O’Grady injury mars Crokes win

DR Crokes advanced to the last four without too much fuss, but the abiding memory for this game will be the horrific leg break suffered by O’Rahillys’ defender Giles O’Grady.

The game was just six minutes old when O’Grady moved in to tackle Brian Looney who was bearing in on Gary Kissane’s goal. Somewhere in the collision – which was completely accidental – O’Grady suffered a double compound break, with Looney also picking up an injury that eventually forced him to retire, albeit in the second half. A near 40-minute delay ensued as O’Grady was attended to by medics before being taken by ambulance to hospital for surgery.

It’s impossible to say just how both teams were affected by O’Grady’s injury and the subsequent delay, and while Morgan Nix made no excuses for his players on that score, it cannot have been easy for the O’Rahillys players in particular to refocus in light of their stricken team mate’s fate. Looney, too, was physically hurt in the collision and struggled on until he was replaced by Eoin Brosnan 12 minutes into the second half, by which stage Crokes led by 1-12 to 0-10, the same five-point margin they enjoyed at the final whistle.

Following O’Grady’s injury Daithí Casey converted the resulting free, before Kieran O’Mahony restored parity. Colm Cooper engineered a lead point for Crokes before Kieran O’Leary won a penalty after being taken down by Danny O’Sullivan, but Casey’s penalty was well saved by Kissane before the Crokes forward put the rebound over the bar.

Tony Brosnan and Cooper added points by the 19th minute and then a pivotal moment arrived. Ambrose O’Donovan set Casey off on a strong run at the O’Rahillys defence and when Kissane made another great save from Casey’s shot Cooper was on hand to tap the rebound to the net. Seven points up after 22 minutes and there was a finality about the outcome already.

O’Rahillys problem was that they couldn’t get their hands on the ball at midfield, leaving Barry John Keane, at no.11, at full forward Tommy Walsh totally bereft of possession to cause damage.

David Moran scrambled a score for O’Rahillys before Keane added another from an assist by Kevin Walsh, on for the ineffectual John C O’Connor as Nix and Micheal Quirke tried to shake up their team from the sideline.

Walsh’s contribution lasted less than ten minutes as he was harshly black carded for a foul on Gavin White in the 32nd minute, by which stage Crokes led 1-9 to 0-5. Cooper’s converted free from that foul edged the Killarney club eight clear before Tommy Walsh’s point deep into added time made it a seven-point game at the interval.

Early second half points from Moran (‘45), Jack Savage (free) and Keane (play) brought O’Rahillys right back into the contest, but Crokes response was swift and from a familiar source: Cooper converting a close range free and adding another from play to restore a five-point lead.

Keane and Crokes goalkeeper Shane Murphy exchanged points, then Greg O’Connell and O’Leary did likewise, but as the game rolled into the closing 10 minutes it was apparent O’Rahillys would need a goal if they were to rescue a result.

Tommy Walsh gathered some good possession close in to goal but could neither get away from his direct marker nor find a support runner close enough to him to cause Crokes any problems.

Keane (free) and Savage from play made it a four-point game again with eight to play but Eoin Brosnan found his range after a neat one-two with the ever involved Casey before Crokes sub Micheal Burns walked on a black card.

Savage landed a super score fro distance but Jordan Kiely replied for Crokes and the last action saw Crokes’ excellent half back Gavin White thunder a shot back of Kissane’s crossbar as the championship favourites were the first team into the semi-finals with minimum fuss but plenty to work on. DR CROKES: Shane Murphy (0-2; 1f, 1 ‘45’), John Payne, Michael Moloney, Fionn Fitzgerald, Gavin White, Alan O’Sullivan (0-1), David O’Leary, Ambrose O’Donovan, Johnny Buckley, Daithi Casey (0-3, 1f), Gavin O’Shea, Brian Looney, Colm Cooper (1-5, 0-2f), Kieran O’Leary (0-1), Tony Brosnan (0-2). Subs: Eoin Brosnan for B Looney (inj, 42), Micheal Burns for G O’Shea (42), Jordan Kiely for T Brosnan (49), PJ Lawlor for A O’Donovan (53), Luke Quinn for M Burns (b/c, 55), Mike Milner for K O’Leary (60). KERINS O’RAHILLYS: Gary Kissane, Danny O’Sullivan, Cormac Coffey, David Murphy, Ross O’Callaghan, Shane Brosnan, Giles O’Grady, Con Barrett, David Moran (0-2, 1 ‘45’), John Ferguson, Barry John Keane (0-4, 1f), John C O’Connor, Kieran O’Mahony (0-1), Tommy Walsh (0-1), Jack Savage (0-4, 3f). Subs: Cian Sayers for G O’Grady (inj, 6), Kevin Walsh for John C O’Connor (23), Greg O’Connell for K Walsh (b/c, 32), Gavin O’Brien for K O’Mahony (56), Andrew Thompson for R O’Callaghan (60). REF: Seamus Mulvihill (St Senans)