By: Kevin Corrigan
Tullamore Court Hotel Senior Football Championship Group 1 Round 1
Shamrocks 1-13
Rhode 1-13
It was very much a case of a point gained by the home team, one dropped by Shamrocks in a fiercely fought contest that provided no shortage of talking points and great, hard hitting football.
Shamrocks would have gladly taken a draw before hand but their downbeat body language after the final whistle spoke volumes about the way this one went. They should have won but didn’t play well enough to do so and in a way, the result was a fair one as Rhode took a high percentage of their chances.
Shamrocks left at least 2-4, maybe 3-4, behind them when playing with the wind in the first half, they missed another great goal chance with five minutes left and their error count and the amount of ball they lost in tackles or kicked away was too high. And in the wind up, they could very easily have lost it as Anton Sullivan just carried Rhode’s equaliser into the arc four minutes into injury time and a one point lead against the wind was a lethal one for Shamrocks at that stage.
Things outside of their control also went against Shamrocks as they lost two of their key players, Alan Heffernan and David O’Toole-Greene to first half injuries, with Heffernan going after six minutes, O’Toole-Greene in the 19th minute. The loss of those two very influential players, and both had started well, was a definite factor in Shamrocks not closing out the deal. Heffernan should be okay as he looked agile enough when offering encouragement throughout from the sideline but it looks like O’Toole-Greene’s shoulder could be gone again and if that is the case, he will be a cruel loss to both their football and hurling teams.
Rhode continued the process of changing the guard and that is exactly what they need to do as they build for a new future. Manager Paschal Kellaghan handed senior championship debuts to four players, Jack and Ryan Murphy, Adam Kellaghan and Billy Quinn, another Aaron McBride came on while players with pocketfuls of senior football medals, Alan and Niall McNamee, Niall Darby and Paul McPadden were named on the subs.
Giving young players the responsibility is crucial to Rhode’s future well-being and the experience will be invaluable to them. Niall McNamee and Niall Darby did come on in the second half but it was good to see Rhode going with a young team, giving their emerging players their head and they responded well, even if the spoils would not have been shared without the contribution of their older cohort of Conor McNamee, Sean Hurley, Anton Sullivan and Ruari McNamee.
The starting Rhode team did represent an opportunity for Shamrocks who did the right thing by opting for the strong group when they could have forced Bracknagh into a toss to decide which of them went into the weak group.
As you would expect, a very well contested, good game of football emerged in tricky, blustery conditions with a strong wind blowing. Shamrocks had first use of it but damaged their prospects with the chances they missed and possession they wasted in the first half. They started well and stormed into a 0-6 to 0-1 lead after twelve minutes, Johnny O’Toole-Greene and Jack Bryant (free) kicking two pointers.
Fortunately for Rhode, Shamrocks’ misses mounted up in the first half. Padraig Cantwell wasted a great goal chance in the 2nd minute after racing through the Rhode defence. He had options left and right as Shamrocks had a four on two advantage and opted to go himself but didn’t get the right power behind his shot, with Jack Murphy able to make a comfortable save. David O’Rourke missed a great chance in the 15th minute when his shot was blocked and these may have fell to the wrong men as both are natural defenders. Jack Bryant had a third chance three minutes into injury time but it wasn’t a simple one and his punch hit the side netting.
The visitors missed a few point chances as well. Jack Bryant missed a couple of two point frees that were scoreable with the wind and Rhode’s first three points all came from Ruari McNamee as they trailed by 0-6 to 0-3 after 22 minutes. A Scott Delaney two pointer put Shamrocks five ahead but Rhode gave a master class of attacking efficiency in the first half. Billy Quinn and Anton Sullivan got points to bring the gap down to three by the 29th minute and Rhode didn’t have a wide until three minutes into injury time.
