Nemo pull off a shock, eliminating Seandún champions Passage

Nemo Rangers 1-12 Passage 0-12

NEMO Rangers are through to the semi-finals of the EBO Home rescue Seandún JAFC as they came from behind to defeat defending champions Passage at Ballinlough.

Passage made the better start as they restricted the Trabeg side to three frees in the opening half, while Nemo Rangers held the upper hand for most of the second half and scored a goal which proved to be decisive in the 51st minute.

Brian O’Connor opened the scoring for the Trabeg side with a pointed free before Passage seized the initiative as they tagged on five unanswered points, including a free from Shane Howard approaching the first half water break.

Aaron Browne pointed two frees for Nemo Rangers in the second quarter and Anthony Kidney and Shane Howard replied with a pointed free each to give Passage an interval lead of 0-7 to 0-3.

Nemo Rangers raised their game for the second half as they held Passage scoreless in the third quarter. Persistent fouling was proving to be costly for Passage as Browne converted a hat-trick of frees. Eoin Weldon chipped in with the Trabeg side’s first point from play approaching the second-half water break to level matters at seven points apiece.

Cathal McCarthy scored Passage’s first point of the second half before Browne put Nemo Rangers in the lead for the first time in the contest with a goal from the edge of the square after Jamie Philpott’s shot rebounded off the upright.

O’Connor slotted over his second free for the Trabeg side and Philpott added a point from play. This gave Nemo Rangers a four-point advantage, before Howard replied with his only point from play.

Both sides tagged on three points apiece in the closing stages, with two of Passage’s points coming from placed-balls.

Scorers for Nemo Rangers: A Browne 1-6 (0-5 f); B O’Connor 0-2 f; S Nagle 0-2; E Weldon, J Philpott 0-1 each.

Passage: S Howard 0-4 (0-3 f); A Kidney 0-2 (0-1 f, 0-1 45); N McCarthy 0-2; J Kind, C McCarthy, S Kenny, R Carroll 0-1 each.

NEMO: C Martin; C Coughlan, E Weldon, C Casey; A Coleman, C O’Shea, B O’Connor; R Shalloe, D Quinlan; A Browne, I Nolan, D Cotter; J Philpott, S Burke, S Nagle.

Subs: M Mulgrew for Cotter (56); J Scally for Casey, Casey for Weldon (both 60).

PASSAGE: A Kidney; P Walsh, E Murphy, C Murphy; R Cooney, R Harrington, K Burke; T O’Neill, S Harrington; G Carroll, J Kind, C McCarthy; N McCarthy, S Howard, S Kenny.

Subs: R Carroll for G Carroll (42); D O’Driscoll for Walsh, M Guinnane for Kenny (both 53).

Referee: Peter Finnegan (Douglas).