*Jarlath Collins. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
ÉIRE ÓG have all but advanced to the quarter-finals of the Clare SFC and in doing so keep their bid for three in a row well on track.
Éire Óg 1-13
St Joseph’s Miltown 0-08
Venue: Cooraclare
Another strong display defensively and offensively saw Éire Óg power into the quarter-finals of the County championship with a fully merited eight point victory.
Matters were relatively even in the opening quarter but sloppy turnovers and the pace of Éire Óg’s counter-attacks gave them the platform for success. Their half-back line is rightly regarded as a central platform to their dominance and it was in this middle sector where Miltown made their mistakes which were rightfully punished with swift movement down the flanks.
Given that they lost Clare forward Mark McInerney and their best player in last year’s championship Éinne O’Connor to injury yet it didn’t curtail their momentum is a clear sign of the strength of the Townies.
Gavin Cooney struck for goal on twenty eight minutes and by the half time recess they led 1-08 0-03 and it was already game over.
Miltown without the services of Clare captain Eoin Cleary now face Clondegad in the final round, a tie that each side needs to win in order to advance to the quarter-finals.
Micheál Murray had Miltown first out of the traps when he pointed after receiving the ball from Conor Cleary. Éire Óg’s response was timely and strong with the next five scores on the bounce via Mark McInerney, Philip Talty x2, Ciaran Russell and Gavin Cooney within an eighth minute spell, three of these scores arose from turnovers.
Captain Cooney had a goal chance that just went to the wrong side of Sean O’Brien’s net on six minutes, the Ennis attacker showing nice footwork and his noted turn of pace on his way to almost raising the green flag.
Cormac Murray added a brace to reduce the deficit to two points before Seanie Malone almost scored an own goal at the other end when trying to distribute the ball back to O’Brien, the resulting 45 was converted by Cooney and at the close of the first quarter, the margin was three points.
No score would come Miltown’s way in the second quarter while a fisted Dean Ryan effort and an Oran Cahill score saw the Townies keep their account ticking but the game was effectively sealed when Cooney raided for goal on twenty three minutes, Miltown losing possession on their kickout from Cahill’s point.
They picked up where they had left off on the restart with Talty and Cooney adding scores. Alertness had to increase at the other end as Miltown looked to pick up a goal, first Shane Daniels had to stretch to stop a punched effort from Cormac Murray going over the line, Aaron Fitzgerald managed to catch another attempt from Murray which looked like it could hit the net while Daniels made a comfortable save from a Kieran Malone shot that had he placed a little better would likely have seen them bag a three pointer.
Éire Óg had three points from Talty in a row, the corner forward continuing to step up to finish off well-worked team moves on each occasion.
Talty’s forty eighth minute score was their last of the day and while St Joseph’s Miltown kicked the final four points through Kieran Malone, Brian Curtin and Paul Frawley it didn’t do much in undoing the damage on the scoreboard.
Without question this championship is Éire Óg’s to lose. There appears to be no weakness in their setup and the chasing pack seem just that bit adrift. A tie with Doonbeg in the final round will be no easy task for Paul Madden’s side before they move to the quarter-finals but they are heading there in fine form and dismantling every challenge thrown their direction. Injuries to Éinne Ó’Connor and Mark McInerney are setbacks but blows of this nature have been shipped and dealt with by the Ennis club over the past two seasons. Aaron Fitzgerald, Gavin Cooney, Ikem Ugwueru, Manus Doherty, Jarlath Collins and Philip Talty were best for the winners.
As it was likely to be from the get-go of the championship, St Joseph’s Miltown’s future will come down to their final round against Clondegad. It’s a fixture to focus the minds and though they came out the wrong side of an eight point defeat, they appear to be in a healthier position than last season but must bounce back.
Of concern will be that Miltown are showing the signs of an ageing team, this highlighted with their inability to keep pace with Éire Óg when at full throttle and their status as championship contenders has sadly diminished rapidly over the past three seasons. There is still a lot to play for from their perspective and on this occasion their star performers were Brian Curtin and Conor Cleary.
Scorers Éire Óg: P Talty (0-06), G Cooney (1-03 1’45), M McInerney (0-01), C Russell (0-01), D Ryan (0-01), O Cahill (0-01)
Scorers St Joseph’s Miltown: C Murray (0-02), M Murray (0-01), C O’Mahoney (0-01 1f), K Malone (0-01), B Curtin (0-01), G Curtin (0-01), P Frawley (0-01)
Éire Óg:
1: Shane Daniels
2: Manus Doherty
3: Aaron Fitzgerald
4: Jarlath Collins
7: Ciaran Russell
6: Niall McMahon
5: Éinne O’Connor
8: Darren O’Neill
9: Gavin Murray
12: Dean Ryan
11: Ikem Ugwueru
10: Oran Cahill
15: Mark McInerney
14: Gavin Cooney
13: Philip Talty
Subs:
17: Darren O’Brien for McInerney (14) (inj)
25: Ronan Lanigan for O’Connor (31) (inj)
20: Dean D’Auria for McMahon (48)
18: Colm Walsh O’Loghlen for Ryan (48)
22: Ultan Shiels for Cooney (56)
St Joseph’s Miltown:
1: Sean O’Brien
2: Eoin O’Brien
3: Seanie Malone
4: Gordon Kelly
13: Brian Curtin
5: Gearoid Burke
6: Enda O’Gorman
7: Cian Flanagan
8: Darragh McDonagh
19: Conor Cleary
18: Gearoid Curtin
11: Cian O’Mahoney
8: Oisin Looney
15: Micheál Murray
14: Cormac Murray
Subs:
28: Kieran Malone for Burke (19)
10: Sean Neylon for Flanagan (41)
20: Paul Frawley for Looney (46)
17: Paul Keane for M Murray (51)
12: Jamesie O’Connor for G Curtin (59)
Referee: Jim Hickey (Cratloe)
