Macauley powers brilliant Boden past Trinity
BALLYBODEN ST ENDA’S………………………………….. 6-23
TRINITY GAELS…………………………………………………. 0-10
By Daire Walsh
CURRENT GAA Footballer of the Year Michael Darragh Macauley was in sensational form at Finglas, where Ballyboden St Enda’s served notice of their 2014 SFC aspirations with a comprehensive victory against an overwhelmed Trinity Gaels.
The two-time All-Star was withdrawn 15 minutes from the end, but he had already contributed an impressive 2-2 haul to his team’s tally by this point, as the southsiders advanced to the second phase in style.
A second-minute Brendan O’Brien free had briefly edged Trinity into the ascendancy, but the 2009 champions quickly asserted their authority with unanswered points from Kenny Naughton (two), Ronan Cleary, Darren O’Reilly and the adventurous Dara Nelson.
Macauley subsequently fired home from close-range on nine minutes, and although Trinity halted this momentum with fine scores by Westmeath’s Graham Dillon and the reliable O’Brien, another purple patch from the rampant Boden yielded further scores via Andrew Kerin (three) and Macauley.
The pre-game favourites did start to ease off towards the end of the half, though, and three points without reply from O’Brien (0-2) and Dillon did offer Trinity a fighting chance upon the resumption.
Boden quickly dismissed any notion of a dramatic fightback after the restart, however, as a 1-1 Macauley salvo was swiftly followed by an outstanding team goal for full-forward Cleary.
Trinity were struggling to deal with the pace and power of their opponents, and in spite of the best efforts from the tireless O’Brien, they fell 20 points adrift 12 minutes from the end, after a plethora of Boden points was added to by Kerin’s clinical close-range major.
Although they could have been forgiven if they took their foot off the gas, a determined Boden continued to search for scores in the closing moments, and another set of goals from Cleary and O’Reilly in the 54th and 57th minutes respectively helped the victors to coast towards the last 16.
Scorers – BALLYBODEN ST ENDA’S: A Kerin 1-7 (0-2f), MD McAuley, R Cleary 2-2 each, D O’Reilly 1-4, K Naughton (1f), C Dunne 0-2 each, D Nelson, T Hannifin, D O’Mahony, B Dwayne 0-1 each. TRINITY GAELS: B O’Brien 0-8 (6f), G Dillon 0-2.
BALLYBODEN ST ENDA’S: C Dooley; C Gibbons, A Waters, M Sullivan; D Nelson, T Hannifin, C Flaherty; MD McAuley, D O’Mahony; D O’Reilly, B Dwayne, C Dunne; K Naughton, R Cleary, A Kerin. Subs: C Gibbons for Sullivan (45), D McCabe for McAuley (45).
TRINITY GAELS: J Lawlor; A Ryan, M Leonard, A Dalton; S Concannon, D Conlon, B Kettle; B Concannon, E McInerney; G Trimble, G Dillon, R Monaghan; D McCormack, B O’Brien, M Moore. Subs: D Mongey for Kettle (16-23, blood sub), B McCann for S Concannon (19), J McCann for Trimble (h-t), B Curtain for Monaghan (37), P Fennelly for B Concannon (41), D Mongey for Ryan (44), Monaghan for Lawlor (51).
REFEREE: D Sheppard (Round Towers, Lusk)