Mallow are big winners

Mallow 2-23 Newmarket 1-6

MALLOW carried far too much class and scoring power for Newmarket in Kilbrin on Saturday. As the contest aged, Mallow held the better attacking combination and made life difficult for the opposing defence in many instances.

Despite Newmarket’s willingness to contest, they can have no complaints about the outcome, defeated by a better balanced Mallow side that crucially carried a far more widespread of scoring options.

On doing so, Mallow blended intensity and an impressive workrate to fire out an emphatic notice of their well-being to progress to the penultimate hurdle against O’Donovan Rossa.

A false dawn early on, the sides deadlocked on three occasions during the opening 15 minutes in fast and furious action. Newmarket had managed to find their footing, a spell of dominance generated by Robert and Brendan Stack along with Adrian Carroll and Josh O’Keeffe.

And Newmarket’s hopes were raised on Paul Verling feeding Jonathan Flaherty for a peach of a goal. Steadily, Mallow began to settle into a rhythm, though wayward shooting limited their cause, impressive corner forwards Mattie Taylor and Seamus Buckley clipped over a run of points for Mallow to enjoy a 0-11 to 1-3 advantage at the break.

From the restart, it didn’t take Mallow too long to spell out their intent, a long range free from Gary Sweeney found a path to the net. The impetus was clearly with Mallow now, their dominance based on the industry of an outstanding defence with John Healy, Kieran and Eoin Murphy ever vigilant; Conor Hannon and Michael Maher bossed midfield with Taylor and Buckley continuing to create inroads in attack.

Though Verling and Carroll answered with Newmarket points from frees, there was no stopping a rampant Mallow with Sweeney, Maher and substitute Jimmy Glynn splitting the uprights.

Indeed Mallow held the game in a vice grip thanks to determined and stylish play, best summed up on a great ball played intro space by Maher allowed Taylor finish to the net with aplomb.

That score confirmed Mallow had a bit on hand, finishing in a gallop to complete a job well done and a ticket to a county semi-final.

MALLOW: R Harkin; K Murphy, J Healy, E Murphy; G O’Sullivan, B Carey, R Downey; C Hannon 0-1, M Maher 0-2; C Stokes, F Moynihan, G Sweeney 1-7(1-6f); M Taylor 1-4, K Byrne 0-1, S Buckley 0-4 Subs: J Glynn 0-2 for K Byrne, E Buckley for G O’Sullivan, S O’Callaghan 0-1 for S Buckley, T Duignan for M Taylor, E Glynn 0-1 for F Moynihan

NEWMARKET: S McAulliffe; J Scanlon, R Stack, A O’Callaghan; J O’Keeffe, B Stack, D Norton; A Carroll 0-1f, D Enright; M Kenneally, J Flaherty 1-0, S Murphy; P Verling 0-5f, C O’Sullivan, D Culloty Subs: M O’Leary for D Norton, C O’Connell for C O’Sullivan, N Barrett for P Verling

REFEREE: C Egan (Glen Rovers)