Seniors rattled by Rheban in Championship

Post date: Jun 25, 2016 7:27:41 PM

Although Kildangan managed to show some spirit in the final quarter of the game, a Dean Carthy and Conor Germaine-inspired Rheban got a 3-9 to 1-7 victory over their local rival in the second round of the Tom Cross Junior Football Championship in Hawkfield last Thursday.Rheban's first chance came within thirty seconds, with Brandon Shaw sending the ball wide. Conor Germaine split the posts just over a minute later to register the game's first score. Full forward Dean Carthy then won a free for Rheban, laying it off to Germaine for Rheban's number two. Eight minutes passed by before the next score, with Germaine on form once again, scoring from a '45. A foul by Kildangan's Jordan Kaye led to a penalty, with Germaine sending it to the left past Richard Morgan in the Kildangan goal. After almost a quarter of an hour of play, Eric O'Hara got Kildangan's opening point. Dean Carthy scored two frees to give Rheban a seven point lead, before Robert Hanley converted two of his own to narrow the gap. Stephen Quigley sent the ball in from the left to score the final point of the first half. Rheban were by far the better team in the opening half, with much better pace, and this allowed them to find space much quicker. As proven by their first round performance against Ballykelly, Kildangan never say die. They won the break, but also scored the opening point via a Hanley free; a goal now separated the two sides. Adam Ryan scored a point from play followed by a Carthy free, which brought the Rheban lead back to five, before Stephen Quigley got Kildangan's fifth point, adding a second to his personal tally. Carthy scored another free, and with a goal and a point from Tom Fitzgerald, Rheban seemed to be completely out of sight with eight minutes left to play.

O'Hara scored a point for Kildangan three minutes from time. It seemed as if Kildangan had finally gotten into their stride, with Padraig Casey showing true grit as he blasted the ball past Rheban's James Byrne to the top right of the goal. However, it was too little, too late, as Adam Ryan got a goal two minutes into injury time.

There is no doubt that Rheban performed much better on the night, with more dynamic movement and some fantastic play. Nevertheless, it could also be said that this scoreline flatters the Blues. If the Kildangan team and management can learn from this one, there is no reason why they can't progress in this championship. The next round takes place on the third weekend in July. Keep an eye here for more details.

Kildangan: Richard Morgan; Luke Barry, Bryan Adams, Jordan Kaye; Gabriel Murtagh, David Christie, Dermot Hickey; Padraig Casey (1-0 1F), Damien Broughall; Robert Hanley (0-3 3F), Stephen Quigley (0-2), Dara Gilbert; Ryan Moran, Tom Moran, Eric O'Hara (0-2)

Substitutes: Colin Christie, Darragh Kennedy (for Kaye, 50 minutes), John Miller, Declan McGrath (for Hickey, 57 minutes), Andrew Wilson.

Rheban: James Byrne; David Kelly, Kevin O'Shaughnessy, Wayne Kelly; Kealan McConville, Darren Lawlor, John Morrissey; Chris Casey, Barry Foy; Brandon Shaw, Conor Germaine (1-3), Adam Ryan (1-1); Nathan Owens, Dean Carthy (0-4 3F), Tom Fitzgerald (1-1)

Substitutes: Christy Byrne, John Kelly, James Lawler, Sean Kelly, Eamonn McEvoy, Evan Owens, Chris Gorman, Stephen Lawler, David Renehan, Darren Byrne.

By Andrew Wilson