Rangers pull away in the second half
Mount Leinster Rangers Richard Coady and Naomh Eoin's Michael Kavanagh. Photo: Thomas Nolan Photography.
THE reigning champions tightened a long winning sequence over their Myshall rivals when they pulled away in the second half in this fifth-round game at Netwatch Cullen Park on Saturday.
In the early 2000s Rangers aspired to be what Naomh Eoin were then. Rangers lost the 2003 and 2005 finals when the two sides met. Now the wheel has turned full circle and it is Naomh Eoin who can only stand back and admire. They haven’t won a senior title since.
In the first half here it looked as if Naomh Eoin were closing the gap between the sides. Admittedly they never led but there were signs. After Jon Nolan and Donagh Murphy slotted points, Colm Beck hit back for Naomh Eoin with a point. Ted Joyce converted a free but John Michael Nolan off-loaded to Cathal Tracey who raised a white flag. Murphy and Joyce repeated their early feats but again Scott Treacy was on hand for Naomh Eoin with a point. In the half, Ciaran Abbey scored three frees but Dean Tobin got among the Rangers scorers as both sides battled hard.
Perhaps the warning signs were there for the challengers. Twice in each quarter, the Naomh Eoin keeper, Brian Tracey, brought off fabulous saves from the marauding Ciarain Kavanagh. Even though a young Rangers forward line were lively they still only led 0-10 to 0-7 at the interval.
Eddie Byrne, who had been introduced at half-time, passed to Jon Nolan who pointed. Naomh Eoin hit back with points from Beck and Scott Tracey. The Naomh Eoin side were throwing down the gauntlet. Rangers were glad to accept the challenge and Tracey had to be alert when saving yet again from Kavanagh who had to settle for a point. Beck cancelled that out with the third of his four points from play over the hour.
Abbey was on target from play but his colleagues were undone by a route one ball into the big square at the O’Hanrahan end of the ground. Ted Joyce was on hand and perhaps mindful of the goalkeeper’s heroics up to this, the Rangers man picked his spot for the only goal of the game.
While Cathal Tracey picked off a Naomh Eoin point, his side were visibly wilting. Tony Lawlor underlined the season he is having this year with a classy point. Michael Kavanagh hit back for a Myshall point but the tide was only going one way as the Rangers surge swept all before them.
The reigning champions have a wealth of talent at their disposal. Their mix of substitutes they could afford to bring in speaks for itself. Paul Coady, Diarmuid Byrne and Eddie Byrne are habitual winners with club and county. Young guns, Tim Brennan and Jamie Nolan, came in and registered two points each. In contrast, Peter Abbey replaced his brother, Ciaran and that was it. Rangers marched on and even though there was still another game left in the group stages to be played on Saturday, Naomh Eoin were out of the running for a semi-final spot.
The worm will surely change direction for Naomh Eoin at some stage but it is hard to bear now.
Naomh Eoin have won 18 senior hurling championship titles in all. There was a time there were feared for their ferocity, their competitiveness but most of all because they were unbeatable when they were in full-flow. They continue to give generously to the county at underage and senior level. How they would love to turn that into success at club level?
They have been around a while now. At the back, Michael and Sean Joyce, Conaill Fitzpatrick at midfield with Dean Tobin, Evan Kealy, Donagh Murphy and Ciarain Kavanagh are still learning their trade while ripping defences apart.
What will they be like when they fully bulk up and gain more experience? Scary.
The intercounty goalkeeper brought off a string of fabulous saves as Rangers finally found a way to get inside the Naomh Eoin defence. Without him, the chasm could have been at least another 6-9 points Naomh Eoin wides Over the hour, Naomh Eoin hit 12 wides. Nine in the first half which, if even half had been converted, would surely have put a measure of doubt into Ranger’s minds. Once they didn’t execute as clinically as they should, their opponents only grew stronger.
