Tinahely take total control
IT may be hard to imagine, given the final scoreline, that Aughrim were just one point adrift at 0-5 to 0-4 with four minutes left in the first half.
They were on the attack into the town goal seeking the equaliser. An intended pass went astray and the Tinahely players moved the ball at pace back down the field, ending with full-forward Padraig Murphy blasting a shot past Cillian Donegan for goal number on and a gap of four points instead of a possible level situation.
Tinahely quickly added three points while Richard Keegan responded with a point for Aughrim just on the break.
Referee Ciaran Fleming got this first Senior football championship game of the year under way four minutes early at Aughrim on Friday evening last. Early exchanges were evenly contested and lively centre-forward Conor Lambert got Aughrim off the mark with a point from play after three minutes.
Paddy O’Rourke levelled from play on six minutes. Tony Darcy with two points, the first from a free, left a gap of 0-3 to 0-1 at 11 minutes. Two Robert Lambert frees on 14 and 17 minutes tied the game once again.
Tinahely corner-forward Jason Cush moved the gap back to two points again by 23 minutes. Attacking Aughrim half-back Conor Phelan moved forward and atoned for an earlier miss by knocking over his side’s fourth point.
With 25 minutes gone and just one point in the difference Aughrim must have felt pleasantly surprised at how they were doing. They had gone into this game as very definite underdogs with less than inspiring performances in the league thus far.
Their opponents are operating in the top division of the league and are playing very well there. The Aughrim defence was certainly stretched to the limit at times by a lively and pacey Tinahely forward line but was still holding, despite picking up two yellow cards along the way.
The half-backs were working the ball well out of defence and centre-back Stephan Mann was linking up well with his midfield duo in helping out with the forwards.
Then came the Padraig Murphy goal after 26 minutes. This was followed by a Jason Cush free and two points from play by Padraig Murphy and Tony Darcy. Richard Keegan replied with a point from a shot which was probably intended for a goal. The half-time score was 1-8 to 0-5 in favour of Tinahely, who were turning over to play into the town goal.
Aughrim needed to get a good start in the second period but the opposite happened.
A long ball into their goalmouth was allowed to hop and the inrushing Padraig Murphy had the advantage in his leap to punch the ball to the net for his and Tinahely’s second goal.
While Robert Lambert replied
with a free after five minutes, the men from the Granite Village now had a mountain to climb and the game was effectively over.
Tinahely grew in confidence and were now rampant throughout the second half. Brian Walsh and Willie Dillon came strongly into the game and laid on an excellent supply to a hungry forward line, all of whom were anxious to shine.
Tony Darcy had a point from a free on ten minutes, added another from play a minute later, Jason Cush and Brian Walsh added two more and then on the quarter hour mark came the third goal.
A perfect kick pass put Stephen Dillon in the clear and he drilled home a great shot just under the crossbar.
Further points from play by Padraig Murphy, Paddy O’Rourke, Tony Darcy, Alan Dillon and Tony Darcy again brought the Tinahely scoring to an end by 25 minutes. Substitute Jack Byrne brought the Aughrim score to an end in injury time. They had chalked up seven wides in the second period and despite the efforts of Robert Lambert and Mick Brennan to stem the tide, they were completely overwhelmed by a Tinahely side totally on song.
Tinahely defeated Bray Emmets in a league game back in early June scoring 20 points in an excellent display. They maintained this level of scoring here, notching 22 scores, three of them goals. If they can maintain that consistency, they will trouble anyone.
For Aughrim this game was a cruel awakening to the difference there is between operating down in the divisions of the league and lining out against a team playing regularly in Division 1. Things happen at a faster pace and mistakes are usually punished.
They felt aggrieved at the number of times that their talisman Robert Lambert was fouled throughout the game. This is perhaps valid but it hardly explains a 19-point gap.
They have lost seven players in 20 months and were minus the injured Paddy Phelan. This has put a lot of pressure on young inexperienced players.
Their next outing in the championship will tell if they have learned some of the lessons of this defeat. TINAHELY SCORERS: Padraig Murphy (2-2), Tony Darcy (0-7, 2 frees), Jason Cush (0-4, 2 frees), Stephen Dillon (1-0), Paddy O’Rourke (0-2), Brian Walsh (0-1), Alan Dillon (0-1). AUGHRIM SCORERS: Robert Lambert (0-3 frees), Conor Lambert, Conor Phelan, Richard Keegan and Jack Byrne (0-1 each). TINAHELY: Niall Byrne, Ray McGlynn, Michael Byrne, James Gilbert, Conor Hatton, Alan Nolan, John Blake, Brian Walsh, Willie Dillon, Paddy O’Rourke, Stephen Dillon, Alan Dillon, Jason Cush, Padraig Murphy, Tony Darcy. Subs. - Brendan Barnes for Ray McGlynn (48 mins), Gavin Kenny for Alan Nolan (51 mins). Yellow cards: Alan Dillon (9 mins), Stephan Dillon (23 mins), Paddy O’Rourke (56 mins). AUGHRIM: Cillian Donegan, Jason Doyle, Andrew Holt, Oisin Doyle, Conor Phelan, Stephen Mann, Eoin Forsythe, Robert Lambert, Mick Brennan, Bobby Newsome, Conor Lambert, Danny O’Hare, P. O’Kavanagh, Dean Newsome, Richard Keegan. Subs. Paul Lacey for Jason Doyle (15 mins), Jack Byrne for Eoin Forsythe (20 mins), Danny Owens for Richard Keegan (25 mins). Yellow Cards: Jason Doyle (20 mins), Andrew Holt (23 mins), Mick Brennan (57 mins). REFEREE: Ciaran Fleming.