Tony Kelly inspires Ballyea to keep title defence on track
Clooney-Quin's John Conneely tries to get away from Ballyea's James Murphy and Cillian Brennan at Cusack Park on Sunday.
Tony Kelly may not have been operating at full flight for Ballyea on Sunday, but he showed enough in the second half to help the county champions move effortlessly past the Clooney-Quin challenge that was almost exclusively reliant on Peter Duggan for scores.
Duggan did his best, when hitting 0-14 over the hour, but it was the swagger and scores that Kelly contributed in the second half when it was needed most that decided what was otherwise a lethargic affair that failed to catch fire.
The sides were level at the break, but inside a minute of the resumption, the three-time All-Star was on his way when winning a penalty that he then dispatched to the net with aplomb and Ballyea never looked back.
It was a hammer blow for Clooney-Quin that had battled hard in the first half to get back on terms after conceding a fifth-minute goal that was brilliantly conceived as Pearse Lillis and Niall Deasy combined before county footballer Cathal O’Connor rifled home from 12 yards.
This strike helped Ballyea ease into a 1-4 to 0-2 lead by the tenth minute, but in a game of catch-up, Clooney-Quin could thank Duggan who was flawless when hitting 0-9 from as many placed balls as they drew level, 1-8 to 0-11 at the break.
It should have teed up a competitive second half, but it was anything but as the three-time champions since 2016 showed their pedigree, as Kelly took over with an able supporting cast that included Niall Deasy and Pearse Lillis in the credits.
Kelly was imperious when hitting 1-6 in the half, while the hardworking Lillis chipped in with important scores as they moved 2-14 to 0-14 clear by the three-quarter stage.
Peter Duggan did his best to muster a response but anytime he pegged back a score, Ballyea had a response through Kelly and Deasy as they cantered home by nine points.
: T Kelly (1-7, 1-0 pen, 1f), N Deasy (0-7, 4f, 1 sideline), C O’Connor (1-0), A Griffin (0-2), P Lillis (0-2), M Gavin (0-2), C Brennan (0-1).
: P Duggan (0-14, 11f, 1 '65), U O’Sullivan (0-2), C Hassett (0-1), D Cunningham (0-1).
D Coote; C Brennan, P Casey, P Flanagan; G O’Connell, J Browne, J Murphy; S Lineen, M Garry; C O’Connor, P Lillis, N Deasy; M Gavin, T Kelly, A Griffin. Subs M O’Leary for O’Connor (46), B Casey for O’Connell (52), B Murphy for Griffin (60).
K Hogan; E Maxted, S McNamara, M McNamara; D Keogh, J Conneely, C Grogan; R Taylor, D O’Sullivan; E O’Brien, P Duggan, C Hassett; R O’Donnell, U O’Sullivan, S Harrison. Subs Jimmy Corry for Harrison (19), D Cunningham for O’Donnell (38), L Harrison for Hassett (55).
J Donnellan (Wolfe Tones)
When Sixmilebridge edged past the Éire Óg challenge in a county semi-final two years ago the Townies showed how hunger is always the best sauce by bouncing back to beat them the following year — so it was that they repeated the dose when avenging their 2021 semi-final defeat to Inagh-Kilnamona with this comprehensive win on Sunday afternoon.
They did so on the back of a performance of intensity and purpose — and Shane O’Donnell, whose absolute masterclass from the first minute when he fired over the opening score of the game being the standout of the whole quarter-final programme over the weekend.
His first half haul alone of 1-7 from play did for the Townies, particularly when his full-forward line colleague Danny Russell chipped in with 1-6 as they cantered to within touching distance of a first county final appearance in 22 years.
By then this game was done, with the opening goal from O’Donnell on nine minutes and then Russell’s strike, which was set up by O’Donnell, five minutes before the break helping Éire Óg feast on an interval lead of 2-15 to 0-7 as the Inagh-Kilnamona defence was exposed in nearly every attack.
The second half was always going to taper, but particularly so after over an hour’s delay caused by the serious leg injury suffered by Inagh-Kilnamona centre-back Jason McCarthy before an ambulance arrived on the field to remove him to hospital.
It came five minutes in after Aidan McCarthy, who tried valiantly to take the fight to Éire Óg throughout, added a brace of points on his way to hitting 0-9, as they reduced their 14-point half-time deficit by two, but once the game resumed the full-time whistle couldn’t really come quick enough.
All that was left to do was wind down the clock and it was fitting that O’Donnell finished the game as he started it with the last score in this impressive 11-point win.
: S O’Donnell (1-9), D Russell (1-7, 4f), D Reidy (0-2, 1 ‘65), A Fitzgerald (0-1), D O’Brien (0-1), D McNamara (0-1).
: A McCarthy (0-9, 7f), S Rynne (0-2), N Mullins (0-1), E Foudy (0-1f), C Hegarty (0-1), C Tierney (0-1).
P Walsh; J Collins, C Russell, L Corry; N McMahon, A Fitzgerald, O Cahill; D Reidy, C O’Dea; D McNamara, D O’Brien, M Moloney; G Cooney, D Russell, S O’Donnell. Subs A McGrath for C Russell (51), M Heneghan for D Russell (55), T Downes for Cooney (57), K Brennan for McNamara (58), C O’Halloran for McMahon (60).
E Foudy; C McConigley, D Lafferty, K Whyte; S Woods, J McCarthy, D Cullinan; D Fitzgerald, N Mullins, S Vaughan, S Rynne, A McCarthy; J Guyler, R Mescall, S McInerney. Subs C Hegarty for Vaughan (26), K Hehir for Lafferty (26), D Mescall for McInerney (Half-Time), C Tierney for J McCarthy (36), E McNamara for Guyler (57).
Rory McGann (Newmarket-on-Fergus)
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