COUNTY SHC GROUP 3 ROUND 1
Crotta O’Neills 2-16
Ballyheigue 1-10
Shane Nolan might or might not have performed his final inter-county sport within the inexperienced and gold of Kerry (solely time will inform in that scenario), however the Crotta O’Neill’s captain was in excellent kind for his membership because the County SHC acquired underway at Austin Stack Park this night.
In a Group 3 Spherical 1 encounter with Ballyheigue that by no means rose to any nice heights, with climate situations not making issues straightforward for the protagonists, Nolan was at all times the sport’s most influential determine, whether or not he discovered himself in the course of the park or within the inside ahead line.
Ten factors in complete from the long-serving Kingdom star (together with 4 from play) was, unquestionably, a match-winning contribution, with a two-goal blast within the second quarter from full-forward Declan O’Donoghue, additionally enjoying a pivotal position in Crotta’s nearly untroubled passage to their first championship victory of the season.
Whereas the likes of Ryan McElligott, Rory Mahony and Sean Weir had been additionally constantly strong for the winners, Nolan’s management all through, and O’Donoghue’s ruthlessness when he acquired his alternatives, had been the proverbial rocks on which the Ballyheigue problem perished on.
The primary half was a story of Crotta’s possession and territorial dominance, even with Ballyheigue having the good thing about the robust wind of their favour. Strive as they could, the underdogs merely struggled to win sufficient of the soiled ball of their ahead division, and so they continuously lived off scraps because of this.
Three pointed frees from Nolan gave the Kilflynn males the early initiative earlier than Nathan Guerin (free) acquired Ballyheigue off the mark within the twelfth minute, however with the latter starting to stand up and working, and the full of life James Sheehan to the fore, Crotta held a 0-5 to 0-2 lead on the finish of the primary quarter.
Nonetheless, with Michael Leane preserving a good rein on Jordan Conway, fellow inter-county star Colin Walsh quickly burst into proceedings for Ballyheigue, making an exquisite catch from a puck-out, driving on, and establishing wing-forward Philip Lucid for a superbly-struck objective within the sixteenth minute to essentially ignite their problem.
When Walsh was virtually instantly fouled for one more Guerin free, Ballyheigue had been within the ascendancy for the primary time within the sport, 1-3 to 0-5, however that was pretty much as good as issues would get for them. Crotta full-forward O’Donoghue was about to ensure of that.
The talismanic Nolan (with two factors on the bounce) regained the lead for Crotta earlier than their quantity 14 would make his presence felt in a giant approach, slotting to the online with nice composure after being assisted by Cillian Trant within the twenty third minute, 1-7 to 1-3.
The hard-working Felim O’Sullivan and Nolan then exchanged tremendous factors from play, and with Guerin firing over one other free, Ballyheigue would have been hopeful of entering into on the break inside a few factors of their opponents.
Nonetheless, two minutes into injury-time, after being plied by Sheehan, O’Donoghue, after finally shrugging off the problem of corner-back Seamie Foran, as soon as once more went straight for the jugular, and his rocket to the highest nook of the online was a sickening blow to Ballyheigue, and an inspirational increase to his personal facet, simply earlier than the interval to make it 2-8 to 1-5.
Now, with a six-point cushion and with the weather of their favour on the resumption, Crotta may need been anticipated to drag away comprehensively however, in a second half that definitely by no means actually caught hearth to any important diploma, Ballyheigue deserve credit score for plugging away to the bitter finish.
Midfielder Walsh and corner-forward O’Sullivan, particularly, stored attempting their finest to instigate a revival from the seasiders, however with an enormous over-dependency on the free-taking of Guerin for almost all of their scores (he notched 0-9 in complete from positioned balls), that was by no means going to be sufficient to rattle Crotta.
Conway (who wasn’t at his sharpest on the night time) did briefly thunder into issues with a few factors from play for Crotta within the third quarter, on the finish of which the winners had been nonetheless in a cushty place, 2-12 to 1-8, with the sport tapering off to some extent from there to the end.
Ballyheigue did handle to cut back the deficit to 5 factors however, disappointingly from their perspective, they failed to attain within the final quarter-hour (together with injury-time), and it was Crotta who sauntered previous the successful put up, the at all times outstanding Weir, man-of-the-match Nolan and objective hero O’Donoghue, fittingly, taking pictures their remaining 4 factors.
CROTTA O’NEILLS: Adam Sullivan; Ryan McElligott, Invoice Keane, Sean McGrath; Rory Mahony, Sean Weir 0-1, Tadhg McKenna; Tomas O’Connor, Shane Nolan 0-10 (6f); Cillian Trant, Darragh O’Donoghue 0-1, Sean O’Donoghue; James Sheehan 0-1, Declan O’Donoghue 2-1, Jordan Conway 0-2. Subs: Denis Nolan for S O’Donoghue (44 minutes), Darragh Kennelly for Sheehan (54 minutes), Dominic Nolan for O’Connor (59 minutes), Cormac White for Darragh O’Donoghue (62 minutes).
BALLYHEIGUE: Cormac Slattery; Seamie Foran, Jason Casey, Dara Kearney; Graham Slattery, Mikey O’Halloran, Michael Leane; Colin Walsh, Ciaran Casey; Philip Lucid 1-0, Tomas Casey, Diarmuid Walsh; Tomas Gaynor, Nathan Guerin 0-9 (all frees), Felim O’Sullivan 0-1. Subs: Jordan Goggin for O’Halloran (30 minutes), David O’Mahony for Gaynor (half-time), Eric Walsh for T Casey (half-time), Rory Duggan for C Casey (56 minutes).
REFEREE: David Deady (Limerick)
