GROUP 2

Spa 1-13 Currow 0-5

SPA showed that they could be a serious force to contend with in this year’s championship after this comprehensive victory over a disappointing Currow in Listry on Saturday evening.

Despite the promptings of centre-forward Pa McCarthy in attack, and the presence of Seamus Brosnan and the veteran Seamus Scanlon in the middle of the park, Currow were pretty much fighting a losing battle from the outset as they go through a period of transition.

Spa, on the other hand, are strong in all sectors of the field, with Shane Cronin and Dan O’Donoghue inspirational at the back, Kerry panellist Liam Kearney a dominant figure at midfield, and Mike ‘Stam’ O’Donoghue, Dara Moynihan and Evan Cronin all particularly capable of causing havoc in attack.

Despite McCarthy notching the opening point of the game, Spa were quickly into their stride with O’Donoghue, Moynihan and Evan Cronin all finding their shooting boots early as they led by 0-5 to 0-3 at the first water break.

Currow stuck to their task manfully up to halftime, however, with Spa only adding two more points in the third quarter from Shane Cronin and Ciaran Spillane before the interval, and the winners were indebted to Kearney for brilliantly clearing a very threatening attack from Currow during that period.

McCarthy again kept plugging away for Currow in the second half (finishing with four of their five points on the day), but he didn’t get nearly enough support in attack from his colleagues against a dominant Spa defence, where Dan O’Donoghue anchored the centre-back position.

Spa had propelled themselves into a seven-point lead (0-11 to 0-4) by the 55th minute when they struck for the only goal of the contest. In truth, it was a wonderful move as wing-back Shane Cronin and the very lively Moynihan played a beautiful one-two before Cronin was on the receiving end to bury the ball in the back of the Currow net.

That score was the final nail in the Currow coffin, and it was left to O’Donoghue and Evan Cronin to embellish the scoreboard by raising a couple of further white flags before the referee blew the final whistle to seal a stylish Spa victory. For Currow, it’s back to the drawing board as they hope to bounce back this weekend.