Gavin O’Connor report from the Garveys SuperValu Senior Football Championship Qualifier between St Brendans and Shannon Rangers in Austin Stack Park on Friday night…
St Brendans 3-14 (23)
Shannon Rangers 3-5 (14)
THE SAINTS marched on into the championship with comprehensive nine point victory against a Shannon Rangers on Friday night.
Right from the start St Brendans had too must gusto for Rangers, who struggled with wave after wave of Brendans attacks in this match to decide which of these divisional sides can take part in the county championship proper.
The net was hit six times, the pick of the bunch coming from Na Gaeil’s Michael Griffin in the closing stages, who ran 30 yards from the sideline, gliding past three defenders to coolly place the ball to the net.
Both sides lined out strong teams, stocked with Kerry underage players past and present and current Kerry senior star, Shane Enright.
Continued below…
Enright went off with 18 minutes left in the match which signalled that this Shannon Rangers side was pulling up.
With a long journey to Clones today and the rigors of a championship match, the Tarbert man must be a doubt to face Monaghan and Kieran McManus on Sunday.
The game was really done and dusted 25 minutes in when Ivan Parker was set up by Brendan Poff to net The Saints first goal. The goal put them 1-6 to 0-2 in front. Despite a goal by Mikey Boyle early in the second half, that lead was unsurmountable.
Mitchels man, James Duggan, fired over seven points, six of which were frees and some of them impressive scores with a swirling wind in Austin Stack Park to contend with.
The midfield of Jack Barry and Kevin Shanahan, both got scores on the board and were dominant forces throughout.
But it was the running of Michael Griffin from half back that really set St Brendans on their way. The Na Gaeil man was the catalyst for a number of scores in the first half in particular with the Rangers defence struggling to put a finger on him.
The gap in quality between both sides was very apparent and if St Brendans can hold onto the bulk of this team for the summer, they may spring an upset or two in this year’s county championship.
More photos below…
Scorers
St Brendans: James Duggan 0-7 6f, Ivan Parker 1-1, Michael Griffin 1-1, Darren Wallace 1-0, Kieran Hurley 0-2, Jack Barry 0-1, David Griffin 0-1, Kevin Shanahan 0-1
Shannon Rangers: Mikey Boyle 1-2, Paul Kennelly 1-1, Darragh Keane 1-0, David Culhane 0-1, Kiki Mulvihill 0-1 1f,
Teams
St Brendans: Eoghan O’Brien (Churchill), Maurice Brennan (Churchill) Lawrence Bastible (John Mitchels), Eoghan Courtney (Ardfert), Michael Griffin (Na Gaeil), Andrew Barry (Na Gaeil), Paul McMahon (C) (St Pats), Jack Barry (Na Gaeil), Kevin Shanahan (Ardfert), David Griffin (Ardfert), Shane O’Connor (John Mitchels), Brendan Poff (St Pats), Ivan Parker (Churchill), Kieran Hurley (St Pats), James Duggan (John Mitchels)
Substitutes: Trevor Wallace (Ardfert) for Andrew Barry (43), Darren Wallace (Ardfert) for Kieran Hurley (51), William Hurley (St Pats) for James Duggan (57)
Shannon Rangers: Sean Dee (Beale), Shane Enright (Tarbert), Jason Foley (Ballydonoghue), Danny Wren (Tarbert), David Culhane (Ballylongford), Shane O’Connor (Tarbert), Jack Gogarty (Ballydonoghue), Jeremy King (Beale), Kevin Enright (Tarbert), Ger O’Gorman (Beale), Barry O’Grady (Ballyduff), Tommy Kennelly (Ballydonoghue), Kiki Mulvihill (Ballylongford), Paul Kennelly (Ballydonoghue), Mikey Boyle (Ballyduff)
Substitutes: Darragh Sheehy for Shane O’Connor (28), Andy Doherty (Tarbert) for Ger O’Gorman (37), Darragh Keane (Asdee) for Kiki Mulvihill (8), Andy Doherty (Tarbert) for Barry O’Grady (51), Evan Doyle for Shane Enright (52)
Referee: Padraig O’Sullivan (Firies)
