Gavin Cooney protects the ball while Eoin Conway closes in. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
ÉIRE ÓG’s unbeaten championship streak extended to thirteen games in the Clare SFC as they overcame Doonbeg on Sunday afternoon.
Éire Óg 0-11
Doonbeg 0-05
Venue: Lissycasey
Scoring difference is sufficient to see Doonbeg avoid finishing fourth in Group 2 and so their championship campaign is still alive as Clondegad enter the relegation battle. The West Clare side now face Lissycasey in a preliminary quarter-final with the victor advancing to the knockout stages.
Undoubtedly Doonbeg will fancy their chances the next day, to prevail they will need to make their experience and physicality count but will face a lively and youthful Lissycasey, the type of side that can punish ageing parts of their team.
To call this Éire Óg’s poorest performance of their three championship outings this year would be accurate. Their decision making was far from its best, this evident in the opening half when both shot selection and their distribution raised eyebrows with four wides and one shot dropping short in this period.
That said, the champions bossed the first quarter and led 0-3 0-1 but could have had double the advantage. Their first two points finished off by Philip Talty and Gavin Murray were excellently worked from defence to attack with Dean Ryan setting the way for Talty’s opener while an Aaron Fitzgerald turnover on Paul Dillon kickstarted the move for Murray’s fisted effort on six minutes.
Gavin Cooney opened his account on nine minutes with a free before Doonbeg got off the mark on eleven minutes with a nice Cathal Killeen point.
This gave Doonbeg a lift and they added the next score via David Tubridy, the ex Clare forward had a chance to level matters but dropped a free short which Shane Daniels caught and fed upfield, the play ending in a foul which Cooney was only happy to punish by converting another free.
Such a swing left Éire Óg leading 0-04 0-02 at the break, although John Keane’s Doonbeg could have been level they were content at the interval as they just as easily could have been trailing by six points.
Éinne O’Connor wearing a protective boot on his right foot and Mark McInerney missed out on the game for Éire Óg while centre forward Ikem Ugwueru was introduced for Oran Cahill at half-time, the Clare U20 hurler had picked up a yellow card in the opening half.
McInerney’s absence paved the way for a first start at senior level for Colm Walsh O’Loghlen and he certainly grabbed the opportunity. His football ability is clear to see while his pace is a nightmare for opposing defenders. He kicked the score of the game on thirty three minutes by showcasing his ability to master the ‘backdoor cut’.
Doonbeg responded immediately when Paul Dillon converted a free which was won by the hard-working Mikie Tubridy. Gavin Cooney then hit the next two scores to extend the distance to four points.
Dillon added his second point but should have nestled the ball below the crossbar on forty four minutes. Again Éire Óg’s response was instant with Walsh O’Loghlen splitting the posts at the other end.
Wing-back Gavin O’Shea kicked his first score of the championship for Doonbeg before the Ennis side responded through substitute Gearoid Collins, Walsh O’Loghlen and Philip Talty to seal a six point win.
Few teams in the championship will be able to compete with Éire Óg when they perfect their near-flawless ability of hitting top speed moments after turning over their opponents in the middle third. It’s why their half-back line remains their most important sector while on this occasion they also reigned supreme in attack with nine of their eleven points coming from the inside line.
Quarter-finals is now the focus for Paul Madden’s side who remain the leading contenders to lift the Jack Daly. A replica performance won’t suffice in the knockout stages but expect the Ennis outfit to get better in every outing as the challenges intensify. Colm Walsh O’Loghlen, Ciaran Russell and Aaron Fitzgerald were their top three players on this occasion.
If Éire Óg’s best trait is the pace of their counter-attacks then Doonbeg’s lack of speed is one of their stumbling blocks. They adapted, as expected, a defensive approach which saw the champions kick their lowest score of the championship this year and the first time they failed to raise a green flag. It had the desired outcome as scoring difference kept their campaign alive but a better mix with an attacking style is needed if they are to defeat Lissycasey.
Gavin O’Shea who focused more on his play than his opponent this time unlike the second round against Clondegad was one of Doonbeg’s best players along with Mikie Tubridy, Jason Linnane and Eamon Tubridy.
Scorers Éire Óg: G Cooney (0-04 3f), C Walsh O’Loghlen (0-03), P Talty (0-02), G Murray (0-01), G Collins (0-01).
Scorers Doonbeg: P Dillon (0-02 1f), C Killeen (0-01), D Tubridy (0-01), G O’Shea (0-01).
Éire Óg:
1: Shane Daniels
2: Manus Doherty
3: Aaron Fitzgerald
4: Jarlath Collins
7: Ciaran Russell
6: Niall McMahon
5: Ronan Lanigan
9: Gavin Murray
8: Darren O’Neill
12: Dean Ryan
17: Darren O’Brien
10: Oran Cahill
15: Colm Walsh O’Loghlen
14: Gavin Cooney
13: Philip Talty
Subs:
11: Ikem Ugwueru for Cahill (HT)
18: Ultan Shiels for Ryan (45)
20: Dean D’Auria for Collins (52)
19: Gearoid Collins for Cooney (55)
21: Eoin Guilfoyle for Russell (60)
Doonbeg
1: Eamon Tubridy
11: Eoin Killeen
4: Jason Linnane
3: Conor O’Mahoney
2: Cian O’Mahoney
7: Gavin O’Shea
24: Eoin Conway
5: Cian Clancy
8: Kevin McInerney
9: Kevin Pender
17: Mikie Tubridy
15: David Tubridy
12: Cathal Killeen
10: Sean Conway
14: Paul Dillon
Subs:
18: James Killeen for Conway (45)
13: Darragh Burns for Dillon (45)
22: Eamon O’Donoghue for Clancy (52)
Referee: John O’Connell (Cooraclare)
