Éire Óg have to settle for second Championship draw
Josh Brady scores a first half penalty for Éire Óg during the Michael Lyng Motors Senior Football Championship draw against Rathvilly Photo: Pat Ahern
MICHAEL LYNG MOTOROS SENIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GROUP 1 ROUND 2
RATHVILLY 1-14 ÉIRE ÓG 2-11
A failure to observe the three players, three players back rule probably cost Éire Óg victory in this senior football championship Group 1 Round 2 tie on Saturday in Netwatch Cullen Park.
The Reds looked as if they had weathered a Rathvilly comeback when the reigning champions had narrowed a five point with just ten minutes remaining to just the minimum. With one minute of injury time left, Éire Óg had a two-point chance themselves but they failed to convert. Then from the kick-out Éire Óg lost their concentration and Kevin Murphy levelled the game with a simple 13 metre free. The full-time whistle came on the kick-out.
An early mark from Eoghan Ruth yielded an Éire Óg point but Rathvilly hit back when Padhraig Bolger ran through a porous defence and found the bottom right hand corner of the net.
Éire Óg hit back with an Adam Nolan point and an intricate passing movement put in Niall Quinlan who finished well on 10 minutes.
It was a nip and tuck affair from there which included a stunning two pointer from play for Rathvilly’s Conor Doyle.
Right on the half-time whistle, Éire Óg engineered a penalty and Josh Brady expertly tucked the ball into the right-hand corner to give his side a 2-5 to 1-5 interval lead.
Adam McCarron’s two points and a Diarmuid Ruth two-pointer midway through the second half asked questions of Rathvilly when they trailed by five points. They all but answered what they were facing as Conor Doyle, Brandon Kelly, Bolger and Kevin Murphy raised white flags.
That set the late drama and this time it was Éire Óg who blinked.
C Doyle 0-4 (1-2p), P Bolger 1-2, L Gavin 0-4 (2pf, 2fs) B Kelly, K Murphy, 0-2 each.
N Quinlan 1-2, J Brady 1-1 (1-0 pen), D Ruth (1-2p), A McCarron, C Hulton (1-2p) 0-2 each, A Nolan, E Ruth (mark) 0-1 each.
Harry Clarke; Robbie Ryan, Colin Byrne, Paraic Deering; Padhraig Bolger, Josh Moore, Brian Smith; Conor Doyle, Darragh Murphy; Peter Burgess, Brandon Kelly, Ed Finnegan; Liam Gavin, Diarmuid Gavin, Kevin Murphy. Subs: Adam Burgess for Smith (23), Dara Curran for D Murphy (h/t), Jake Elliott for D Gavin (43), Daire Byrne for Ryan (43).
Johnny Furey; Cathal Kelly, Mark Furey, Lee Moore; Shane Buggy, Kyle O’Byrne, Adam Nolan; Eoghan Ruth, Sean Gannon; Diarmuid Ruth, Colm Hulton, Reece Denieffe; Darragh O’Brien, Josh Brady, Niall Quinlan. Subs: Chris Blake for Denieffe (h/t), Eoin Myers for Buggy (36), Adam McCarron for Brady (42), Benny Kavanagh for Quinlan (47), Kelvin Chatten for Nolan (52).
Jonathan Murphy (St Mullins).
