Raharney dominate to reach final as Clonkill bow out

Raharney 2-15, Clonkill 0-13

In keeping, perhaps, with the changeable weather, this contest was nothing more than a damp squib as Raharney got the better of old rivals Clonkill, in the final round of the Senior ‘A’ Hurling Championship, at TEG Cusack Park on Sunday.

Clonkill bowed out and did so rather tamely in the end; Raharney were not in any way flattered by their eight-point victory and if they converted more of their chances, this could have been a lot more decisive. The Deelsiders now take their place in the final, awaiting the winners of defending champions Castletown Geoghegan and Lough Lene Gaels, who must meet again at the penultimate stage.

Raharney led by three points at the interval, 2-5 0-8, but their first half dominance deserved more: profligacy reigned as they hit 11 wides in the opening 30-plus minutes.

It was a game riddled with unforced errors, the wet conditions making it challenging for players on both sides. Raharney missed a few early chances and had to suffer a little as Clonkill took the lead through a superb point by Luke Loughlin from close to the sideline after four minutes.

David Hickey equalised for Raharney and they went on to take control: after Eoghan Ahearn put them ahead with a point, they punished a slack Clonkill puck-out as Paddy Dowdall was dispossessed by Killian Doyle, who crashed a shot high to the net.

While Shane Power cut the leeway, Raharney went on to take a six-point lead (1-5 to 0-2) as Joey Boyle, Eamonn Cunneen and Killian Doyle (free) shot minors. Clonkill gradually found their stride and had the lead whittled down to a point after 27 minutes, with Peadar Scally, Jordy Smyth (0-3) and Loughlin all on target.

Raharney finished the half on top with their second goal coming from Joey Boyle, who showed grit and determination to force his way inside, having won the ball close to the endline, and fire an angled shot past Andrew Mitchell.

Try as they might, Clonkill just couldn’t get close enough in the second half as an efficient Raharney side kept them at arm’s length. On three occasions the lead was cut to just two points, but Raharney found an answer every time, their collective resolve quite impressive. Killian Doyle replied to Smyth’s opener and when Alan McGrath shot over for a hard-pressed Clonkill side, Doyle stepped up to slot over a ‘65’. Again McGrath found the target, but Doyle cancelled that point out with another accurate free.

That was the first of four unanswered points and this little blitz between the 42nd and 48th minutes helped Raharney lay the platform for victory. Cormac Boyle set up substitute Brian McGrath for a point; Doyle converted a free and then Eoin Keyes set off on a meandering run that led to him slotting over from an acute angle.

With 13 minutes remaining, it was 2-11 to 0-11 in Raharney’s favour and with their defence in no mood to concede a goal, they had a stranglehold on the game. The evergreen Brendan Murtagh got no change from Jamie Mulkearns and generally Raharney got men back to smother his every effort.

Murtagh did fire over from play in the 50th minute, but Cormac Boyle, Doyle (free) and Joey Boyle hit back strongly with a trio of scores to quell any danger. That was always the trend. Doyle completed the scoring with a late free, while a Loughlin score at the other end offered no more than consolation for a disappointed Clonkill side.

Scorers: Raharney: K Doyle 1-7 (5f; 1 ‘65’), J Boyle 1-2, C Boyle, D Hickey, E Cunneen, E Keyes, E Ahearn and B McGrath 0-1 each.

Clonkill: J Smyth 0-4, L Loughlin 0-3, A McGrath 0-2, B Murtagh 0-2 (1f), S Power 0-1, P Scally 0-1.

Raharney: Aaron McHugh; Conor McKeogh, Jamie Mulkearns, Darren Finn; Cormac Boyle, Robbie Greville, David Hickey; Gary Greville, Eamonn Cunneen; Eoin Keyes, Ciaran Doyle, Joey Boyle; Rory Keyes, Killian Doyle, Eoghan Ahearn. Subs: Brian McGrath for C Doyle (37), Devin Hill for Cunneen (51), Michael Doherty for R Keyes (54), Neil Carthy for Hickey (60).

Clonkill: Andrew Mitchell; Shane Power, Darragh Egerton, Andrew Shaw; Mark Keegan, Paddy Dowdall, Oisin Loughlin; Rian Holding, Ciaran Nolan; Alan McGrath, Peadar Scally, Daire McLaughlin; Jordy Smyth, Brendan Murtagh, Luke Loughlin. Subs: Matthew Glynn for McLaughlin (51), Paul Poynton for Nolan (52), Luke Kenny for Holding (54).

Ref: Barry Kelly (St Oliver Plunkett’s).

Examiner’s Eye on the game

Cormac Boyle (Raharney): There are strong cases to be made for a number of players, including the impressive Jamie Mulkearns at full back and the ever efficient Gary Greville, but Cormac Boyle was excellent throughout the game from wing back and gets the nod.

Score of the match

Joey Boyle’s goal was hard-earned, but a reward for perseverance as he got possession close to the endline, shrugged off the challenge from the tight-marking defender and got his shot away to find the net from a tight angle. There were fine points from both sides, but the goal carried greater significance.

Match officials

An excellent performance from referee Barry Kelly and his efficient team of officials.

What it means

Raharney are in the final awaiting the winners of Castletown Geoghegan versus Lough Lene Gaels. Clonkill bow out.