Dooley delivers victory for dogged Tullamore

Tullamore 2-07 Rhode 0-09

This was a physical battle and after Shane Dooley opened the scoring for Tullamore in the first minute, 15 minutes of hard-hitting and scoreless football followed. Dooley, who has declared his interest in playing both codes for Offaly in 2014, struck for the first of two goals midway through the first half and there were nearly 20 minutes gone before Mark Dunne opened Rhode’s account.

A flurry of scores before the break allowed Rhode draw level at 1-2 to 0-5, but their full forward line’s inaccuracy (they shot 14 wides in total) cost them dearly.