearn (0-1). Subs. - Cian Gleeson for Byrne, John Power for Whitty, P.J. Chapman for Myler, Conor Dalton for Fitzgerald.
Referee: Seán Whelan (St. Martin’s).