Depleted Shels no match for Rocks

TARA ROCKS 3-16, SHELMALIERS 1-5: Tara Rocks cruised to a comfortable 17-point victory over a depleted Shelmaliers side in this Enniscorthy Farm Systems Junior football championship Group A game at Farmleigh on Sunday, writes Brendan Furlong.

Both sides entered the game with a realistic chance of making it through to the knockout stages, but given the fact that Shelmaliers could only muster 15 players, it was always evident from an early stage that the Gorey District side would gather the two crucial points to keep their championship hopes alive given their total dominance throughout the pitch.

With Joe Bolger, Lee and Rhys Owley in sparkling form in attack, kicking some fine points through the early stages, the eventual winners totally dominated. They went in leading by 0-10 to 0-3 at the interval, with the Shels points coming through Stephen McGuire, Niall Murphy and a David Shiggins free.

In the second-half Tara Rocks really exerted control once they struck for their opening goal from Lee Owley after 39 minutes. While the Shels hit back two minutes later for a Kevin O’Leary goal, the Rocks increased the tempo of their game and added further goals through Shane Tobin and Paddy Bergin to run out easy winners of a one-sided game.

Tara Rocks: Darragh McKenna; Damien Tobin, Tomás Owley, Paddy Carton (0-1); Martin Sheehan (0-1), Gary Owley, Paul Carton; Paddy Phelan, Brendan Hobbs; Shane Tobin (1-1), Gearóid O Súilleabháin (0-1), Niall Breen; Rhys Owley (0-1 free), Joe Bolger (1-7), Lee Owley (1-2). Subs. - Paddy Bergin (0-1) for R. Owley, Declan Breen for Carton, Noel Gallagher (0-1) for Hobbs.

Shelmaliers: Aodhán Foley; Cathal Gaule, Conor Hearne, Eoghan Fitzgerald; Joe Redmond, Cian Manley, Craig Parker; Eoin O’Leary, Niall Murphy (0-1); Chris Gordon, Kevin O’Leary (1-0), Paul McCleane; Mark Flood, David Shiggins (0-1 free), Stephen McGuire (0-3).

Referee: Eddie O’Sullivan (Kilanerin).