Green have too much for brave Mounthawk

FREWEN CUP QUARTER-FINAL Tralee CBS 4-17 Mercy Mounthawk 3-2

TRALEE CBS powered their way through a town derby against Mounthawk (who were, admittedly, missing some key players who had won a thrilling All Ireland basketball final just the day before).

The Green opened the scoring through Conor Horan before being rocked on their heels by an Evan Foley goal. It didn’t disrupt their stride; Ben Hanafin and Donnacha Sayers reeled off quick points before Josh Lynch powered home a goal of their own.

The outstanding Earnán Ferris responded with a Mounthawk goal to level it at 2-0 to 1-3, but that was to be Mounthawk’s last score of the half. Their cause wasn’t helped with the lively Evan Foley departing for the sin-bin late in the half under the new rules regarding the black card, but no one player could have turned the tide here anyway.

The Green could afford to miss five chances in a row and still reel off points from Sayers (f),Thomas O’Donnell (2), Maurice O’Connell, Armin Heinrich, and Darragh Sweeney, as well as an exquisitely lobbed goal by Donnacha Sayers to lead at half-time by a whopping 2-9 to 2-0.

One of Tralee’s most impressive traits was the range of scorers, and they showed it again with four different players nailing points early in the second half, Chris Nolan’s free being Mounthawk’s only reply. 2-13 to 2-1.

Earnán Ferris again clipped in with a goal – the way this lad was foraging on scraps, one suspects that he could have done a lot with a loaf and some fishes – but the Green simply responded with a sweeping team move that saw Josh Lynch tee up Danny Hennessy for a green flag.

Donnacha Sayers and Conor Horan added frees. Earnán Ferris hit Mounthawk’s first point from play, but the horse had already bolted long since and Maurice O’Connell’s goal wrapped it up neatly, with Hennessy and Ruairí O’Connell closing out a fairly one-sided game.

TRALEE CBS: Ben Quilter, Ciarán White, Ruairí O’Connell (0-1), Liam Óg Kingston, Darragh Sweeney (0-1), TJ Heaphy, Ronan Pearse, Armin Heinrich (0-2), Conor Horan (0-2, 2f), Donal Daly, Maurice O’Connell (1-1), Thomas O’Donnell (0-2), Donnacha Sayers (1-4, 4f), Josh Lynch (1-1), Ben Hanafin (0-2) Subs: Jerome Daly for B Hanafin, 43, Danny Hennessy (1-1) for D Daly, 43, Ben Donnellan for C White, 52, Seán Healy for A Heinrich, 54

MERCY MOUNTHAWK: Liam Carmody, Eoghan Walsh, Eddie McCarthy, Dylan Harris, Danny Jeffers, Robert Monaghan, Evan Foley (1-0), Chris Nolan (0-1, 1f), Darragh McEvoy, Jack Kearney, Cillian Litchfield, Donal O’Sullivan, Caden O’Mahony, Earnán Ferris (2-1), Darragh O’Connor Subs: Adam Doyle for D McEvoy, 46, Fionán Egan for C O’Mahony, 50, James Moore for Jack Kearney, 50, Cathal Donovan for D O’Sullivan, 53, Michael Casey for D O’Connor, 55

REFEREE: Gordon Kerins (Austin Stacks)

Sideline official David Gough checks his watch during a sin bin period for Graham O’Sullivan of Kerry during the Allianz Football League Division 1 Round 1 match between Dublin and Kerry at Croke Park Photo by Ramsey Cardy / Sportsfile