Seamus Harnedy in lethal form as St Ita's outclass 14-man Sars
Seamus Harnedy hit nine points in St Ita's win over Sarsfields. Picture: Denis O'Flynn
St Ita's have secured an automatic spot in the semi-finals of the East Cork Oil JAHC after a hard-fought victory over 14-man Sarsfields on Friday evening in Glenville.
The match was marked by a pivotal moment on the stroke of half-time, when Sarsfields forward Callum Austin was issued a straight red card for an off-the-ball incident.
The game got off to a fast-paced start, with Sarsfields taking the lead when Ohdran McCarthy scored a point inside the opening ten seconds.
However, St Ita's quickly responded, leveling the score on the one-minute mark through a Daniel Hickey free.
The Ita's team then took control, moving three points ahead courtesy of Padraigh O'Brien and Ciaran O'Brien (two), making the score 0-4 to 0-1 in their favor after four minutes.
Tristan O'Leary responded for Sarsfields with a free, but St Ita's continued to build their lead, hitting points from Harry Condon, O'Brien, and Seamus Harnedy.
The teams went point for point before McCarthy scored a goal for Sarsfields, an unstoppable shot into the top corner of the net, making the score 1-3 to 0-8 after 10 minutes.
Ita's didn't panic and maintained their lead, with points from O'Brien and Harnedy.
The second quarter saw Sarsfields outscore their opponents 0-6 to 0-5, but St Ita's still held a 0-17 to 1-10 lead at the interval.
The red card proved to be a significant turning point in the match, and Sarsfields faced an uphill battle in the second half.
Despite this, they managed to reduce the margin to one point through scores from O'Leary (two) and Dave Barry.
However, St Ita's made sure to stay in front, with another score from Hickey pushing them two points ahead.
The match remained intense, with both sides trading points, but St Ita's began to pull away in the end. A late goal from Hickey sealed the win.
D Hickey 1-7 (0-2 f), S Harnedy 0-9, C O'Brien 0-5 (0-2 65), 0-1 f, P O'Brien (f), J Hegarty 0-2 each, H Condon, C Deane, M Coleman 0-1 each.
T O'Leary 0-8 (0-7 f, 0-1 65), O McCarthy 1-1, J Huggins 0-2, S Higgins, C Austin, D Barry, R McCarthy, Z Kelly 0-1 each.
P O'Brien; E Hegarty, B McCarthy, G Griffin; M Doherty, C O'Brien, G Coleman; M O'Brien, M Coleman; M Lillis, S Harnedy, C Deane; H Condon, J Heagarty, D Hickey.
D Dorian for D Griffin.
A Kennedy; A McCarthy, J McMahon, J Darcy; D O'Callaghan, S Higgins, D Barry; J Huggins, M Reid; A King, S Higgins, R McCarthy; O McCarthy, T O'Leary, C Austin.
D O Donavan for T O'Leary, Z Herlihy for O McCarthy, Z Kelly for M Reid.
Brian Sweeney (Erin's Own)
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