Rheban and Athgarvan go on scoring spree's in Kildare JFC
Tom Cross Transport Junior Football Championship Group 2, round 5
Rheban 6-12
Kildangan 1-7
Rheban rounded off their Junior Football Championship campaign with a third win of the season over Kildangan. The eventual winners were strong favourites for this tie but found themselves in a tight game for the opening 30 minutes.
With the sides level at a point a piece and just five minutes on the clock, Rheban’s Dean Carthy gathered the ball on the 45 metre line and looked up for his full-forward in the form of Eamon McEvoy.
Carthy sent the ball high into McEvoy who plucked it brilliantly from the sky. McEvoy paired the catch with a superb finish to give his side a three-point lead and their first goal of the game.
Kildangan reverted to a more direct style of play to find a reply as they sent a long ball into Joseph Walsh.
Walsh beat his man and the Rheban keeper but before he could pull the trigger
the corner-forward was brought down by the Rheban number goalkeeper.
A penalty and a chance to draw level, the responsibility fell on the shoulders of midfielder Daniel Gilbert who made no mistake from the spot to draw the sides level once again.
The sides traded scores for the remainder of the half with Kildangan taking the lead following two scores from Joseph Walsh and Alan Donoher, the latter of which was strong for his team throughout.
Rheban would fire back with three consecutive scores before the break, two of which came from Denis McEvoy who took his scores well as his side retook control. Rheban entered the half with a one-point advantage at 1-6 to 1-5.
As the final scoreline would suggest, things began to unravel in the second half for Kildanagan. Their demise in this fixture would begin just a minute into the second half when Eamon McEvoy smashed home another goal for his team.
That goal would be followed just two minutes later by another as a flowing passing move, orchestrated by Corey Moore, ended in the hands of Oisin Browne who finished low past Sean Fitzgerald in the Kildangan net. 4-6 to 1-5.
Rheban were in command from this point forward, their confidence buoyed by their comfortable lead. There was still plenty to play for as forwards and midfielders alike saw their chance to get on the scoresheet. Chief of which was Eamon McEvoy who was on a hattrick following his early second half goal.
McEvoy would have to wait until the first minute of additional time to get his wish. The full-forward latched on to a rebound from a last ditch block and powered the ball home in the same style as the other two. A big lead or not, an undoubted moment of pride for the Rheban man.
The last action of the game would be some final shine being put on the scoreline as Rheban were awarded a penalty. Dean Carthy stepped up to add his name to the goal scorers list and did so in brilliant fashion. A comfortable Rheban win in the end following a competitive start to this game.
Scorers: Rheban, Eamon McEvoy 3-0, Brandon Shaw 1-2, Dean Carthy 1-1, Oisin Browne 1-0, Tadgh Foley 0-3, Denis McDevoy 0-2, Michael Renehan 0-2, Luke Kelly 0-1, John Morrisey 0-1.
Kildangan, Daniel Gilbert 1-1, Alan Donoher 0-4, Cian Murtagh 0-1, Joseph Walsh 0-1.
RHEBAN: Owen Foley; Shane Horgan, John Morrisey, Paddy Moore; Kevin O'Shaughnessy, Éamon McEvoy, Brandon Shaw; Christopher Casey, Oisin Browne; Denis McEvoy, Nathan Owens, Michael Renehan; Dean Carthy, Tadhg Foley, Luke Kelly. Subs: Corey Moore on for John Morrisey (18 minutes).
KILDANGAN: Sean Fitzgerald; Joe Broughall, John Kelly, Stephen Murtagh; Eoghan O'Fearghail, Paul Connaughton, Alex McCann; Robert McGrath, Danial Gilbert; Joseph Walsh, Stephen Keogh, Alan Donoher; Cian Murtagh, Michael John Prendergast, Oisin Irvin. Subs: Oisin Hyland on for Joseph Walsh (53 minutes).
REFEREE: Anthony Herbert
Tom Cross Transport Junior Football Championship Group 2, round 5, Report by Tara Byrne
Athgarvan 7-17
Ardclough 0-3
Seven goals for Athgarvan ensured that they would have no issues in disposing of Ardclough with ease in the Tom Cross Transport Junior Football Championship on Saturday afternoon.
Early points from Eoin Myers and Alan Sourke had Athgarvan into the advantage after five minutes before Cian Doyle added the first of seven goals. A cross from Derek Craddock allowed Doyle to seize the opportunity to palm past Johnathan Reeves in the Ardclough goal.
A Liam Hanley point looked to stop the rut but this was in vain as Finn O’Brien added a further point before Craddock added the afternoon's second goal.
Two further goals from Jordan Nolan Mullally before the break sandwiched by points from Cian Doyle (2) and Cian Nolan saw Ardclough trail by seventeen at the break, and without any real element of attack it was hard to see how they would change the tide.
A Mark Byrne point on the restart looked to narrow the deficit before Craddock was again on hand to push the Athgarvan challenge forward once more. A further trip of points took Athgarvan into a twenty point advantage before a third from Nolan Mullally took Athgarvan’s goal tally to five before Cian Butler took this to six with sixty seconds of Nolan Mullally’s hat trick.
Points from Doyle and Butler ensured to keep the account ticking over as the tie hit the three quarter hour mark.
A second Butler goal took the Athgarvan tally to seven before points from Glen Doyle, Edvinas Vaicaicaskis and a Cian Doyle saw the gap widen.
A late exchange from Byrne and O’Brien looked to finalise matters as Athgarvan claimed a healthy and easy victory with getting into third gear.
ATHGARVAN: Paddy Cox; Steve Moore, Tom Sheedy, Calum O’Brien; Conor Cummins, Cameron Hughes, Jack Lee-Parnell; Jordan Nolan Mullally 3-1, Eoin Myers 0-1; David Butler, Edvinas Vaicaicaskis 0-1, Finn O’Brien 0-2; Cian Doyle 1-4 (2f), Alan Sourke 0-1, Derek Craddock 1-2. Subs: Aran Kraus 0-1 for Doyle, 30; Ryan Finn for Sourke, 30; Cian Butler 2-3 for Craddock, 40; Cormac O’Neill for O’Brien, 40; Glen Doyle 0-1 for Nolan Mullally, 41.
ARDCLOUGH: Jonathan Reeves; Ciaran Brady, Ronan Maguire, Michael Small; Michael Byrne, Cian Costigan, Conoe McCormack; Conor Duggan, Liam Hanley 0-1; Mark Byrne 0-2 (2f), Cillian Burke, Jamie Clyne; Fionn Murphy, Joe Ahern, Stephen Bryan. Subs: Dea Byrne for Murphy (30 minutes).
REFEREE: Michael Malone.