Gorey look the part
Second successive semi spot sealed
NAOMH EANNA 4-17 ST. ANNE’S 3-11
COULD THERE be something special brewing in Gorey? They are certainly brimful of confidence anyway as the excellence of county star Conor McDonald steered them to a second successive semi-final apperance after a 4-17 to 3-11 victory over a typically plucky St. Anne’s outfit in Sunday’s goal-laden Pettitt’s Senior hurling championship quarter-final in Innovate Wexford Park.
Not for the first time in his relatively short career, McDonald will garner all the headlines as he was simply on fire against a defence unsure how to curb his influence, finishing with a healthy total of 2-6.
But it was far from a one-man show, as Cathal Dunbar also had his moments up front, particularly when arrowing over a sideline cut on 39 minutes in what is fast becoming his specialist move.
Stangely enough, it took eight minutes for the game’s first score to arrive when McDonald pointed, but St. Anne’s were at their best shooting into the Clonard goal.
Diarmuid O’Keeffe and Liam Og McGovern were full of promise, with the former notching two points in the first 16 minutes and the latter batting home Mikey Fogarty’s pass from close range as they built a 1-4 to 0-3 lead.
However, when Gary Molloy latched onto a puck-out and made inroads towards goal, he spotted McDonald off his right shoulder, and the county attacker plastered the ball to the net just under the crossbar.
Mac swapped points with Liam Rochford, and while a Pádraig Doyle ’65 made it 1-6 to 1-5 in favour of the Rathangan men by the 26th minute, Jonathan Fogarty set up his brother, Mikey, and also Mark Furlong for quick points, while O’Keeffe’s third of the half gave St. Anne’s a deserved 1-9 to 1-7 lead at the break.
Without sounding clichéd, the first score after the break was going to be key, and it came from Naomh Eanna when Charlie McGuckin pointed from Eoin Conroy’s pass.
That heralded a run of 1-3 without reply, with McDonald nonchalantly knocking over after working his way out of the corner, and he soon rose high above his marker to catch before dispatching through the legs of Paul Brennan to give his side a 2-9 to 1-9 after 33 minutes.
Dunbar made it a four-point game, while Furlong knocked over a free after Barry Kinsella had initially done well to save from Jonathan Fogarty.
Dunbar then sliced over that sideline from 50 metres out, while two placed balls from Doyle and singles from McDonald and Aodhán Doyle had Gorey comfortably in front with twelve minutes remaining (2-15 to 1-11).
They then strung together an intricate handpassing move which ended with centre-forward Pádraig Doyle rounding Brennan and tucking away.
Furlong rifled home a close-in free through a wall of Gorey defenders on 51 minutes, and their trademark fighting spirit was evident when Redmond Barry batted home Aidan Rochford’s set-up to bring them within 3-17 to 3-11 with one minute left of regulation time.
But there was to be no electrifying revival as instead Dunbar applied the icing on the cake when he rolled in the victors’ fourth goal one minute into injury time when the ball fell kindly to him after Jack Cullen’s punt at the posts was only half cleared.
Naomh Eanna: Barry Kinsella; Peter Travers, Brendan Travers (capt.), Eoin Molloy; Jack Cullen, Seán Doyle, Eoin Conroy (0-1); Aodhán Doyle (0-1), Gary Molloy; Charlie McGuckin (0-1), Pádraig Doyle (1-5, 0-2 frees, 0-2 ‘65s), Darragh Hughes; David O’Brien, Conor McDonald (2-6), Cathal Dunbar (1-3, 0-1 line ball). Subs. - William Cullen for O’Brien (44), Jack Cushe for Hughes (53).
St. Anne’s: Paul Brennan; Kenny Cloney, Tomás Cullen, Páraic O’Keeffe; Seamus Mythen, Aidan Rochford, Cian McGovern; Mark Furlong (1-3 frees), Mikey Fogarty (capt., 0-1); Diarmuid O’Keeffe (0-3), Liam Rochford (0-1), Jonathan Fogarty (0-1); Andy Kennedy, Liam Og McGovern (1-1), Redmond Barry (1-1). Subs. - Kevin Whelan for Kennedy (41), Finn O’Driscoll for M. Fogarty (58).
Referee: David O’Leary (Rathnure).