This article is from page 71 of the 2011-08-23 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 71 JPG
Kilmaley 1-19 – Clooney/Quin 0-10 at Cusack Park, Ennis
IF at first you don’t succeed, try and try again – that motto stood for Kilmaley on the double in this fourth round clash in Cusack Park on Saturday evening, something they came out on the right side of thanks to this comprehensive double scores win.
First and foremost they were out for a rare championship victory after drawing their opening two games; secondly, as the first half of this game wore on, they were out for a goal, with one finally coming their way on the stroke of half-time.
And, when Eoin Enright flashed to the net from ten yards, Kilmaley finally put four missed goal opportunities behind them with a goal that tipped the balance firmly in their favour and from which they never looked back.
That strike which was teed up by a brilliant overhead flick from Seamus Hurley helped Kilmaley into a 1-6 to 0-7 lead, an advantage they pressed home with a vengeance on the turnover when outscoring a dispirited and disjointed Clooney/Quin side by 013 to 0-4.
It was a procession, so much so that long before the end yet another underachieving year for Clooney/Quin at senior level had arrived – their fifth since graduating from the intermediate ranks as a Munster championship winning team.
They had no winning demenour about them on this day, despite a positive opening that saw them moved 03 to 0-1 clear by the seventh minute after Sean Conheady and a couple of Peter Duggan frees got them going.
However, the reality was that these opening salvos represented the height of Clooney/Quin’s day once Kilmaley settled down and picked off points through Michael O’Neill (2), Brian McMahon and Niall McGuane to tie things up at 0-4 apiece by the 15th minute.
And Kilmaley could have been out of sight at half-time thanks to the many goal opportunities that came their way. Niall McGuane, Seamus Hurley, Eoin Enright and Diarmuid McMahon all had chances as they laid siege on Clooney/Quin’s goal only to get nothing for their efforts.
Undeterred, points via Colin Lynch and an Alan Markham free moved them 0-6 to 0-4 clear by the 23rd minute before Martin Duggan and Fergal Lynch hit back to level matters as the game drifted into injury time.
However, the initiative was firmly with Kilmaley by the break after Hurley’s audacious overhead flick, was gathered by Eoin Enright and he blasted to the net. A Peter Duggan free did peg it back to a 1-6 to 0-7 game at the interval, but Kilmaley’s determination to finally land a championship win ultimately over- whelmed a limp Clooney/Quin side in the second half.
Midfielder Kenneth Kennedy was the man, setting the tone for his side’s domination with three points inside the first ten minutes as they turned the screw on a Clooney/Quin side that rapidly began to lose heart, application and interest.
Indeed, this game was over by the 45th minute, by which time Kilmaley had hit seven points without reply to move 1-13 to 0-7 clear as Kennedy continued to lord it around midfield and on the scoreboard.
A couple of points from Martin and Peter Duggan did stem the tide by the 50th minute, but three more Kennedy points to bring his tally to seven for half and another by John Cabey put them 11 clear and out of sight as Kilmaley revelled in the freedom of finally knowing that they were going to win a championship game.
It was exhibition stuff in the end as Eoin O’Malley and Colin McGuane tacked on points to leave a dozen between the sides in the end.
Clooney/ Quin
Damian O’Halloran (7), Joe O’Loughlin (7), Conor Harrison (7), Shane McNamara (6), Donncha Murphy (6), Cillian Duggan (7), Enda Harrison (6), Sean Conheady (7) (0-1), Mike McNamara (6), Martin Duggan (7) (0-2),Adrian Fleming (6), John
Earls (7) (0-1), Michael Daffy (7), Fergal Lynch (7) (0-2), Peter Duggan (7) (0-3f).
Subs
Cathal Egan (6) for Fleming [Half-Time], Padraig Ward (6) for Mike McNamara [44 Mins], Seamus Conroy (6) for Earls [22 Mins].
Kilmaley
Kieran Dillon (7), Martin O’Connor (7),Anthony Cahill (7), Colin McGuane (7) (0-1), Noel Casey (7),Alan Markham(7) Capt. (0-1f), Conor McMahon (7), Kenneth Kennedy (8) (0-8, 4f, one 65), Colin Lynch (7) (0-1), Diarmuid McMahon (7), Brian McMahon (7) (0-1), Michael O’Neill (7) (03), Eoin Enright (7) (1-0), Seamus Hurley (7) (0-1), Niall McGuane (7) (0-1).
Subs
Conor Neylon (6) for Enright [54 Mins], John Cabey (7) (0-1) for McGuane [54 Mins], Eoin O’Malley (6) (0-1) for Lynch [58 Mins], Declan Clancy (6) for O’Neill [59 Mins], John Clohessy for O’Connor [60 Mins].
Man of the Match
Kenneth Kennedy (Kilmaley) Referee Ger Hoey (Killanena)