Clare Senior Football Championship 2nd Round (Losers Group) 2018

Éire Óg 4-17    St. Joseph’s Doora-Barefield 0-7

by Mike Brennan

Éire Óg consigned “The Parish” to the intermediate football ranks for 2019 with a convincing display and a resounding victory on a 4-17 to 0-7 scoreline in the sweltering heat in Cusack Park today. It was expected to be tight, tough and tense but it ended being a facile victory in the end with the result never in doubt long before the end.

When both these sides met in the relegation playoffs back in 2016, it was a tight tense affair with only a point separating the teams in the end. It was expected to be the same again today but from the 6th minute onwards when Gavin Cooney lost his marker and beat the Barefield keeper to a cross field ball from star inter-county hurler, David Reidy, to fist the ball to the net things stayed on the up for the Townies. The referee wasn’t sure and had to confer with his umpires but they confirmed that Cooney had beaten the keeper to the ball, this put Éire Óg in the lead for the first time at 1-2 to 2 points. A lead they would never relinquish for the rest of the game and in fact, the Townies went on to pile on the misery with score after score.

But it all started so differently, the Barefield midfielder and former Clare minor and U21 star, Eoin Hanrahan, won the throw in and surged forward. The referee penalised the Éire Óg backs for holding and the veteran forward, David O’Brien, slotted the free over the bar for the 1st score without even a full minute on the clock. This was followed immediately by another point by minor hurling star, Keelan Butler. Less 2 minutes played and Éire Óg were already 2 points down, rather ominous start for the men in red.  But Davy O’Halloran settled the nerves with a quick retort followed by surging run and point by half-back Liam Corry. This was followed by the Cooney goal and Éire Óg never looked back from there.

They piled on point after point with 2 scores from the veteran Shane Daniels and another point from O’Halloran. This put the Townies in a commanding position and the nerves were palpable in the Barefield defense as the men in red bore down on goal. Another incisive move through the maroon defense resulted in hurling star, David Reidy showing his soccer skills by burying the ball in the corner of the Barefield net. This put Éire Óg firmly in the driving seat at 2-5 to 0-2 midway through the 1st half.

With their foot on the throat, the men in red didn’t let up. They added more points through with 4 points from Gavin Cooney (3 from frees), and a point from Aaron Fitzgerald, surging forward from halfback and another point from Davy O’Halloran. Barefield sparked into the life briefly in the 21st minute with points again from Keelan and Diarmuid Barron to bring the tally at halftime to Éire Óg 2-11 to St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield 0-4. An excellent first half display that put Éire Óg firmly in the driving seat. To be fair to Barefield, they lost experienced players, Leo Duggan and Kevin Harrington to head injuries in the 1st half and with that lost some valuable experience around the middle third.

If The Parish were going to avoid going down to the Intermediate ranks then they were going to have to throw the kitchen sink at Éire Óg in the 2nd half. But Paul Madden’s men didn’t read the script with Davy O’Halloran splitting the posts in the 1st minute of the 2nd half. This was followed quickly by yet more points from Cooney again and a point after a great run by Dara Walsh who had the goal at his mercy. But worse was to follow for the maroon men, a long ball after an incisive run by Nially McMahon ended up in the net after Shane Daniels fairly challenged the Barefield keeper, Tom O’Brien. After the game, both men claimed the goal but I suspect this one will go to the dubious goals committee.  

The game then settled into a pattern of Éire Óg probing and pressing with the odd attack from Barefield. This also gave Paul Madden and the Éire Óg management team the opportunity to introduce some fresh legs from the bench with Ikem Ugweru, Danny Russell and inter county hurling star, Shane O’Donnell being introduced.

In this period, Barefield added 2 more points from frees from the veteran O’Brien.  But the respite was brief as a fine flowing move that started with Ciaran Russell winning the ball in midfield and breaking forward to feed the ball to Danny Russell who unselfishly fed Shane O’Donnell for goal number 4. Game over.

Further points from Danny Russell and 2 more from Gavin Cooney with a single point in reply from yet another free from O’Brien. This left the final score line at Éire Óg 4-17 to St. Joseph’s Doora Barefield 0-7.  Barefield will play intermediate football in 2019 while Éire Óg march to the next round of the senior football championship where they could play the likes of St Breckans, Doonbeg, Clondegad or Lissycasey (repeat pairings are prevented where possible but if us & Lissycasey are drawn out last the match up would stand). The draw for the next round is this Monday evening down in Clareabbey.

Impressive for Éire Óg were Tadhg Connellan and Einne O’Connor in defense today, they never put a foot wrong. Danny Griffin and Ciaran Russell dominated the midfield sector. The placing of Shane Daniels on the edge of the square and Gavin Cooney at centre forward was inspired. Gavin rebounded well with 1-7 today to show his class after a below par performance against Lissycasey. David Reidy showed his skills with the big ball today while Davy O’Halloran chipped in with 4 fine points.

Overall, this was a resounding commanding display by Éire Óg who rebounded well after the 1st round defeat by Lissycasey but Barefield lacked passion and fight so it’s hard to read too much into this display.  The next round will provide a sterner test in 2 weeks’ time.

Éire Óg scorers – Gavin Cooney 1-7 (4 frees), Davy O’Halloran 0-4, David Reidy 1-0, Shane O’Donnell 1-0, Nially McMahon/Shane Daniels 1-0, Shane Daniels 0-2, Liam Corry 0-1, Aaron Fitzgerald 0-1, Dara Walsh 0-1, Danny Russell 0-1.

Éire Óg Team – Niall O’Connor; Einne O’Connor, Conor Brennan (captain), Tadhg Connellan; Nially McMahon, Aaron Fitzgerald, Liam Corry; Danny Griffin, Ciaran Russell; Dara Walsh, Gavin Cooney, Aidan McGrath; David Reidy, Shane Daniels, Davy O’Halloran; Subs – Ikem Ugweru for Liam Corry 5 mins 2nd half; Danny Russell and Shane O’Donnell for Shane Daniels and David Reidy 12 mins 2nd half; Martin Darcy for Nially McMahon 18 mins 2nd half; Sean Corry for Aaron Fitzgerald 22 mins 2nd half; Mikey Moloney for Dara Walsh 24 mins 2nd half.