Second half blitz sees Sarsfields off to winning start against Fr O'Neill's
Sarsfields' Cian Darcy is tackled by Fr O'Neill's Ryan Kenneally. Picture: David Keane.
Sarsfields got their Co-op Superstores Premier SHC campaign off to a winning start at Carrigtwohill on Friday night.
Last year’s beaten finalists showed that they are hell bent on winning back the title they last won two years ago with an impressive team performance.
There was only three points between the sides at half time, but an impressive nine points without reply at the start of the second half set them up for a deserved victory.
They had impressive displays from the likes of Colm McCarthy, Daniel Hogan and Jack O’Connor on the night.
Fr O’Neill’s were always up against it and their cause wasn’t helped when their Cork star, Declan Dalton, had go off injured with a hamstring injury after 45 minutes.
It will now be a race to have him fit for their clash with the Glen in two weeks.
Padraig McMahon opened the scoring for Fr O’Neill’s after Billy Dunne won a good ball, with O’Connor replying for Sars from the restart.
Colm McCarthy put Sars in front from a free and he added another to make it 0-3 to 0-1 after five minutes.
Dalton replied from a free for O’Neill’s, with McMahon on target again to level it with 10 minutes played.
McCarthy put his side back in front, with O’Connor getting his second to stretch their lead further. Killian Murphy put three between the sides and Shane O’Regan scored from distance to make it 0-7 to 0-3.
The first goal chance came when O’Connor and James Sweeney combined to set up Ben Nodwell but Paudie O’Sullivan saved superbly to deny him.
Dalton pulled a point back from a free, with McCarthy replying at the other end. Another free from Dalton made it 0-5 to 0-9 after 20 minutes.
With four minutes to half time they had the deficit down to three, with Dalton and John Millerick among their scorers.
Hogan and Murphy stretched Sars' lead again, before John Millerick pointed again.
Dalton got the last score of the half, from a 65 to see Sars lead by three at the break, 0-13 to 0-10.
Dalton got the first score of the second half, before that blitz from Sars, with Colm McCarthy, James Sweeney, Shane O’Regan and Darcy among their scorers as they led 0-22 to 0-11 after 44 minutes.
Robert Cullinane goaled for O’Neill’s but from the restart Darcy replied with one at the other end to kill off any chance of a comeback.
O’Connor, O’Regan and Sweeney rounded off the scoring for Sars as they ran out comfortable winners ahead of their clash with Erin’s Own in two weeks.
Colm McCarthy 0-8 (0-4 f, 0-1 65), C Darcy 1-3, J O’Connor 0-5, J Sweeney 0-3, S O’Regan, D Hogan, K Murphy, B Nodwell 0-2 each, Cathal McCarthy 0-1.
D Dalton 0-7 (5f, 0-1 65, 0-1 sl), R Cullinane 1-0, K O’Sullivan (f), P McMahon, John Millerick 0-2 each, Joe Millerick 0-1.
B Graham; C O’Sullivan, C Roche, Cathal McCarthy; B Murphy, L Elliott, C Leahy; D Hogan, K Murphy; J O’Connor, Colm McCarthy, C Darcy; B Nodwell, J Sweeney, S O’Regan.
P O’Sullivan, M Millerick, G Millerick, E Motherway; M O’Keeffe, D Harrington, T Millerick; K O’Sullivan, R Kenneally; R Cullinane, D Dalton, Joseph Millerick; John Millerick, B Dunne, P McMahon.
M Wall for D Dalton (45 inj), P Hassett for Joseph Millerick (55).
Niall Fahy, Brian Dillons.
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