Dreadnots look like genuine contenders
Dreadnots Sean O’Mahony’s 2-9 0-9
BEFORE a punch was thrown in anger this summer the suspicion was that Dreadnots might be the top-ranked contenders to Newtown Blues Anchor Tours SFC belt, and after the early rounds of group-stage sparring, the stars appear to be aligning.
After dispatching St Mary’s with a steely display, Wayne McKeever’s men caught Sean O’Mahony’s with a quick one-two just after the break at the Grove, as goals from Peter Kirwan and Liam Shevlin ultimately KO’d the 2016 champs.
If anything, Dreadnots passage out of the SFC ‘group of death’ has been even more impressive than the Blues stroll through their section, and with both sides advancing in top spot, they cannot meet until at least the semi-finals.
O’Mahony’s have struggled to get their best team on the pitch this season, but they had all of their big guns back for this clash and, coupled with a battling twopoint win over an equally strong St Mary’s side, Dreadnots will be more than pleased with their midterm report card.
They look both a more focused and solid outfit under McKeever, who has by no means stifled their natural instinct for attacking football in the process.
They hit the front in the 14th minute in this clash and never looked like relinquishing that lead.
O’Mahony’s started brightly, twice edging in front themselves through Conor Finnegan with a ‘45’ and then Ben McLaughlin.
Peter Kirwan and Paraic Smith drew Dreadnots level each time and O’Mahony’s were dealt a huge blow when Stephen Fisher was black-carded for a silly drag down over 100 metres from his own goal.
Almost immediately Shevlin and Smith opened a 0-4 to 0-2 lead for Dreadnots, but Fisher’s replacement Vinny Smith teed up Stephen Kilcoyne to pull one back for O’Mahony’s on the 20-minute mark.
But Dreadnots really flexed their muscles for the first time in the run-in to the interval as Cathal Lynch, and Kirwan, with a brace, saw them turn with a four-point lead, 0-7 to 0-4.
The first goal arrived just five minutes after the re-start as Kirwan and Carl Monaghan combined to teed up Shevlin for a very simple finish to the roof of the net.
And if that strike left O’Mahony’s with a mountain to climb, the second less than four minutes later, ended the game as a contest. This one was a lot less pretty as Peter Kirwan appeared to get the last touch in a goalmouth scramble, but they all count and after a brief consultation between Des McDonnell and his umpires, Dreadnots’ dound themselves 10 points clear, 2-7 to 0-10.
That they only managed two more points in the remaining 22 minutes plus stoppage time was testament to both O’Mahony’s famed fighting spirit and Dreadnots’ game management skills, as while O’Mahony’s managed to reel off six points in the final quarter, a comeback never looked possible.
O’Mahony’s must now dust themselves down for a winnertakes-all repeat of the 2016 county final against St Mary’s on Saturday night.
Dreadnots can put their feet up - for a few weeks at least! DREADNOTS: Chris Mulroy; Padraig Rath, Derek Shevlin, Barry Faulkner; Anthony Williams, Dermot Campbell, David O’Brien; Cian McEvoy, James Califf 0-1; Pat Lynch, Paraic Smith 0-2 (1f), Cathal Lynch; Peter Kirwan 1-3, Liam Shevlin 1-2, Carl Monaghan. Subs: Darragh Shevlin for C Lynch, Aaron Scullion for D O’Brien, Brian Gargan for B Faulkner, Ronan Califf for C Monaghan.
SEAN O’MAHONY’S: Kevin Brennan; Chris O’Neill, Ronan Byrne, Mickey Clarke; Keith McLaughlin, John O’Brien, Kyle Carroll; Conor Martin, Shane Brennan; Liam Dullaghan, Ben McLaughlin 0-1, Conor Finnegan 0-3 (2f, 1‘45); Stephen Kilcoyne 0-3 (1f), Conor Crawley, Stephen Fisher. Subs: Vinny Smith for S Fisher (BC), Shane Kerrigan for C Martin, Jonathon Connolly 0-1 for L Dullaghan, Conor McGailey 0-1 for Carroll, David Redmond for M Clarke, Seán Mathews for S Brennan.
REFEREE: Des McDonnell.