Cullen and Dromtariffe go in search of Junior ‘A’ Football Championship final berth
THE deferred second semi final of the E Tarrant & Sons Skoda Dealers Junior A Football Championship brings together Cullen and Dromtariffe to Boherbue on Sunday evening.
Back in April, Dromtariffe were given a stiff examination before surviving a test from Lyre. Having looked well positioned on leading by eight points early in the second half, Lyre came storming back yet Dromtariffe’s greater balance coupled with a productive spell either side of the interval proved decisive.
All too easy for Dromtariffe in Round 2 on emerging clearcut winners over Kanturk, quite simply, they were in a different class, from start to finish, Dromtariffe controlled the game and never relented in their search for scores.
Dromtariffe held dominance thanks to Cormac O’Mahony, Con O’Callaghan, Jack Murphy and Tomás Howard strong and persuasive in defence, Adam Buckley and Seamus O’Sullivan figured strongly at midfield with Denis O’Donoughue, Daniel O’Keeffe and Evan Murphy clocking up telling scores.
For their part, Cullen produced a marked improvement during the second half to sweep past Castlemagner in the opening round. Having laboured to break down Castlemagner’s resistance in the opening spell, Cullen re-emerged the superior force on solid defending, controlling midfield and effective play up front summed up the victors performance with Tomás O’Keeffe and Alan Regan posting points.
No shortage of drama in Round 2, again Cullen laboured through the opening half yet they were a transformed side on the restart and swept aside a fading Knocknagree challenge by a single point.
Key substitutes exerted a match winning influence, Cullen grabbed goals at important stages that acted as a real spur and with the contest heading for extra time, Regan pointed the matchwinner.
Though registering just a single point in the first half to Knocknagree’s second string, Cullen were a transformed side on the restart. Crucially they operated with a greater urgency, James O’Sullivan, Philip Murphy , Regan and Colin Walsh effective as was the impact of replacements Philip Cremin and Paul Fleming.
Those goals from Walsh and Colin O’Leary turned matters around in what proved Cullen’s best 30 minutes of football all season.
That display is sure to spur on Cullen but they face a young emerging Dromtariffe side that holds plenty of energy and enterprise. The thinking is Dromtariffe hold the balance and firepower to succeed to meet Boherbue in the decider.