Slicker Monageer clobber Clongeen
M’GEER-B’VOGUE CLONGEEN
A MUCH more polished Monageer-Boolavogue outfit opened their Permanent TSB Junior hurling championship Group B campaign by taking the impressive scalp of Clongeen in the Ferns Centre of Excellence on Sunday.
Goals in the first and last quarters aided the victors’ cause, but their superior sharpness and cleaner hurling would have ensured that they came out on the right end of the scoreboard regardless.
Maybe it’s doing Clongeen a disservice, as maybe they have been out doing plenty of hurling sessions, but they looked like a side which has had a strong start to the football campaign and didn’t get overly concerned about this fixture.
They fought hard but their opponents had the upper hand throughout, and never trailed or even came close to falling behind. The opening four points were spread around, with Shane Kehoe, David Mernagh, Seán McCabe and Peter Mernagh all on target as Monageer-Boolavogue moved 0-4 to nil up.
Points by Shane Cahill and Ger Foxe got the New Ross District side on the scoreboard, but they fell further behind when Brian O’Loughlin kept Damien Fenlon’s searching ball alive for Colm O’Loughlin to whip an unstoppable finish to the net.
Peter Mernagh was leading his personal scoring battle with Cahill 5-4 at the break, and it meant that his team eased 1-8 to 0-5 in front at the change of ends.
Clongeen staged a mini-revival after the interval, with Enda Murphy and Jamie Keating pulling them within four, but that’s as good as it got.
A run of eight Mernagh points for Monageer-Boolavogue in succession, going back into the firsthalf, was ended when his team wrapped up the game in the 55th minute.
David Mernagh claimed the assist for this Brian O’Loughlin major, but it was a superb team move that ended with a simple finish that gave the Enniscorthy District side an uncatchable cushion.
Monageer-Boolavogue: Niall Finn; Seán O’Leary, Tomás O’Leary, Lee McHale; Seán McCabe (0-1), Paddy Breen, Robbie Donnelly; Damien Fenlon (0-1), Seán Roche; Pádraig Walsh, Colm O’Loughlin (1-0), Peter Mernagh (0-10, 7 frees); David Mernagh (0-2), Brian O’Loughlin (1-0), Shane Kehoe (0-1). Subs. - Mark Walsh for Roche (31), Dean Fenlon for P. Walsh (51), Walsh for D. Mernagh (60+2).
Clongeen: Danny O’Grady; Tom Donovan, Anton Stafford, Donal Whelan; Richard Rochford, Donal Murphy, Martin Eustace; Enda Murphy (0-1), Shane Cahill (capt., 0-9, 6 frees, 1 ‘65); Jamie Keating (0-1), Martin Delaney, Robert O’Farrell; Jamesie Rochford, Paul Curtis, Ger Foxe (0-2).
Referee: Stephen Burke (Volunteers).