Hunterstown Rovers have put their hand up for Seamus Flood honours with a 12-point win over Kilkerley Emmets at Ardee on Saturday night.
overs have repeatedly been knocking on the intermediate title door however the addition of some high quality, younger and recent expertise might be key of their search this yr.
The affect of the 5 debutants on the evening got here out within the type of Glen Mathews and Ryan and Dean Burns. The trio discovered themselves in more room and the link-up play was scintillating. Up till a late Brendan Lennon level, the ahead three had accounted for the entire winners’ complete. That’s how correct and efficient they had been on the evening.
Emmets couldn’t deal with their slick motion and it made for a protracted night for the Kilkerley males who appeared very very similar to a facet that got here into the encounter on the again of some poor league type.
Accidents and absences have been the story of their season and final yr’s semi-finalists look approach off the tempo this time period consequently. Conor Quigley particularly can be wanted in a fortnight’s time to stave off Younger Irelands and, maybe, a relegation battle.
Centre-forward Mathews is at all times a risk however Saturday was when all of it got here collectively for the electrical ahead. Proper from the beginning, he fired over the primary two factors of the sport – candy efforts from distance.
Abruptly, it was 1-7 to no-score. Rovers simply opened up and expressed themselves and the respect they paid Emmets firstly dissipated as Mathews coolly slotted the ball move Rian Hand for a purpose.
The short arms of newcomer James Rogers was key to opening up Emmets’ rearguard and sending Matthews away.
Rogers was a Louth minor final season and he, together with Shane Halpenny, Cillian Taaffe, Conor O’Brien and Adam O’Reilly, notched his first championship look for Colm Donnelly’s facet.Â
Talisman Burns then acquired going. He had an ideal tussle with Aaron Crawford all night and 4 factors had been amassed by half-time.
On the different finish, Fionn Cumiskey has been a brilliant mild this season for Dessie Lennon and one other of final yr’s Louth minors opened their tally within the twenty sixth minute of motion and rapidly added one other from play to make it 1-7 to 0-2 on the interval.
There was not lots of hope for a turnaround within the chatter round Ardee at half-time and Dean Burns made sure with two factors upon the resumption in a vigorous second half displaying.
Substitutes Seán Hand and Kieran Murtagh tried laborious off the bench however Emmets had been too off-colour on the evening. County panellist Tadhg McEnaney landed three frees to offer some comfort earlier than substitute Lennon crashed the get together with a well-taken rating for rampant Rovers.
HUNTERSTOWN ROVERS: Niall Carrie; Cillian Taaffe, Martin Lennon, Paddy Taaffe; Alan Landy, Daithi Carroll, Shane Halpenny; Jason Monaghan, Tony McKenna; James Rogers, Glen Matthews 1-4, David Finn; Paul Carrie, Ryan Burns 0-8 (1m, 3f), Dean Burns 0-3. Subs: Brendan Lennon 0-1 for Rogers (50), OisĂn McGee for D Burns (56), Adam O’Reilly for M Lennon (61), Conor O’Brien for Landy (61).
KILKERLEY EMMETS: Rian Hand; Tadhg McKeown, Aaron Crawford, Cormac Bellew; Eoghan Smyth, Cillian Mulligan, Fintan Brady; James Fegan, Darren Geoghegan; Ewan McEnteggart, Shaun McElroy, Brian Brady; Tadhg McEneaney 0-3 (3f), Cathal Bellew, Fionn Cumiskey 0-3 (1f). Subs: Seán Hand for McElroy (18), Paddy Murtagh for Geoghegan (HT), Kieran Murtagh 0-1 for Smyth (35), Daniel McKeown for Mulligan (51), Ciarán Clarke for McEnteggart (56).
REFEREE: Aidan Shevlin (Stabannon Parnells).
