Subs bench does the trick
GLENEALY produced a powerful second half performance to put a lively Kiltegan side away in the Dacia Cars Senior Hurling Championship clash in Joule Park Aughrim last Saturday evening.
Key to the victory for the defending champions was the unloading of their abundant bench early in the second half as they called Leighton Glynn, the returning Warren Kavanagh and Wayne O’Gorman into the fray to try and gain control of a game being dictated by an ambitious and committed Kiltegan outfit who took a deserved one-point lead into the break at 0-8 to 1-4.
The nature of the game changed completely following the changes and Glenaly would go on to completely boss the second half, clocking up 1-11 to Kiltegan’s 0-4.
Nigel Byrne’s side will take heart from that opening half that was full of endeavour and drive. Kiltegan are very much a work in progress and great work is being done and more progress will no doubt follow.
Promising work early on that resulted in two fine points, the first from Mark Murphy, the second from Padraig O’Toole, was undone when good work by Gary Byrne and Gary Hughes picked out Gavin Weir who blasted home past Luke Byrne in the Kiltegan goal. Weir pointed two frees soon after, one he won himself, and Glenealy had a 1-2 to 0-2 lead in the blink of an eye.
Kiltegan were looking useful, though, and wrenched the lead back from Glenealy over the course of the next 10 minutes as they got on top in most sectors of the field besides the zone patrolled by the rampant Danny Staunton at full-back whose touch is something to behold.
A beauty from deep from MJ Moran got the ball rolling for Kiltegan and that score was followed by white flags from Padraig O’Toole, Liam Keogh an a pointed free from Seanie Germaine and Kiltegan were full value for their 0-6 to 1-2 lead.
The battle raged for the reminder of the second half with John Manley and Alan Driver scores coming either side of a Seanie Germaine free and a fine point from play from Aaron Byrne to leave Kiltegan with a slender 0-8 to 1-4 lead at the break.
Nigel Byrne had sought an audience with referee Chris Canavan after the half-time whistle had sounded, no doubt to inquire as to whether or not a penalty should have been given to Seanie Germaine who gathered superbly from a Rory Finn ball before hitting the deck under severe pressure in the Glenealy square. Canavan waved Byrne’s inquiries away.
As bad as not getting a penalty decision must have seemed to
Kiltegan, the fact that Glenealy broke up the field and Alan Driver swept over a fine score would have been a sickening blow which was made worse no doubt by the sight of Leighton Glynn and Wayne O’Gorman being summoned to the dressing room during the break.
Leighton Glynn’s introduction brought a whole new level of threat to the inside line and the dual player’s tenacity won a 65 which Gary Hughes pointed, his second of the second half.
Gary Byrne’s imput into this game shouldn’t be overlooked. His long balls caused a degree of havoc in the Kiltegan defence in the second half and one such ball deceived said defence and bounced over Luke Byrne’s crossbar to make it 1-7 to 0-8 with Byrne having robbed the ball himself.
Points from Padraig O’Toole and Seanie Germaine sandwiched a Gary Hughes score ahead of a Gavin Weir free and the introduction of Enan Glynn to the fray.
The game was ultimately decided in the 14th minute of the second half when a long Gary Byrne ball found Leighton Glynn in behind the Kiltegan defence and he rifled home past Luke Byrne before exchanging words with the Kiltegan netminder with the score reading 2-10 to 0-10.
It was all over bar the shouting from here on in. Gary Hughes (two, one free), Alan Driver, Joey Driver, Gavin Weir completed Glenealy’s tally while two Seanie Germaine frees brought Kiltegan’s total to a respectable dozen.
Nigel Byrne’s side would have had to find goals to beat this Glenealy side and with Danny Staunton in superb form at fullback and Cian Staunton looking sharp on the line that never looked like happening.
Glenealy march on. It looked finely balanced at the break but when you have a bench with more county titles than the number of players on the field anything other than a Reds win was very unlikely.
Scorers – Glenealy: Gavin Weir 1-4 (3f, 1 65), Gary Hughes 0-5 (2 65, 2f), Alan Driver 0-2, Leighton Glynn 1-0, John Manley 0-1, Gary Byrne 0-1, Jonathan O’Neill Jnr 0-1, Joey Driver 0-1.
Kiltegan: Seanie Germaine 0-4 (4f), Padraig O’Toole 0-3, Mark Murphy 0-1, MJ Moran 0-1, Liam Keogh 0-1, Aaron Byrne 0-1.
Glenealy: Cian Staunton; Emmet Byrne, Danny Staunton, Ronan Manley; Joey Driver, Gary Byrne, Matthew Traynor; Jonathan O’Neill Jnr, John Manley; Robert Byrne, Jamie Byrne, Gary Hughes; Gavin Weir, Alan Driver, Paul O’Brien. Subs: Leighton Glynn for P O’Brien, Warren Kavanagh for M Traynor, Wayne O’Gorman for A Driver, Enan Glynn for J Byrne
Kiltegan: Luke Byrne; Colm Keogh, Bryan Kearney, Eoin O’Neill; Seamus Coogan, Ronan Byrne, MJ Moran; Padraig Byrne, Padraig O’Toole; Aaron Byrne, Rory Finn, Liam Keogh; Seanie Germaine, Michael Mangan, Mark Murphy. Subs: Jonathan Tallon for P Byrne, Daniel Troy for A Byrne, Niall Gartland for L Keogh.
Referee: Chris Canavan (Avoca)