Coolaney/ Mullinabreena defeat Coolera
them into long ball down the sidelines.
Wing back Anthony Walsh was busy in the first half with several balls coming down his side, which he dealt with accordingly.
Their first half was not without fault however, with their fair share of turnovers in the final theirs.
The turning point of the match happened at the mid point of the first half with Gavin Gorman firing the ball into the net after a well worked team move.
There was no looking back after that, with Coolaney/Mullinabreena kicking on, with a balanced scoring load, Sean Gorman, Niall Connolly and Nathan Mullen all getting on the score sheet.
As referee Bill Carty blew for half time, you could be forgiven for thinking that Coolaney/Mullinabreena side were home and dry.
In the second half however, Coolera/Strandhill came out fighting, with Inter-County star Niall Murphy coming alive in the second half and scoring a few points in quick succession.
When experienced forward Barry O’ Mahony scored a goal, it seemed that Coolera/Strandhill could mount an improbable comeback.
Alas, the damage was done in the first half, and a nice point from substitute Darren Coleman merely underlined that fact.
In the end the match finished 2-11 to 1-09, with Coolaney/Mullinabreena running out comfortable winners.
Up next for Coolaney/ Mullinabreena are local rivals Tubbercurry, a match with implications for the championship.
As for Coolera/Strandhill, the are to look ahead to a meeting with Shamrock Gaels.
COOLANEY/MULLINABREENA: Eoin McDonagh, Kevin ‘O’ Kennady, Aidan Coleman, Stephen Barrett, Anthony Walsh, Nathan Mullen, Gavin Feely, Declan McCormack, Stephan Connolly, Sean Gorman, Shane ‘O’ Brien, Kieran Finan, Niall Connolly, Criostoir Davey and Gavin Gorman.
COOLERA/STRANDHILL: Oisín Conway, Conor McDonagh, Peter Laffey, Killian McCahey, Sean Murphy, Gary Cawley, Aaron O’Boyle, Kevin Banks, Barry Doyle, Colin Parke, Karol O’ Neill, Kevin Harte, Gary Cadden, Barry O’ Mahony and Niall Murphy.