Division 1 HL: Seven goals scored as Glen Rovers beat Killeagh in last game
Glen Rovers' Rhys Dunne controls the sliotar ahead of Killeagh's Cathal Fitzgibbon during the Division 1 HL match in Killeagh. Picture: Howard Crowdy
The high temperatures yielded a high scoring affair on Thursday evening, as Glen Rovers bested Killeagh in the final round of RedFM Division 1 Hurling League games to win by nine.
The northsiders were never led and controlled the first half well, but it was the four second-half goals that proved crucial as they quashed Killeagh’s fightback and ensured a comfortable final quarter, despite the hosts scoring goals twice in the final three minutes.
The hosts had come from nine behind to trail by only one point after 35 minutes, and that was the moment Dean Brosnan set up Lee Quilligan, and he let fly to the bottom corner beyond Fionn Murphy for Rovers’ first goal.
It put the Glen four up and from there they kept swinging, Patrick Horgan and Simon Kennefick leading the charge as they finished with 1-5 and 1-4 from play respectively.
Killeagh managed to remain within four points of their opponents up until the 48th minute, but in two devastating minutes the Glen killed them off. First when Kennefick set up Lynam, and he struck the major. Then, immediately after, Eoghan Varian won possession from Killeagh and sent a good pass forward for Rhys Dunne and Lynam to work it to Horgan, and he finished.
That left it 3-21 to 1-17 after 50 minutes, and Quilligan added another white flag to cap his fine display with 1-3.
Despite the game being over as a contest by that point, there was still time for a flurry of late goals.
Three were hit consecutively, Killeagh’s Ryan McCarthy netting the first in the 59th minute after a stunning passage of play involving six passes prior to the close-range finish.
Then, Kennefick grabbed his, pulling the rebound to the net after initially drawing a wonderful save from Fionn Murphy, before Dylan McCarthy notched one back for Killeagh minute later, with another pulled effort.
It leaves Killeagh going back to Division 2 with one win in nine games, but there are definitely a lot of positives they can take from this campaign, including the development of John Ogbebor, who worked tirelessly in midfield here again.
They were down a number of key men on Thursday evening, including the Walsh cousins Ben and Barry, and were always going to be up against it.
The Glen established control early, leading 0-5 to 0-1 after only eight minutes. The margin would grow to nine by the 21st minute, with the northsiders making every possession count and clipping over scores with ease.
Killeagh, to their credit, fought back well before the break to leave the margin at four. Dylan McCarthy was sharp from frees, while brother Ryan won and dispatched a penalty in the 25th minute.
Four of the first five points on the restart left the Glen’s lead at the minimum, 0-16 to 1-12, but they’d find form in the closing quarter to finish it out.
D McCarthy 1-9 (0-6 f, 0-1 65), R McCarthy 2-1 (1-0 pen), E Keniry 0-3, A Leahy 0-2, F Murphy, D Walsh, Colm Leahy, S Walsh 0-1 each.
P Horgan 1-10 (0-5 f), S Kennefick 1-4, L Quilligan 1-3, S Lynam 1-0, R Dunne, G Mulcahy 0-3 each, D Brosnan 0-2.
F Murphy; D O’Brien, S Long, C Fitzgibbon; B Delaney, G Leahy, Ciarán Leahy; A Walsh, J Ogbebor; D McCarthy, P O’Brien, A Leahy; E Keniry, R McCarthy, D Walsh.
C O’Riordan for D O’Brien (34), S Walsh for A Walsh (41), Colm Leahy for D Walsh (46), R Treacy for Delaney (48), R Long for P O’Brien (52), G Walsh-Wallace for Ciarán Leahy (53), O Cunningham for Fitzgibbon (57).
C Hickey; L Coughlan, E Varian, C McCarthy; A O’Sullivan, L Horgan, A O’Donovan; D Noonan, R Dunne; G Mulcahy, D Brosnan, L Quilligan; S Kennefick, P Horgan, S Lynam.
A Lynch for Noonan (41), C Connolly for Quilligan (54), C Healy for O’Donovan (59).
W Wallis (Aghada)
App?
