GAA: JOE MALLON MOTORS SFC – GROUP A – ROUND 2
Super Eight From Sarsfields
SARSFIELDS 8-16
EADESTOWN 1-10
By Daire Walsh
SARSFIELDS laid down a further marker at St Conleth’s Park on Sunday afternoon by emphatically defeating Eadestown in Group A of the Joe Mallon Motors Senior Football Championship.
Having convincingly overcome the challenge of Carbury in the opening phase, Sarsfields were the hottest of favourites to prevail in this contest. With no fewer than eight players getting their names on the scoresheet, they cemented their position at the summit of the table with one round of fixtures still to play.
While the evergreen Alan Smith ended the contest with 3-2 to his name, he was ably-supported in the Sash attack. In addition to Dan Nea bagging a brace of goals, Ben McCormack (1-5), Shane Doyle (0-6) and Conor Hartley (1-1) also shone throughout.
Emmet Bolton did raise a green flag of his own for Eadestown and Eoin Doyle also worked hard before ending the game between the sticks. Following their loss to Celbridge in Hawkfield just over a fortnight ago, this latest reversal effectively places them out of contention.
Eadestown had started the game in reasonable spirits, with Doyle’s pointed free offering them an early advantage. Sarsfields proceeded to set out their stall, however, with Doyle knocking over three scores to supplement a single effort from Smith.
McCormack also split the uprights in advance of Nea rattling the opposition net on 13 minutes. Wing-back Adam Fitzsimons did get forward for an Eadestown point, but with his opposite number Con Kavanagh subsequently claiming Sarsfields’ second goal, his side were already up against it.
To Eadestown’s credit, they persevered with their challenge. Padraig Tuohy, Eoin Conneff, substitute Ben Fitzsimons, Bolton and Doyle (two) all added points to leave them just five in arrears on 25 minutes. Yet the Sarsfields attack continued to prosper and courtesy of additional majors by Hartley and McCormack, the 25-time champions brought a seemingly insurmountable 4-8 to 0-9 cushion into the interval.
It was essentially a damage limitation exercise for Eadestown on the resumption, though Bolton’s excellent goal on 34 minutes did provide them with plenty of solace. Tuohy also fisted over a point three minutes later, but this was their final scoring contribution of the tie.
Doyle, Hartley and McCormack had already added points by this stage and the latter proved to be particularly impressive during the third-quarter. He enhanced his personal haul with a two-point salvo, which preceded another Nea goal 15 minutes from time.
Sarsfields then pushed into overdrive in the final-quarter, with Smith finding the net three times in the space of just seven minutes. His third finish was fired beyond the reach of Eoin Doyle, who had taken over from the injured Glen Higgins in the closing minutes of the game.
With the final outcome well beyond doubt, there were ideal opportunities for Sarsfields substitutes to stake a claim for a starting berth. Barry Coffey and Cian Costigan both found the target late on and with Ciaran Aspell, Callum Bolton and Karl Hartley also seeing game time, confidence will be sky high within their ranks as the knockout stages of the championship beckons.
SARSFIELDS: Patrick O’Sullivan; Alan Scully, Sean Campbell, Shea Ryan; Darragh Ryan, Cian McConnell, Con Kavanagh 1-0; Gary White, Tadhg Hoey; Ben McCormack 1-5, Conor Hartley 1-1, Ronan Fitzgibbon; Dan Nea 2-0, Shane Doyle 0-6, 3 frees, 1 mark, Alan Smith 3-2. Subs: Ciaran Aspell for D Ryan, Barry Coffey 0-1 for Fitzgibbon (both 42), Callum Bolton for Fitzgibbon (46), Cian Costigan 0-1 for Doyle (49), Karl Hartley for Smith (54).
EADESTOWN: Glen Higgins; Johnny Deane, Rony Slattery, Emmet Bolton 1-1; Sean O’Sullivan, Jack Sargent, Adam Fitzsimons 0-1; Pat O’Sullivan, Rian Boran; Padraig Tuohy 0-2, Aidan Cassidy 0-1, John Lawler; Conor McCarthy, Eoin Doyle 0-3, 3 frees, Eoin Conneff 0-1. Subs: Ben Fitzsimons 0-1 for Lawler (11), Cian Malone for Deane, Eddie Conroy for Higgins (both 49).
REFEREE: Conor Daly.