Paddy Sheelan Cup Round 10 match between Roche Emmets and Oliver Plunketts in Pairc Oilibear Pluincead on Thursday 3rd June.
Roche Emmets 2-12 (HT 0-6) V Oliver Plunketts 2-9 (HT 1-4).
This game was the final round game of Group A in the Sheelan Cup and with Roche already qualified on the surface there was little at stake. Both teams fielded short their considered first fifteen and the first half was short of maximum pace, vision or creativeness. Considering both these teams are grouped together in the Intermediate Championship the respective managements could have been scheming to some degree.
Roche: Aidan McCoy, Joe Bishop, Harry O’Connell, Duane Callan, Sean O’Hare, Brian McGuinness, Niall Treanor, Martin Carroll 1pt, Darren McConnon, Philip Quinn 1pt, Daniel O’Connell, Liam Carthy 1-1, Paudie Callaghan 1pt, Barry O’Hare 7pts (5F), Enda Murphy 1pt. Subs used Colm Callaghan, David Quigley, Gerry Murphy, Kevin Callaghan 1gl.
Plunketts: Keith Martin, Niall Clinton, Sean Campbell, Killian Matthews, Michael McDonald, Gavin Sullivan 2pts (2F), Brian O’Neill, Sean Brasil 1gl, David McEntaggert, Cían Matthews1-1, Emmett Kelleher 1pt, Treavor Walsh, Sean Callaghan 2pts, Johnny Kermath, John Maroney 1pt. Identity of the scorers of 2 points not recorded.
Barry O’Hare started brightly with two points, one from a free before Aidan McCoy made a top class save low to his right on a one-on-one situation after four minutes. The Plunketts took the advantage with a point from Sean Callaghan and then a well taken goal by Cían Matthews when he collected a through pass with the Roche defence well out from goals, he raced 15 paces and slipped the ball under McCoy. Martin Carroll slipped over a point following good play from Enda Murphy. Callaghan then added another point for the home team. Roche could have goaled when a long free from Dan O’Connell was pushed onto the crossbar by Keith Martin and onto the fingertips of incoming an attacker and defender back into the grateful hands of Martin, he began a passing movement the length of the field that ended with the ball over the Roche crossbar. Plunketts added another point to make the score 1-3 to 0-3. They were on top in the game and racing through the Roche defence from every angle. Again as they swept through Niall Treanor cleared off the Roche line with what looked a certain goal; the ball was worked directly down field to Enda Murphy who was fowled on his way in on the goals for Barry O’Hare to convert the resulting free. McCoy fisted a dangerous centre to safety very well before taking a very heavy robust tackle from an incoming Plunketts attacker. Plunketts added another converted free kick before O’Hare converted another free for Roche and Philip Quinn pointed the last score of the half to leave the score at the short whistle; Plunketts 1-4 Roche 0-6.
The game resumed with some more over robust tackles resulting in the retirement of Sean O’Hare. Roche then went on mini scoring spree; scoring 1-3 without reply. With the introduction of David Quigley they had more forceful running through the midfield and with Kevin Callaghan, Gerry Murphy and Robert O’Hanlon involved Roche were a more potent force with sharper passing and creative attacks. Barry O’Hare slotted over a long range free kick; Liam Carthy got a fine point from a pass from Quigley following a pass from Darren McConnon who gathered the ball high in the middle of the field; Paudie Callaghan took a great long range pint from the wing: Liam Carthy goaled from slick passing from the back through Harry O’Connell, Darren McConnon, Barry O’Hare, Dan O’Connell: Then a beautiful point on the run from O’Hare. Roche were electrifying! The Plunketts replacements were not having the same effect on the game. However the Plunketts did get back to scoring way on the 15th minute of this half and scored three points in three minutes. But they took a killer blow with a delightful goal from Kevin Callaghan; he took a sharp accurate pass, chest high as he moved off his marker on the 13 meter line, turned on a sixpence clearing his marker and dispatched to the corner of the net! The score now stood at 1-7 to 2-10 with ten minutes remaining. The games pace and intensity dropped, the team added two points each before Sean Brasil was found free in front of goals with a long ball through and he riffled it to the net for the last score and make the scoreline 2-9 to 2-12, a scoreline which is indicts a closer contest that it actually was. However the Plunketts had lots of goal chances they did not convert in the first half and Roche were lucky they were not out of the game by half time.
Best for Roche: Aidan McCoy, Harry O’Connell and Niall Treanor do most to repel the Plunketts in the first half when Roche were under some pressure, Martin Carroll was active in the middle, Barry O’Hare, Enda Murphy and Liam Carthy were the most prominent up front until Gerry Murphy and Kevin Callaghan improved this sector. David Quigley gave a spark to the mid-field in the second period.
