O’Donoghue inspires Legion victory
Kerins O’Rahillys 1-13 Legion 1-14
INJURY-TIME points from Kieran Slattery and then Conor Keane helped Legion catch and then overtake Kerins O’Rahillys in this hotly contested and absorbing Senior Club Championship match in Strand Road on Saturday evening. Those two scores were preceded by an exquisite point from James O’Donoghue, introduced as a half-time substitute for his first competitive match since last year’s All-Ireland final, as Legion dug out a victory that hardly seemed likely at half-time.
Legion had trailed by four points, 0-5 to 0-9, at the interval and O’Rahillys looked well positioned to come through this fascinating first round fixture, but O’Donoghue’s introduction helped ignite a Legion performance in the second half that O’Rahillys found difficult to respond to or match. That’s not to say the hosts didn’t play well - they did, at times - but once Legion got their momentum going, driven on by Jonathan Lyne, Shaun Keane, Billy Maguire and Conor Keane, in addition to O’Donoghue’s mercurial touches, O’Rahillys couldn’t find the necessary response to protect that half-time lead.
O’Rahillys had Barry John Keane score 1-4, Jack Savage kick five points, and Tommy Walsh chipped in with three points from play - several of them top-notch scores - but collectively they lacked the same urgency that Legion conjured up as the game broke open in the final quarter.
O’Donoghue’s influence was almost immediate; five minutes into the second half he was involved in the build-up to Conor Keane’s goal, finished from close range from Billy Maguire’s cross. That cut the deficit to one point, and prefaced a hectic few minutes that set the tempo for the rest of the game.
Tommy Walsh pointed for O’Rahillys before Jamie O’Sullivan replied in kind for Legion. In the 39th minute Barry John Keane broke through the Legion defence and smashed a goal past Kerry team mate Brian Kelly to restore O’Rahillys’s four-point lead. A minute later Kevin Breen was denied a goal by a reflex save from Gary Kissane in the host’s goal. When Jack Savage slipped over a point in the 41st minute, making it 1-11 to 1-6, O’Rahillys place in the second round seemed fairly assured.
The ever-improving Jonathan Lyne - operating around right half forward - kicked a great score but John O’Connor replied for O’Rahillys and with 15 minutes left O’Rahillys still led by five.
Thereafter, Legion outscored their hosts 0-7 to 0-1. The next six minutes saw O’Donoghue score twice from play, then Conor Keane point, and then O’Donoghue convert a free that Keane earned, leaving Legion just a point behind but with the momentum firmly with them.
By now Jamie O’Sullivan and Shaun Keane had the stranglehold in midfield, with David Moran’s influence waning in the face of Legion’s growing confidence. David McLoughlin had a shot on goal smartly blocked before Tommy Walsh’s third point doubled O’Rahillys lead to 1-13 to 1-11 with five to play. O’Donoghue raked over an excellent point to set up a dramatic finale, and those injury-time scores from Slattery and then Keane ensured a second round derby against Dr Crokes.
For O’Rahillys this was a tough
defeat to take. In attack they couldn’t have asked for much more from their top marksmen, but defensively they were too loose in the second half and will need to address that area in particular before the relegation play-offs begin and for their county championship campaign.
KERINS O’Rahillys: Gary Kissane, Robert O’Shea, Danny O’Sullivan, Cormac Coffey, Gavan Duffy, Martin Tierney, Tommy Begley, Con Barrett, David Moran, John O’Connor (0-1), Jack Savage (0-5, 1f), David McLoughlin, Kieran O’Mahony, Tommy Walsh (0-3), Barry John Keane (1-4, 0-1f). Subs: Giles O’Grady for O’Mahony.
LEGION: Brian Kelly, Tom Slattery, Danny Sheahan, Cathal Sheahan, Podge O’Connor, Denis Sheahan (0-1), Damien O’Sullivan, Shaun Keane, Jamie O’Sullivan (0-1), Sean McCarthy (0-1), Jonathan Lyne (0-1), Kevin Breen, Billy Maguire (0-1), David O’Sullivan (0-2, 1f), Conor Keane (1-2). Subs: James O’Donoghue (0-4, 1f) for McCarthy, Chris Davies for C Sheahan, Kieran Slattery (0-1) for K Breen.
REFEREE: Seamus Mulvihill (St Senans)