Sorry Bagenalstown routed by ruthless St Mullins
Naomh Moling's Martin Kavanagh and Bagenalstown Gaels Jack McCullagh and Niall Bolger. Photo: Thomas Nolan Photography.
ST Mullins maintained their unbeaten record in this year’s senior hurling championship when they filleted Bagenalstown Gaels in a fifth-round game. The losing side also finished the game with 13 players as both Craig Doyle and Andrew Casey each picked up two yellow cards. It was one of those nights. Everything the eventual winners did turned to gold while Bagenalstown Gaels struggled in most areas of the field. One game doesn’t define a team but two bad results in succession must be worrying for the McGrath Park outfit.
Ironically, they took the lead when Keelan Guidera fired over the opening point.
Jason O’Neill scored the first of his side’s goals when he fired home from close range. Both Conor Kehoe and John Doyle had a hand in the score where they put pressure on the defence who were unable to clear the danger.
Doyle himself got on the scoresheet as did Marty Kavanagh. James Doyle also fired over two points. One from play and the other from a free before Craig Doyle landed his side’s second point into the scoreboard end of the ground.
Then came Casey’s early dismissal and Bagenalstown were floundering. Before the interval where they led 1-11 to 0-2, all the St Mullins previous scorers had added to their total.
On the restart, two James Doyle frees sandwiched a Jamie Clarke run which produced a point. The Bagenalstown Gael’s dual player was the biggest threat to St Mullins on the night. He was all but fighting a loan battle.
At the other end, Andrew Townsend, the Gaels keeper saved well from John Doyle. The beleaguered last man in defence would go on to make several more blocks and he had no chance with any of the goals which St Mullins secured. He was also solid under the high ball.
Marty Kavanagh scored the second goal when Oisin Ryan was unselfish when picking out his team mate who was in a better position. Credit Ryan as well who would have been frustrated to shoot two wides, one on each side of the posts, as he tried to lay down a marker for selection in the semi-final. Eventually he did feature on the scoreboard and he worked hard in the half-forward line.
Against the fourteen, St Mullins were in complete control. James Doyle and Kavanagh combined to put in John Doyle for the third goal.
If there was a fault in the St Mullins performance then perhaps they were a little overeager to spray the ball around the field. That could have been down to the lack of a challenge on the night where the winners got sucked into a little bit of overplaying the possession they had.
Just to emphasis a night where nothing went right for Bagenalstown the last St Mullins goal was down to an element of luck when a sliotar came back off an upright and into the welcome hands of Paddy Walsh. The big man oozes experience and he calmly slotted home the final goal of the night.
A Darragh Nolan long-range free and a point from Jake Doyle put a better complexion on the scoreboard but even that was slight. Worrying times for Bagenalstown Gaels while St Mullins know this is unlikely to happen again.
The atmosphere in Netwatch Cullen Park was only slight. There was little to draw followers to the ground. Only a super optimist could have suggested that in the opening game Naomh Eoin were going to beat the reigning champions. Once that result was played out, the final game was all but a dead rubber. Many followers spoke through their pockets on Saturday and didn’t go.
The Bagenalstown club have had problems keeping players on the field at times but they were a tad unlucky to have Andrew Casey and Craig Doyle double yellow carded here. The pair are far from serial offenders and possibly they were just a little bit careless on the night.
