Unstoppable Jack does the damage for Dwyers
A devastating second-half performance by Michael Dwyers inspried by lethal corner-forward Jack O’Toole saw them turn a three-point half-time deficit into a comfortable eight-point victory.
Playing with the aid of a slight breeze in the first half, it was the Arklow men who started the game strongly. Patrick Shaw pointing after only two minutes. With Cian Redmond winning plenty of ball at full-forward, the Rocks looked dangerous every time the ball went forward.
However, against the run of play Jack O’Toole gathered possession for Dwyers in the right corner. He launched a ball into the Rocks square and amongst a gaggle of bodies Callum McRae pulled on a loose ball to rattle the Arklow net.
The goal seemed to spur on the Rocks as they dominated the remainder of the half. Shaw pointed again and Tiernan Gahan tied the scores up with 15 minutes gone. With a constant white wave of pressure Rocks were hitting a lot of wides, and through the endeavours of goalkeeper Ivor Fenton, full-back Ross Sheridan and centre back James Boland, Dwyers were doing exceptionally well to stay in touch.
Rocks did kick on with the final three scores of the half through Padraig Kelly, Byrne and Redmond for a deserved lead, although in reality it should have been much more than three.
Whatever was said at half-time by Dwyers manager John O’Toole, they came out rejuvenated. Within three minutes they had taken the lead. Jack O’Toole got his first point with a free, before he showed great skill to hook a Rocks defender and in one swift motion pull on the ball to the Rocks net. O’Toole then pointed a beauty over his left shoulder before adding a free.
Arklow needed a score but with Rian Waters and Boland dominating around the middle their first half dominance was gone.
With 15 minutes to go O’Toole struck his second goal. Gathering the ball 20 yards out he unleashed an unstoppable shot that nearly took the nets off their hooks as the sliotar hit the onion sack with such ferocity.
Boland then showed his sheer class. Firstly, he gathered possession 40 yards out before drilling over off his left side, from the resulting puckout he claimed the ball before driving through at pace and clipping an excellent score off his right side this time.
The impressive Padraig Kelly did point for Arklow and Kyle Byrne added another to narrow the gap. However, O’Toole was hurling like a man possessed and pointed another before closing the scoring with an instinctive point over his shoulder without looking at the target.
The Rocks kept plugging away. A last-minute Byrne free was amazingly saved by the excellent Fenton who somehow deflected a rasping drive onto the bar and gathered the rebound to clear the danger.
An excellent contest with Arklow dominating the first period but not being clinical enough with the chances they had. They had outstanding performers in Padraig Kelly, Darragh O’Connor and Tiernan Gahan.
Unlike Arklow, when Dwyers got on top they punished the opposition. In the first period when their backs were to the wall, Ivor Fenton and Ross Sheridan, who plucked some mighty ball from the heavens, kept them in it. In the second half, as Waters and Boland got on top, they got a supply of ball into O’Toole and the little magician done the rest with an intelligence and accuracy that Arklow could not counter.
Scorers - Michael Dwyers: Jack O’Toole 2-5, Callum McRae 1-0, James Boland 0-2
Arklow Rocks: Patrick Shaw 0-2, Kyle Byrne 0-2, Padraig Kelly 0-2, Tiernan Gahan 0-1, Cian Redmond 0-1
Michael Dwyers: Ivor Fenton; Matthew Doyle, Ross Sheridan; Matthew Jackson, James Boland, Sean Kelly; Andy Corrigan, Rian Waters; Daniel Byrne, Callum McRae, Joe Manifold; Jimmy Mallin, Jack O’Toole, Alan Ryan
Arklow Rocks: Kian Fluskey; Darragh O’Connor, Donnacha Murphy; Jamie Somers, Liam Murphy, Padraig Kelly; Kyle Byrne, Adam O’Leary; Patrick Shaw, Teirnan Gahan, Adam O’Farrell; Cian Redmond, Patrick Harper. Subs: Bartley Crummy, Daniel Massey, Bill Connors, Robert Waddell, Fionn McDonald, Jack O’Reilly
Referee: John Keenan (Aughrim)