Killenaule fall victim to Lorrha Dorrha’s stronger finish

Two honest teams went head to head and for long stretches of the game Lorrha and Killenaule couldn’t be separated in this County Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship Round 2 game.

But in the end the better conversion of chances and the clever play of Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher, as well as that of Eoin and Niall McIntyre, saw Lorrha claim the win at FBD Semple Stadium on Sunday afternoon last.

After ten minutes the sides were tied on 0-3 apiece before Killenaule hit a purple patch, with Dean O’Connor and Eoin Shaw hitting two points each, while Ciaran O’Dwyer scored a lovely one just inside the posts from the Kinane Stand sideline.

Showing their hardiness in the tackle, Lorrha kept working away and responded with two quick scores from Colm Fogarty to leave it Killenaule 0-8 Lorrha 0-5 after 15 minutes.

Eoin McIntyre then ran through the middle and pointed to bring it back to a two-point game before Christopher Fogarty gathered possession by the corner flag at the Killinan End. After a neat pick-up he turned his marker and struck a perfectly flighted ball into full forward Cian Hogan, who showed a deft touch to shoot past Joe Caesar.

The goal, struck as the 20th minute approached, raised a roar from Lorrha supporters, leaving the scoreline 1-6 for Lorrha to 0-8 for Killenaule. Eoin Barry responded with his third point of the game for Killenaule to level it up in the 21st minute before Niall McIntyre and Paidi Feehan traded scores to leave the teams tied at 0-10 to 1-7.

Colm Fogarty pointed a free for the north side before Christopher Fogarty punished a wayward puckout to put Lorrha two points up. At the other end Daniel O’ Donoghue timed his block well on Eoin Shaw to deny Killenaule a goal. It was that type of attention to detail that helped sway a close encounter.

From the next clearance the ball went down the field into the path of Lorrha forward Patrick Maher and a neat flick from ‘Bonner’ set up Oisin Guinan, who scored the second goal of the game to leave it 2-9 to 0-10 in the 29th minute.

Just before the break Colm Fogarty and Dean O’Connor traded points, leaving it 2-10 to 0-11 in Lorrha’s favour, but one felt there was still a kick in Killenaule. On the restart Colm Fogarty struck his seventh point of the game for Lorrha.

The Robins looked shocked and stormed back into top gear, with substitute Fionn Fitzgerald somehow finding room in attack and he fired a low shot to the net at the Killinan End that took a deflection off the goalkeeper. Game on again.

Michael Dolan and Dean O’Connor traded points and the game moved on at such a pace until another Michael Dolan long range free for Lorrha levelled it up at 2-13 to 1-16 approaching the three- quarter mark.

Fogarty struck again quickly for Lorrha before Tom Stakelum sprinted clear when he found some space for Killenaule and he fired low to the net to put the south side 2-16 to 2-14 ahead. With tails up, Killenaule pushed on, as Eoin Shaw fired them three up.

Lorrha, who never panicked when they fell behind, hit back when McIntyre set up ‘Bonner’ Maher, who struck a fine goal to level it at 3-14 to 2-17. It was still anyone’s game with 15 minutes to go and both sides just went for it. Ciaran Hough struck another point in the 46th minute for Lorrha before Dean O’Connor levelled the game up for the tenth time in the 48th minute.

Lorrha then found oxygen to hit four points in a row with the pick of them a ‘Bonner’ Maher point, after he shook off Paddy Codd at the Town End, to leave it 3-20 to 2-19. Eoin Barry and Ciaran O’Dwyer responded but Lorrha had sprinted ahead.

Eoin and Niall McIntyre points for Lorrha kept them in front and, in time added on, Colm Fogarty pointed a late penalty to put Lorrha four up and seal the win for Ken Hogan’s team, who looked full of self-confidence. Killenaule will rue scorable frees that were struck wide in both halves, as well as defensively being opened up too easily late on in the open spaces of Tom Semple’s Field.

They are close to getting the balance right but will need to tighten up considerably in defence going forward. Dean O’Connor was best on the day for them. For Lorrha, Colm and Christopher Fogarty, as well as the McIntyres and ‘Bonner’ Maher, always looked dangerous in possession and overall, with the strong surge near the end, they deserved their win in Thurles.

SCORERS:

Lorrha: Colm Fogarty 0-11 (7 frees, 0-1 penalty), Patrick Maher 1-1, Eoin McIntyre 0-3, Niall McIntyre 0-3, Michael Dolan 0-3, Cian Hogan 1-0, Oisin Guinan 1-0, Christopher Fogarty 0-1, Ciaran Hough 0-1.

Killenaule: Dean O’Connor 0-6, Ciaran O'Dwyer 0-4 (3 frees), Eoin Barry 0-4 (1 free), Fionn Fitzgerald 1-1, Tom Stakelum 1-0, Eoin Shaw 0-3, Paidi Feehan 0-2, Darragh Fitzgerald 0-1, Joe O’Dwyer 0-1 (1 free).

TEAMS:

Lorrha: Michael Kennedy; Conor Hogan, Denis O’Meara, Tom Duggan; Daniel O’Donoghue, Michael Dolan, Darragh Guinan; Oisin Guinan, Ciaran Hough; Colm Fogarty, Patrick Maher, Niall McIntyre; Christopher Fogarty, Cian Hogan, Eoin McIntyre.

Subs: David Fogarty, Donnacha O’Meara and Martin O’Gorman.

Killenaule: David McCormack; Padraig O’Dwyer, Killian O’Dwyer, Jack Hassett; Jimmy Feehan, Joe O’Dwyer, Thomas Keaveney; Ciaran O’Dwyer, Paddy Codd; Paudie Feehan, Dean O’Connor, Eoin Barry; Mark Stakelum, Tom Stakelum, Eoin Shaw.

Subs: Eoin O’Connell and Fionn Fitzgerald.

Referee: Joe Leahy.