Second-half blitz sends Joes through

St Joseph’s 2-17

Na Piarsaigh 0-12

SURPRISE packets Na Piarsaigh finally met their match in Dowdallshill on Sunday evening as St Joseph’s came good - very good - in the second half to qualify for the IFC semi-finals with 11 points to spare.

But it was an entirely different story in the first period as the Naps, who had already defeated two of the championship favourites in the group stage - St Fechin’s and St Mochta’s - stormed out of the blocks and threatened to derail another of the big guns.

The chief destroyer was wing forward Mark Larkin who produced an outstanding display of place kicking and kept the scoreboard ticking over at an impressive rate of knots.

Three beautifully struck, wind-assisted Larkin frees - to one in reply from Conal O’Hanlon - had Na Piarsaigh deservedly 0-3 to 0-1 in front by the sixth minute, but all that good work was then undone when St Joseph’s got in for a superb goal.

Alan McKenna judged his towering long pass to perfection as it eluded the covering defender and landed in the arms of Derek Mulligan who steadied himself before sending a low shot to the corner of the net.

However, Na Piarsaigh responded to this blow in laudable fashion as they kicked the next seven points of the game without any response. Larkin (free) and David Boyle (via a Larkin assist) restored Na Piarsaigh’s lead and Larkin then kicked his fifth free - all of them off the ground - to make it 0-6 to 1-1 after 12 minutes.

It wasn’t all good news for Na Piarsaigh as corner back Stephen McGuinness was forced off, having taken a hefty knock, and on the quarter-hour he was followed by Cormac Malone who was removed to hospital by ambulance after an innocuous challenge.

There was a 15-minute delay while Malone was attended to, but no let-up from the Rock Road men when play eventually resumed. Larkin grabbed a brace from play - the first after a powerful run by Eamonn McAuley and the second a pinpoint 55-metre effort - and Robert Murphy (free) and midfielder Michael Woods then got in on the act to give Na Piarsaigh a commanding 0-10 to 1-1 advantage.

Crucially, though, the Joes scored three in a row in the five minutes coming up to half-time.

A brace from Alan Quigley after fine build-up play involving Adam O’Connor, David Mernagh and Craig Doherty was followed by a Peter Mulligan point after the Naps had been penalised for handling on the ground. At 0-10 to 1-4, St Joseph’s were right back in contention going into the break.

Perhaps those scores and the double injury whammy planted some seeds of doubt in the Na Piarsaigh ranks, for they were completely out-played and outfought in the second half.

Quigley set the ball rolling for the Joes with a free and they nearly had a goal on 32 minutes when O’Connor took a pass brilliantly in his stride and burst through the Na Piarsaigh defence before seeing his shot tipped over the bar by Naps keeper Paul O’Hare.

Larkin fisted over to keep Na Piarsaigh ahead - 0-11 to 1-6 - but their only other score of the second half came some 26 minutes later. In the meantime they barely had a kick of the ball as the Darver/Dromiskin outfit took total command.

Quigley was left holding his head after Sean McQuillan and O’Hanlon masterminded a goal chance that the number 13 fired over the bar, but he kicked a free and a point either side of a Conall Smyth single to make it 1-10 to 0-11.

The killer blow came on 39 minutes when McKenna launched a free into the square and the breaking ball was mopped up by Derek Mulligan who blasted to the net for his second goal.

Doherty and McKenna added singles - 2-12 to 0-11 - and the Joes had now amassed nine scores in the first 11 minutes of the second half, with all six starting forwards and both midfielders already on target in the match.

After a brief lull O’Hanlon and McKenna pointed, the latter showing superb balance to kick his score, and the Joes forced another goal chance on 52 minutes, but this time Derek Mulligan’s pass to Quigley was cut out by the alert O’Hare.Doherty pointed soon after, however, to make it 2-15 to 0-11.

Na Piarsaigh’s Murphy was dismissed on receipt of a second yellow card and Derek Mulligan slotted over the resulting free before Larkin responded with his ninth score of the game heading into stoppage time.

Quigley had the last say, however, slotting over a ‘45’ in the final seconds. ST JOSEPH’S: Robert Sansom; Philip Kinahan, Ben Mulligan, David Kieran; David Mernagh, Sean McQuillan, Liam O’Leary; Adam O’Connor 0-1, Peter Mulligan 0-1; Alan McKenna 0-2, Conall Smyth 0-1, Alan Quigley 0-7 (0-2f, 0-1 ‘45’); Craig Doherty 0-2, Conal O’Hanlon 0-2, Derek Mulligan 2-1. Sub: Jack Mulligan for O’Hanlon (57min).

NA PIARSAIGH: Paul O’Hare; Joseph Woods, Conal Shields, Stephen McGuinness; Damien McGeeney, Jarlath Lyons, Eamon McAuley; Michael Woods 0-1, John Garvey; Mark Larkin 0-9 (0-6f), Alan McCartney, David Boyle 0-1; Ronan McCartney, Robert Murphy 0-1, Cormac Malone. Subs: Aidan Marks for McGuinness (12min), Sean McAuley for Malone (15), David Egan for McGeeney (50), Ciaran Murphy for E McAuley (50), Gavin McKee for R McCartney (57).

REFEREE: Gerry Corrigan