Shamrocks were in serious bother as the half went into injury time but a fantastic 32nd minute goal from Kieran Dolan, after a fine build up involving Andrew Delaney and Shane O’Toole-Greene, gave them a 1-8 to 0-5 half time lead
Jack Bryant had a very mixed hour for Shamrocks but an excellent two point free two minutes into the second half gave them a 1-10 to 0-6 lead and a fighting chance of a big win. Rhode were snapping on their heels by the 43rd minute thanks to 1-2 without reply, Dylan Kavanagh scoring the goal after a great Conor McNamee charge forward.
Kieran Dolan got the next point and Darragh Bryant’s tap over free made it 1-12 to 1-8 with 47 minutes gone. The closing quarter provided terrific entertainment and Shamrocks missed their chance to seal it when senior championship debutant Conor Egan was sent in on goal but blazed wide from five metres. A goal there would probably have broken Rhode but the miss left the door open and they dug deep, showed the character that is their hallmark.
Sean Hurley converted a free and Sean O’Toole brilliantly deflected over a Ryan Kellaghan pile driver as Rhode got it back to one in the 58th minute. Shamrocks had played their joker card by this stage, throwing manager Nigel Dunne into the fray, ending speculation about whether he would play senior football this year – Dunne was listed in the programme but wore a track suit on the sideline and it was not clear whether he would feature but he came on and it was a sensible and wise decision as he put them two clear with a high quality 60th minute free from a difficult angle.
Rhode threw the kitchen sink at Shamrocks in the five minutes of injury time. Niall McNamee was wide with a two point shot that was in the kick and hope category, Ruari McNamee got it down to one with a 33rd minute free and Shamrocks kicked away their chance of lifting the siege before Rhode salvaged a point: Anton Sullivan was on advantage when he broke forward and he curled over a beauty – and in a way Shamrocks were grateful that it went over as the free would have been in two point territory and the chances of that being converted with the wind would have been in the 70% region.
THE SCORERS
Shamrocks: Kieran Dolan 1-1, Jack Bryant 0-4 (2 x 2pf), Scott Delaney (2p) and Johnny O’Toole-Greene (2p) 0-2 each, Gary Hutchinson, Andrew Delaney, Darragh Bryant (f) and Nigel Dunne (f) 0-1 each.
Rhode: Ruari McNamee 0-4 (2f), Dylan Kavanagh 1-0, Anton Sullivan 0-3, Ryan Kellaghan and Conor McNamee 0-2 each, Sean Hurley (f), Billy Quinn 0-1 each.
THE TEAMS
SHAMROCKS: Sean O’Toole; Adam Keyes, Padraig Cantwell, Shane O’Toole-Greene; Kieran Dolan, Gary Hutchinson, David O’Rourke; Andrew Delaney, Johnny O’Toole-Greene; Alan Heffernan, Scott Delaney, Dan Heffernan; Darragh Bryant, David O’Toole-Greene, Jack Bryant. Subs – Conor Egan for Alan Heffernan, inj. (6m), Eoghan Neville for David O’Toole-Greene, inj. (19m), Nigel Dunne for Dan Heffernan (56m).
RHODE: Jack Murphy, Keith Murphy, Jake Kavanagh, James McPadden; Ryan Kellaghan, Conor McNamee, Eoin Smith; Sean Hurley, Adam Kellaghan; Dylan Kavanagh, Ross Kellaghan, Ryan Murphy; Billy Quinn, Ruari McNamee, Anton Sullivan. Subs – Aaron McBride for Smith (36m), Niall McNamee for Ryan Murphy (41m), Niall Darby for Quinn (57m).
Referee – Kevin Williamson.
STATISTICS
Wides: Shamrocks – 13 (8 in first half); Rhode – 5 (1 in first half).
Yellow cards: Shamrocks – 3 (Padraig Cantwell, Dan Heffernan and Andrew Delaney); Rhode – 2 (Ryan Kellaghan, Anton Sullivan).
Black cards: 0
Red cards: 0
By Offaly Secretary Sat 4th Jul
