Glenealy get their campaign off to a productive start
GLENEALY 2-13 KILTEGAN 2-07 IF Glenealy can reproduce their performance in the opening 10 minutes of this game against Kiltegan then they will take serious stopping in this Dacia Cars Senior Hurling Championship of 2017.
Conversely, if Kiltegan can reproduce their performance for the 50 other minutes of this clash then they will cause serious headaches for the rest of the teams as they look to build in their first year back in Senior following their wonderful IHC win last year.
This was a thoroughly entertaining Tuesday evening championship clash at Joule Park, Aughrim, as Gary Laffan’s men looked to launch themselves into their campaign with ruthlessness and lay down a marker to all that they mean business.
And that they did for the opening 10 minutes. They started like a train with attitude. They were 1-06 to 0-00 up after the 10 minutes, the seriously impressive Gary Hughes bagging four of them (one free, one 65), the energetic and incisive Emmet Byrne grabbing 1-01 from midfield, and the very able Leighton Glynn chipping in with a fine point as Glenealy quite simply took Kiltegan apart at the seams.
But Kiltegan gathered their thoughts and reacted superbly well. They pulled Ronan Byrne back into a sweeper position as they looked to curb the direct ball to Leighton Glynn and Hughes and also clog up the space in the middle.
Kiltegan lined out with county footballers Seanie Furlong and Rory Finn at midfield and they had several stand out hurlers on the day, none more so than full-back Bryan Kearney who really caught the eye with his mature approach and calm and assured performance.
Aaron Byrne was on free-taking duties and he popped over the first for the west side after 12 minutes and it was clear that we had a bit of a game on our hands despite the electric start from Glenealy.
That positional switch by Kiltegan stymied the Glenealy assault and they didn’t score again until the 20th minute when Leighton Glynn’s shot slipped past Luke Byrne on the Kiltegan line but the netminder will know he should have kept it out. That’s not to say that it was the positional switch that was entirely to blame for Glenealy’s mini drought, they did have one wide in that time, but it certainly caused major disruption.
Kiltegan had added a point from Aaron Byrne from a free before Glynn’s goal and they had also clocked up two wides.
Gary Hughes was in tremendous form from placed balls and he fired over a 65 to make it 2-07 to 0-02 with 24 minutes gone.
A converted Seanie Furlong free was answered by points from Emmet Byrne and Jamie Byrne as the Glenealy energy and their hounding of the Kiltegan defence and midfield reaped dividends.
Aaron Byrne pointed a free but Kiltegan were struggling up front where Jeffrey Bermingham had been switched with Mark Pierce so the half-time lead of 2-09 to 0-04 meant that Kiltegan were never going to win the game but you knew there was still going to be an interesting battle in the second 30 minutes.
A Gary Hughes 65 kicked things off but Kiltegan got a glimmer of hope when an Aaron Byrne free deceived the Gleenaly defence and ended up in the back of the net. Seanie Furlong had been position at full-forward from the start of the second half.
A Leighton Glynn point followed before a long Rory Finn free broke kindly for Jeffrey Bermingham and the intelligent Kiltegan man fired home to make it 2-11 to 2-04.
Hughes and Padraig O’Toole exchanged points and Aaron Byrne bagged two sweet scores (one free) either side of an Alan Driver beauty to leave Glenealy winning on a score of 2-13 to 2-07 and deservedly so even though they had been asked questions by a game Kiltegan side.
Glenealy’s attitude and hunger all appear to me in a much healthier state this year going on this performance. The fullback line looks mean and keen with Warren Kavanagh looking extremely confident.
Danny Staunton looks as though he has a magnet attached to his hurl because the ball is sticking to it on every occasion and Gary Byrne and Tommy Doyle either side are in no mood for messing.
A major plus for Laffan’s side in this game was the ferocious energy of Emmet Byrne while his midfield partner Robert Byrne was also prominent.
The plan of getting long ball to Leighton and Enan Glynn will earn substantial profits as this championship goes on while fouls within 65 yards of the posts will most likely cost teams dear if Gary Hughes’ form continues on the skyward trajectory it’s currently on.
Kiltegan would have been not overly distraught at their performance in this game. They steadied the ship and caused Glenealy real problems at times. They need scores though and they need an incisive attacker to get them. They won’t be found wanting in the full-back line and they have plenty of talent all over the field but they need to trouble the scoreboard to really make an impression.
Scorers – Glenealy: Gary Hughes 0-07 (2f, 3 65), Emmet Byrne 1-02, Leighton Glynn 1-02, Jamie Byrne 0-01, Alan Driver 0-01.
Kiltegan: Aaron Byrne 1-05 (1-4f), Jeffrey Bermingham 1-00, Seanie Furlong 0-01 (f), Padraig O’Toole 0-01.
Glenealy: Keith Snell; Ruairi O’Neill, Warren Kavanagh, Lee Kavanagh; Gary Byrne, Danny Staunton, Tommy Doyle; Emmet Byrne, Robert Byrne; Jamie Byrne, John Manley, Alan Driver; Leighton Glynn, Enan Glynn, Gary Hughes. Subs:
Kiltegan: Luke Byrne; Eoin O’Neill, Bryan Kearney, James O’Brien; Dan Kearney, Ronan Byrne, Liam Keogh; Seanie Furlong, Rory Finn; Padraig O’Toole, Jeffrey Bermingham, JJ Phelan; Mark Murphy, Mark Pierce, Aaron Byrne. Subs:
Referee: Mattie Dowling