Premier SHC: Sarfields up and running again after Newtownshandrum win
Sarsfields' Cian Darcy pops over a point in the final minutes of Saturday's Co-op SuperStores Premier SHC win over Newtownshandrum. Picture: Chani Anderson
Sarsfields back on track after a win over Newtownshandrum, but still with space to improve.
Having lost their Co-op SuperStores Premier SHC opener to Charleville, the defending champions were put on a knockout footing – in such a scenario, the result is all and the two points they took from Mallow on Saturday ticked that box.
There will be things to look at – 16 wides over the hour and a second-half sloppiness that saw an 11-point half-time advantage cut down to four as the game moved into injury time – but the pros outweighed the cons for Johnny Crowley’s side. The time between now and the pivotal game against Douglas can be put to good use.
That late four-point lead was the first time since the fifth minute that the sides had been so close. Jamie Coughlan’s fifth pointed free left them seven behind, 4-18 to 3-14, as injury time dawned and Newtown felt that Tim O’Mahony had a valid penalty shout when he tangled with Eoghan Murphy under the next dropping ball.
The Cork star had had a peripatetic afternoon – midfield for the throw-in, he spent time in the first half and full-forward and then sweeper before settling at centre-back. He had been pushed up again as a late emergency option and, when the impressive Kieran O’Sullivan was fouled close to the Newtown goal, Cormac O’Brien launched a huge free, which O’Mahony won bfore slotting to the net.
It was his last act, however, as dissent towards an umpire generated a second yellow card and Sars reeled off three late points through Daniel Kearney, Luke Hackett and a Barry O’Flynn free to subber-stamp the win.
It was an outcome that looked inevitable when Sars – with six changes from the Charleville loss – retired with a 3-12 to 0-7 interval advantage. Ben Nodwell’s early goal provided a 1-4 to 0-2 advantage, the corner-forward reacting well as Cian Darcy was crowded out when he tried to reach O’Flynn’s crossfield pass, and Sars were able to play through the Newtown defence too often, with the returning Cathal McCarthy and James Sweeney on the scoresheet along with wing-back Luke Elliott as they built a 1-10 to 0-4 lead.
After Newtown points for Coughlan and Robert Troy, there was another Sars burst as half-time approached. When Nodwell found the ever-infuential Kearney on the run, O’Mahony got in a great block, but Kearney was able to get the ball to Sweeney, who finished well, and O’Flynn and Cillian Roche opened up a 12-point advantage.
In the 30th minute, Colm McCarthy laid on a goal chnce for O’Flynn but, while James Bowles saved, it was only brief respite as Darcy was able to surge through the middle moments later to set up Sweeney for his second goal.
Ronan Geary’s injury-time point for Newtown left them 14 behind at the turnaround and the early stages of the second half had seen Sars extend the advantage further. Cormac O’Brien was the yin to O’Mahony’s yang in terms of Newtown positional switches and he was in the centre-forward role when sub Pods Noonan’s lay-off allowed him to claw back a goal, followed by a big O’Mahony point from play and then a 65.
They had another goal when Conor Griffin – earlied denied by Paul Leopold – took a long delivery from sub Tom McCarthy and turned smartly to shoot past Ben Graham. Even then, the lead was still seven, 3-14 to 2-10, and after an exchange of points, Sars had more breathing space when Kearney provided an assist for a goal by O’Flynn, who had managed to get free of Conor Twomey, who otherwise did a fine job.
Sars’ general play had become ragged, though, and Newtown punished them again as Griffin turned provider for Noonan to squeeze a low shot to the net, followed by David O’Connor’s point: 4-15 to 3-12, 50 minutes of the clock.
Sars didn’t panic and pointed frees by O’Flynn answered similar Coughlan efforts at the other end. Newtown did raise some late questions with their fourth goals but Sars had enough to answer them.
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