This article is from page 55 of the 2009-05-19 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 55 JPG
THIS east Clare derby failed to reach the heights one would have expect- ed and experienced had this been a straight knockout contest.
However, the pros and cons of the whole round robin system are for an- other day – this day was about Scar- iff’s three goals that simply tore the life out of O’Callaghan’s Mills’ spir- ited, but largely limited endeavours.
The first two came inside the open- ing 15 minutes and were as soft as the 2009 championship is likely to see, while the third 17 minutes into the second half finally killed off the Mills challenge.
Those goals hang over what was otherwise a tepid enough champi- onship affair that was punctuated far too often by Seanie McMahon’s whistle.
Rules are rules and very much part of the game, but at what price to the spectacle? In short, this 60 minutes was so stop-start in nature that a good game was rendered impossible.
It didn’t bother Scariff though – they got off to a flier thanks to Kenny McNamara’s goal inside 45 seconds and never really looked back.
The goal came via a long Barry Mc- Namara free that Damian O’Connell failed to control in the Mills goal, a failure that allowed Kenny McNa- mara scramble the sliotar over the
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The Mills never really recovered from this setback, while their task was made more mountainous in the 15th minute when Ross Horan’s 50-metre free against the breeze that hadn’t enough on it to clear the crossbar for a point was allowed drop tamely into the net on O’Connell’s near post.
This was the real hammer blow to the Mills’ challenge, especially after they had battled back from the open- ing goal to trail by only 1-4 to 0-4
prior to Horan’s strike.
Three Alan Duggan frees and a fine point from play by Adrian Flaherty had given them a real foothold only for them to surrender the initiative with that second soft goal.
When Jim Minogue added a point in the 17th minute to give Scariff a seven-point lead things suddenly looked very bleak for the Mills, but they rallied once more before half- time thanks to three more Alan Dug- gan frees and a brilliant solo effort from Patrick Donnellan to leave
themselves only 2-6 to O-8 in ar- rears.
With the wind to come the Mills certainly had a cause, especially when points by Alan Duggan and Adrian Flaherty inside five minutes of the re-start reduced the margin to two points.
It was a case of game on again, but it was also a real case of Scariff’s full-forward Kenny McNamara step- ping up to put in a virtuoso second half performance that helped Scariff nail the two points long before the finish of the hour.
It was McNamara who setttled Scar- iff nerves in the 40th minute with a fine point from play. His brother Bar- ry landed two long range frees by the 46th minute, while Patrick Moroney crowned his impressive contribution of 1-2 from play when he goaled in Noma OO
His points came in the first half – the goal came after he ghosted forward from the half-forward line to field a crossfield ball from Alfie Rodgers on the edge of the square and slam the sliotar to the net from 13 metres.
It was a procession from there on – in the closing ten minutes Kenny McNamara turned the screw with three great points from play, while Ross Horan chipped in with a couple of frees.
O’Callaghan’s Mills did raise a rip- ple of applause from their support-
ers in the 58th minute when Declan Donovan goaled, but it was nothing more than a consolation score as Scariff cruised to a very comfortable eight-point win.
Scariff can now look forward to a bye in the second round, while O’Callaghan’s Mills have a crunch tie against fellow first round losers Tulla.