Watty Grahams lay down the law of averages
Errigal Ciaran's Peter Harte. Picture: INPHO/Cathal McOscar
In the lead-up to yesterday’s Errigal Ciarán versus Watty Grahams Glen Ulster quarter-final, one of the most eye-catching statistics was Glen’s miserly concession rate, with just an average of 8.7 points conceded in seven games in Derry.
That average was as low as 6.3 points in their three previous games against Magherafelt, Newbridge and Slaughtneil. Glen couldn’t be accused either of being too defensively orientated because their scoring average was as high as 1-15, with it only dropping to a shade below 1-14 from their three previous games.
Errigal Ciarán, on the other hand, may have been averaging 1-13 but they were conceding more, coughing up an average of 1-10. Numbers never tell the full story, especially when both teams were coming from different county championship systems, with Errigal coming through a knockout format in Tyrone. In the end though, the averages more or less played out; Glen scored one point more than their average, while Errigal scored one point less than theirs.
All the same, those numbers mean very little because a game with four goals (which not many people expected) could have seen as many as eight or nine green flags raised.
Glen’s first goal after five minutes was a little fortuitous but they almost had a second goal after just five minutes until Peter Harte brilliantly backheeled the ball off the goal-line just as it was about to roll into the net. The ball still nearly ended up over the line from the resultant 45.
After Errigal scored their goal from Tommy Canavan just moments later, Ruari Canavan almost had a second goal in the 15th minute but the chance was turned over and Alex Doherty scored Glen’s second goal from the next phase of play off that turnover.
Errigal had still surpassed Glen’s average concession rate by the 24th minute, when they led by 1-6 to 2-0. When Ruari Canavan landed another point straight afterwards it came off another Glen turnover. Playing into the stiff breeze, Glen were forced to run the ball but they carried it into the tackle too often and Errigal forced nine turnovers in possession in that half. Errigal were inflicting huge damage off that possession but Glen still had another goal chance just before half-time, which was deflected over the bar.
Glen had 64% possession in that first half but they were far more economical and efficient with the breeze, while they had much more control around the middle third, especially on kickouts. After only having a 37% conversion rate in the first half, Glen had a 77% conversion rate after the break. Overall, Glen had ten scorers to Errigal’s five. In the end, the weight of Glen’s numbers matched up to another handsome winning total.
In injury-time of the first half of the Moycullen-Westport Connacht quarter-final in MacHale Park yesterday, Moycullen coughed up a turnover coming out of defence and Westport suddenly had an overload on the counter-attack just outside the D. The ball was played by Mark Moran into Killian Kilkelly and, while he was inside the 13-metre line, there was a defender in his line of sight and Kilkelly choose to kick the ball over the bar.
That score left just four points between the sides but Moycullen’s response was decisive and emphatic. Paul Kelly won the long kickout and Moycullen stitched nine passes together before Donal Cox rolled the ball into the net. When the half-time whistle sounded moments later, Moycullen sprinted for the tunnel, while Westport slowly jogged off. The different energy levels between the teams suggested the game was already over.
Westport needed an early goal and, while they created that opportunity in the 34th minute, Lee Keegan’s snapshot was brilliantly stopped by Andrew Power. Westport won Moycullen’s first four kickouts of the half but they failed to convert any of their first five shots at the target in that third quarter.
After scoring two quickfire points, Kilkelly had another goal chance but he went for placement and his shot just shaved the post. Paul Kelly shoved the margin back out to eight with another fine point off their own kickout, before Moycullen once again showed how devastating they can be in full flow, especially on the counter-attack.
After starting the move on their own 45-metre line, Moycullen stitched ten passes together in 22 seconds before Michael O’Reilly palmed the ball to the net. They added the coup de grace in the 59th minute with their third goal, which was another palmed effort at the end of a flowing move, set up by Niall Walsh before being finished by Aidan Claffey.
Dessie Conneely, one of Moycullen’s Galway senior players, was superb, scoring 0-10 from ten shots, 0-5 from play, but Moycullen’s slick attacking game repeatedly cut Westport to ribbons. Their conversion rate was an astonishing 88%.
In the build up to the game, there was some surprise that Moycullen were such warm favourites. It’s easy now to see why.
When Clonmel Commercials scored their second goal against Nemo Rangers in Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday evening, a brilliant strike engineered by Jason Lonergan and finished by Colman Kennedy, it was Clonmel’s third clear-cut goal chance inside the opening 18 minutes.
Clonmel almost had a third goal eight minutes later but Pádraic Looram’s shot was tipped over the bar by Micheál Aodh Martin. That score still only left Clonmel four points ahead but they were cutting Nemo to ribbons up front from their hard running game.
Clonmel were playing the better and more threatening style of football because they were mixing their running and kicking game really well but Nemo were still firmly in the game. They had a decent conversion rate of 60% in that period but Nemo would have been disappointed with their turnover rate in that opening half, having turned over the ball 11 times.
Nemo had reduced the deficit to two points inside six minutes of the half, with both scores coming off Commercials kickouts. They had the chance to go ahead off the next Clonmel kickout but Luke Horgan’s goal shot was stopped by Michael O’Reilly and Commercials’ counter-attack ended with a quality point from Lonergan. They then pushed the margin back out to four again off the Nemo kickout with a point from Conal Kennedy. And then Commercials took off.
Nemo’s transition from defence to attack was too slow for them to break down the Commercials defence, but when they were forced to chase the game, Commercials repeatedly picked them off on the counter-attack. They were devastatingly efficient too in that second half, nailing 0-11 from 13 shots. Overall, Commercials had a 71% conversion rate to Nemo’s 60%.
With 17 Munster titles from 22 previous campaigns, Nemo normally don’t lose in the Munster club championship but they certainly don’t get thumped the way in which Clonmel took them apart. Their final margin of victory should have been ten points because Nemo scored their goal with effectively the last kick.
When these sides last met in the Munster final in 2019, Nemo were emphatic nine-point winners but they had been waiting four years to dole out some payback after Commercials beat them in the 2015 Munster final with a goal from the last kick.
Yet Commercials exacted the ultimate retribution on Saturday evening. It’s an extremely rare sight to see Nemo demolished in Munster, but it’s even rarer to see them beaten by the same side twice in the province - because Commercials also became the first side in Munster to do so.
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