Champions book semi spot with workmanlike display
Mount Leinster Rangers Dean Tobin and Naomh Eoin’s Patrick Doyle contest this ball during their championship tie.
A workmanlike performance from the holders in Netwatch Cullen Park on Saturday saw Mount Leinster Rangers assure themselves of a place in the Senior Hurling Championship semi-finals with two games to spare.
They were not as sharp as they would like to be but they still scored twenty seven points. That is positive but teams tend to look at the negatives and work on those during the weeks after the game at the weekend.
If this is the case for Rangers then they will look at the 18 plus wides they registered while they created only a handful of goal chances and took none.
Inside a minute both sides had scored with Kyle Nolan nudging Rangers clear with a white flag at the scoreboard end of the ground. Cian Quirke replied in kind for Naomh Eoin.
The outsiders almost stole a goal but Adam Kenny was denied by the Rangers defence who gave him little room to swing. Naomh Eoin fronted up and three times the sides were level in the opening half. At the break Rangers led 0-11 to 0-9 with four of their starting forwards, Joe Dundon, Donagh Murphy, Kyle Nolan and Jamie Nolan all scoring from play while forwards Cian Quirke and John Michael Nolan were Naomh Eoin’s biggest threat up front. Colm Beck may have been wearing the number five jersey but he raised a white flag in that first half and went on to add two more points in the second half.
A Paul Coady point on the restart stretched the Rangers lead. Gradually Rangers ratcheted up their performance. On a warm night, Naomh Eoin still worked hard but lacked the creativity their opponents had.
Fiachra Fitzpatrick, Jon Nolan and Dean Tobin added their name to the list of scorers for Rangers. Evan Kealy also added to the point he posted in the opening half.
Naomh Eoin only scored three points in the third quarter. Brian Tracey, their keeper, landed a long-range free in each half but also saw one effort drift wide. Naomh Eoin needed to convert everything which came their way. They didn’t and added five wides to their four of the first half.
It was inch by inch for Rangers. Nothing spectacular. Just going about their business even if it was not in the most efficient way possible.
P Coady (3fs), D Tobin, R Coady, E Kealy, F Fitzpatrick 0-3 each, D Byrne. D Murphy, K Nolan, Jamie Nolan 0-2, K McDonald (f), Jon Nolan, C Nolan (f), J Dundon 0-1 each
C Quirke 0-4, J M Nolan (1f), C Beck 0-3 each, B Tracey (fs) 0-2, D Kavanagh, S Tracey, C Abbey (f), E Hosey 0-1 each.
Gary Kelly; Paddy Stafford, Evan Kelly, Conaill Fitzpatrick; Kevin McDonald, Diarmuid Byrne, Fiachra Fitzpatrick; Richard Coady, Jon Nolan; Joe Dundon, Donagh Murphy, Paul Coady; Kyle Nolan, Jamie Nolan, Dean Tobin.
Chris Nolan for Jamie Nolan (47), Tim Brennan for P Coady (47), Michael Doyle for Dundon (48), Sean Joyce for Byrne (48), Ted Joyce for Jon Nolan (63).
Brian Tracey; Diarmaid Deacon, Diego Dunne, Ger Kavanagh; Colm Beck, Dwain Kavanagh, Patrick Doyle; Jamie Behan, Eoin Hosey; John Michael Nolan, Scott Tracey, Aodhan Keogh; Ciaran Kavanagh, Adam Kenny, Cian Quirke.
James Smithers for C Kavanagh (h/t), Donal Jordan for D Kavanagh (35), Michael Kavanagh for Behan (44), Ciaran Abbey for S Tracey (47), Peter
Abbey for Quirke (60).
Jonathan Murphy (St Mullins).
