Doherty snatches late victory for Joes
Meanwhile, the Plunketts relied on a more direct game with a lot of long deliveries being sent in the direction of full-forward Conor Early. The intervention of full-back Ben Mulligan ensured that they didn’t get the reward they would have liked from this tactic.
While the Joes had the better of the first half, it looked for much of the second half that the Plunketts would prevail as, thanks mainly to the scoring of Trevor Walsh, they twice held a two-point lead.
However, the Joes had their own scoring hero in Craig Doherty who landed three excellent points in the final ten minutes to snatch victory for his side.
The pattern for the evening was set from the opening exchances of the game with Walsh landing the first point from a free inside two minutes only for Jack Mulligan to level soon after.
Walsh restored the lead on 12 minutes but the Joes were beginning to get a grip on the game and one of many incisive moves almost led to a goal only for Alan Lynch to be denied by Colm Duffy.
The Cluskey Park side were rewarded with scores from Alan Quigley and Derek Mulligan but despite some good approach work their finishing let them down on a number of occasions. The Droghed side came into the game in the closing stages and a late free from Walsh levelled matters at 0-3 each.
Within four minutes of the restart point from Walsh and Early had the Plunketts two clear and after the next four points were shared, the Droghede men maintained that advantage with 15 minutes to play.
Despite being driven on by Robbie Brodigan and Cian Matthews, it was now the Mell outfit who failed to capitalise on their dominance and they allowed the Joes back into the game and two quick-fire points from Doherty helped tie the game up going into the closing stages.
A point from Emmet Kelleher on 55 minutes edged the Plunketts ahead at 0-9 to 0-8 and after Quigley levelled from a free, they missed three chances to restore the lead. They were punished heavily when Doherty kept a cool head to land the winner and his side held out after a Walsh free drifted wide with the final kick. ST JOSEPHS: Mark Neary; Philip Kinahan, Bernard Mulligan, Stefan Potts; Cian McGuinness, David Mernagh, Ciaran Gallagher; Jack Mulligan 0-1, Thomas Smyth; Craig Doherty 0-3, Conall Smyth, Daire Smyth 0-1; Alan Quigley 0-3, Alan Lynch, Derek Mulligan 0-1. Sub: Peter Mulligan for A Lynch (37).
OLIVER PLUNKETTS: Colm Duffy; Cillian Matthews, David Campbell, Barry Reynolds; Brian Fitzpatrick, Dean Carolan, Sean Campbell; Robbie Brodigan, Frank Daly; Craig O’Connor, Trevor Walsh 0-6 (2fr, 2 45, 1L), Cian Matthews 0-1; Emmet Kelleher 0-1, Conor Early 0-1, David Lambe. Subs: Sean O’Callaghan for D Lambe (39), James Guinn for D Campbell (50), Stephen Keeley for C O’Connor (52), John Moroney for C Earley (59).
REFEREE: Anthony Briscoe.