Magic from Myler
Jamie fires Horeswood to under-20 football crown
HORESWOOD had too much firepower for a game Askamore-Kilrush in the Greenstar Under-20 Roinn 1 football championship final in St Patrick’s Park on Sunday afternoon.
It was all about the exquisite scoring of Jamie Myler in the first half as the county talent put the Gorey district club to the sword with a range of sensational points off his left foot against the breeze.
However, his side needed a little something extra in the second half and a teammate of his in Horeswood seniors, Sean Nolan, sprung to life with four superb points in a row to keep Kilrush at arm’s length.
For end of year fare, it had an attractive, intriguing quality. The sides played with contrasting styles and that only helped the game as a spectacle. Horeswood were happy to work the ball forward from the back with their short kick-outs and hand-passing moves.
However, once they found their way into the Kilrush half the first look was towards Myler and the move he was making, left or right. Often the long ball into the channel worked a treat, with the hotshot happy to sprint out knowing he had the quality to take points from wherever he wanted.
In theory the Kilrush tactic of taking the ball into the tackle and fending off flailing arms should work to the benefit of a technically astute team like Horeswood. However, the Gorey district side were physically imposing and rarely lost the ball in those instances.
The hardball game didn’t take them to victory, they worked at it and manufactured some nice scores, but they didn’t have the individual talent of their opponents, or quite the football nous, over the course of sixty minutes.
There was an early sign of the New Ross district club’s quality as Myler released Danny Nolan but the corner-forward was unable to convert. At the other end Sean Kirwan saw his shot blocked behind but overs from Myler and Sean Bookey ensured the sides finished the opening ten minutes with 0-1 each.
Probably the best move of the match gave Horeswood an 11th minute led they would never let slip. Joe O’Sullivan went long, Nolan and Myler combined to have the Kilrush defence stretched and the latter released Darragh Kent into the clear for the opening goal.
The major fillip got Horeswood rolling and Sean Nolan soon added a free, it was followed by two more Myler overs to make it 1-4 to 0-1 at the end of the opening quarter. However, Kilrush responded, Sean Kirwan and Bookey scored two quick points to narrow the gap to four.
They would add just one more point, another Bookey free, as Horeswood took control before the interval. Joe O’Sullivan kicked a nice point, Myler knocked over a free and then flighted over three sensational scores in a row to bring his tally to seven, six from play, as his side led 1-9 to 0-4.
The message for Horeswood at half-time was ‘five more points’ - estimated as enough to win the game. Those words seemed to hit home as they came out after the interval and knocked over five in six minutes, a brace each from Myler and Sean Nolan, plus an O’Sullivan score, to move thirteen up.
The flip side of that was the fact that the foot came off the gas at 1-14 to 0-4. Kilrush didn’t looked like a team with much hope until Bookey was fouled under a long Jack Nolan free and he dispatched the resulting penalty.
It gave Kilrush new life. Scores from Kirwan and Tom Kinsella got their side within nine (1-15 to 1-6) but the revival didn’t have enough to overly worry Horeswood. They knuckled down after their breather and Nolan kicked his fifth of the game.
A flashpoint brawl saw both James Byrne and Darragh Kinsella pick up second yellow cards as Kilrush finished with thirteen men. It was a formality from there as late Myler and Martin Kinsella overs wrapped up the Roinn 1 title in style for Horeswood.
HORESWOOD: Aaron Mythen; Alex Molloy, Jason Murphy, David Murphy (capt.); Sean Hunt, Eamonn O’Sullivan, Jack Kehoe; Barry Walsh-Howlin, Sean Nolan (0-5, 1 free); Darragh Kent (1-0), Joe O’Sullivan (0-2), Dylan Whitty; Danny Nolan, Jamie Myler (0-10, 2 ‘45’s, 1 free), John Chapman. Subs. - Dean Roberts for D. Nolan (52), Martin Kinsella (0-1) for J. O’Sullivan (55), also, Matthew Foley, Neil Ennis, Cathal Mernagh.
ASKAMORE-KILRUSH: Conor Kehoe; Ronan Dillon, Peter O’Neill, Padraig O’Rourke; Kieran Kenny, Sean Bookey (capt., 1-2, 1-0 pen), Paraic Hayden; James Byrne, John Kavanagh; Jack Nolan, Kevin Kenny, Ned O’Neill; Darragh Kinsella,
Sean Kirwan (0-3, 2 frees), Tom Kinsella (01). Subs. - Martin Byrne for Kavanagh, inj (31), Sean O’Rourke for P. O’Rourke (54), James Doran for Dillon (54), also, Garrett O’Connor, Jim Sharry, Colm Hayes.