First-half firepower sees Palatine power past Mount Leinster Rangers
Palatine's Brandon Cassidy looks up for options in midfield. All Photos: Pat Ahern.
The Michael Lyng Motors Hyundai Senior Football Championship got underway in Netwatch Cullen Park on Saturday evening for Palatine and Mount Leinster Rangers, with Palatine running out comfortable winners.
They were 11 points up at half time after goals from Jamie Kenny and Conor Crowley, and kept Rangers at bay after the interval despite a two-point obsession taking over the second half.
Rangers looked well off the pace in the early goings, but perhaps more worrying for them is that they never loooed like causing Palatine problems.
Palatine set their stall out early, turning the ball over in their own half before releasing Conor Reynolds to open the scoring. They added another three scores in the first ten minutes, with Josh Egan, Mark Buggy and Shane O'Neill all finding the target.
Rangers found scores of their own courtesy of Conor Fenlon and Chris Nolan, but they failed to clear their lines at the other end as Jamie Kenny pounced to turn the ball home and raise a green flag for Palatine in just the 11th minute.
Mark Buggy and Fiachra Fitzpatrick swapped frees, with a wonderful two-pointer from Dean Tobin taking Rangers up to the midway water break trailing 1-5 to 0-5.
Buggy extended Palatine's lead upon resumption, with Sam McHugh adding a beauty moments later to put five between the teams.
Shane O'Neill knocked over another one five minutes before the break as the game was threatening to get away from Rangers.
Three consecutive wides followed from the men in black and crimson, with Palatine punishing them through Buggy (free) and Conor Crowley.
An eight-point lead became 11 then when Buggy found space and filled the ball beyond Rangers goalkeeper Tomás Joyce for the game's second goal.
Fitzpatrick and O'Neill traded frees before the break, with Palatine looking immensely comfortable with a half-time lead of 2-11 to 0-6.
Rangers were in charge after the restart but failed to find a score, with Palatine instead going the length of the field before McHugh raised an orange flag completely against the run of play.
Rangers desperately needed a response and got it courtesy of a sensational two-pointer of their own from Chris Nolan. Then came a third straight orange flag at the start of the half and a second for Rangers as Tobin took another bite out of the deficit.
Josh Egan and Chris Nolan swapped scores after that, but Palatine kept their foot down as Buggy nailed another shot from outside the arc to leave his side up 2-16 to 0-11 at the second water break.
The game was back on only seconds when Rangers goalkeeper Joyce produced a remarkable save to deny Egan one-on-one, with Palatine keeper Craig Kearney called into action moments later to keep out Evan Kealy. Rangers went even closer soon afterwards, but Gary Kelly's strike came back off the Palatine crossbar.
Crowley and Donagh Murphy traded scores before another two-pointer from Chris Nolan brought Rangers to within nine points going down the final stretch.
Eoin Ryan came off the bench to score for Palatine, with Egan kicking his third of the game moments later.
Chris Nolan replied with his third orange flag of the afternoon for Rangers, bringing the game to an end with eight points separating the sides.
Both teams are back in Netwatch Cullen Park for Round 2, with Palatine playing Old Leighlin this coming Friday night, while Mount Leinster Rangers will face Eire Og on Saturday.
M Buggy 1-6 (0-2f, 1tp), J Kenny 1-0, S O'Neill (1f), J Egan and S McHugh (1tp) 0-3 each, C Crowley 0-2, C Reynolds and E Ryan 0-1.
C Nolan 0-8 (3tp), D Tobin 0-4 (2tp), F Fitzpatrick 0-3 (2f), D Murphy (f) and C Fenlon 0-1 each.
Craig Kearney; Gavin Healy, Cian Cashman, Conor Reynolds; Tomás Kenny, Ciaran Moran, Sean Walsh; Sam McHugh, Finbarr Kavanagh; Josh Egan, Shane O'Neill, Bryan McMahon, Mark Buggy, Conor Crowley, Jamie Kenny.
James Cranny, Conor O'Doherty and Andrew Kehoe for O'Neill, Reynolds and Buggy (all 45), Brandon Cassidy for McHugh (50), Darragh Fitzpatrick for Kenny (54), Stephen Reilly for Moran (58).
Tomás Jovce; MJ Doran, Jamie Nolan, Chris Nolan; Kyle Nolan, Jon Nolan, Tim Brennan; Conor Fenlon, Evan Kealy; Conaill Fitzpatrick, Gary Kelly, Dean Tobin; Donaah Murphy, Fiachra Fitzpatrick, Brad Bolger.
James Bible for K Nolan (36), Mark Dundon and Jack Joyce for Doran and Tobin (both 45).
Sean McCormack
