*Ronan Lanigan takes on Stan Lineen. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
ÉIRE ÓG eased to a successive victory in the TUS Clare SFC when completely outpowering Kilmihil.
Éire Óg 3-18
Kilmihil 0-4
Venue: Cusack Park, Ennis
One-sided from start to finish, the champions of 2021 and 2022 took one giant step towards the knockout stages but they will need to overcome Lissycasey in the final round to seal that spot.
How much they will have gained from this outing is minimal to say they least and for the club as a whole they will have been pleased that they didn’t sustain any injuries which could impact on their hurling aspirations.
Having suffered a fifteen point loss to Lissycasey in round one, the adage that the only way is up or that things couldn’t get worse proved to be far from the reality in the case of Kilmihil. Minus the services of Clare senior, Ciaran Downes their cause was weakened from the get-go but even he and the entire of their 1980 championship winning side at their pomp would not have made the difference in stopping the Ennis outfit.
Even playing against the wind they had a 2-11 0-2 advantage when the sides retreated for the dressing room, the goals from Niall McMahon and Éinne O’Connor.
Not even the greatest of half-time speeches would have aided Kilmihil’s cause when they emerged for the second half as the game was well and truly over by the half-time whistle.
By the fourteenth minute, Éire Óg had 1-4 on the board and had kept Kilmihil scoreless. Philip Talty opened their account with two points off either boot, they then had their first goal on seven minutes when Gavin Cooney handpassed the ball across goal and it was finished to the net by Niall McMahon. Talty and Cooney extended their advantage until Dan Keating who missed the first round through suspension got Kilmihil off the mark.
Martin O’Leary and Darren O’Brien swapped scores until Éire Óg closed out the half with 1-5 on the bounce. Éinne O’Connor raised the green flag on twenty three minutes after making a nice run up the field.
Éire Óg closed out the first half with 1-6 without reply and they started the second half with an unanswered 1-5. Colm Walsh O’Loghlen hit their third goal on the thirty seventh minute with Darren O’Brien providing the assist for the corner forward.
Knowing that the game was well and truly over, Paul Madden and his management were able to put the club first and avoid the potential of their dual players picking up needless injuries by substituting them and giving the chance for players trying to make an impression the opportunity to do just that.
Two wins from as many outings has Éire Óg on course to top Group 1. They face Lissycasey in a fortnight where their opponents are in need of a win to try access a direct route to the quarter-final whereas a win will secure top spot in the group for Éire Óg.
Tougher internal training matches have been played by Éire Óg compared to this second round tie with Kilmihil in what really was a futile exercise. There is little that the Townies would have gained from the hour in Cusack Park where they dominated every single battle on the field.
Kilmihil’s return back to the senior ranks is going to be short-lived unless they can bring about a serious turn in their application on the field. They have known for several months that they were without two of their starters from last year’s success, David Lernihan and Gearoid O’Grady while the fresh blow of not having Ciaran Downes for the second round was a killer blow.
Mickey Doran’s charges will up their game for the final round against Kilmurry Ibrickane because they simply have to. Even despite the heavy losses, they are not out of the championship and if it is a relegation battle they are heading for, they need to have produced at least one display worth talking about before that battle begins.
Scorers Éire Óg: C Walsh O’Loghlen (1-4 1f), G Cooney (0-6 3f), P Talty (0-4), N McMahon (1-1), E O’Connor (1-0), D O’Brien (0-1), D O’Neill (0-1 1’45), I Ugwueru (0-1).
Scorers Kilmihil: D Keating (0-2), M O’Leary (0-1), S Downes (0-1)
Éire Óg:
1: Shane Daniels
2: Ronan Lanigan
3: Aaron Fitzgerald
4: Dean Ryan
5: Ciaran Russell
11: Ikem Ugwueru
7: Éinne O’Connor
8: Darren O’Neill
9: David McNamara
10: Niall McMahon
15: Darren O’Brien
12: Oran Cahill
13: Philip Talty
14: Gavin Cooney
18: Colm Walsh O’Loghlen
Subs:
17: Jarlath Collins for Cahill (35)
6: Aidan McGrath for Russell (35)
20: Jack Joyce for McMahon (43)
19: Luke Pyne for Talty (45)
23: Eoin Guilfoyle for Fitzgerald (49).
Kilmihil:
1: Damien Lineen
7: David Coughlan
3: John Finucane
4: Padraig O’Grady
5: Gavin Downes
6: Mikey Keating
2: Fionn Febbraro
18: Dan Keating
8: Conor Finucane
10: Shane Downes
11: Stan Lineen
9: Jack Keating
13: Sean Crowley
12: Cathal Murray
14: Marty O’Leary
Subs:
19: Michael Cotter for O’Leary (39)
17: Mark Normoyle for Murray (43)
25: Dylan Downes Rigney for Febbraro (50)
Referee: Barry Kelly (St Joseph’s Miltown)
