Eire Og gave it their all but Ballinabranna had done enough damage earlier on.
Carlow IFC Group 2, Round 2
Ballinabranna 1-12, Eire Og 1-11
By Jamie Wall
On a sunny Friday evening in Netwatch Cullen Park Eire Og took on Ballinbranna in round two of the Talbot Hotel Intermediate Championship.
Referee Sean McCormack threw in the ball which saw Eire Og go on the attack with Michael Healy bearing down on goal and a chance of an early three pointer but he opted to fist the ball over the bar.
Ballinbranna soon wakened to the quick start and went on to dominate the scoreboard for the next 17 minutes. First of their points came from a free inside the 45m line for Robert Sansom on the 14th minute. From the kickout Ballinbranna gathered possession with the ball entering the hands of Jamie Lunney as he took on responsibility carrying the ball and eventually kicking a lovely right footed effort over the bar. Seemed like every Eire Og kickout was being swept up by Ballinbranna as Cormac O’Hara found himself in a pocket of space to make it Ballinbranna 0-3 Eire Og 0-1.
A fine Mark Fitzgerald point was wedged between two Robert Sansom frees. 17 minutes on the clock and Ronan Quinlan weaved his way through Ballinbranna defence only for Bobby Daly to save the shot on the line, the follow up shot by Jack Feehan stopped by a diving David Byrne.
Sansom and Gary Dunne added a point apiece before the duo again teamed up on 26 minutes when a high looping effort from Sansom was not dealt with as Dunne gathered the ball inside the large parallelogram only to be fouled. Sansom made no mistake with the penalty as he finished to the top right-hand side of Ben McCarron’s net making it 1-8 to 0-2. Ronan Quinlan and Andy Mulleney traded points to make it 1-9 to 0-3 at half time.
Quinlan with two and Jody Murphy with one for Eire Og added kept the scoreboard ticking with Gary Dunne adding his 2nd of the game from a tight angle. On 36 minutes Eire Og give up possession with McCarron out of the goal, but the young keeper got back and pulled off a top class save to the disbelief of Jamie Lunney. On 38 minutes the sequel of Lunney vs McCarron with the keeper putting his body on the line to deny Lunney. Ben Kavanagh kicked a fine score keeping the gap between the sides.
For the next 18 minutes Eire Og dominated the scoreboard, but both teams had chances for goals with Jody Murphy shooting right of the goal, while McCarron denied Cormac O’Hara with an airborne save. Then Ballinbranna keeper David Byrne was out at the 45 as Eire Og turned over the ball, an Ethan Rafferty lob to happen? No! Eire Og patiently worked ball inside 14 only for Bobby Daly Snr to save the ball on the line again!
With points two points apiece coming from free taker Quinlan and Jamie Coakley with an outside the right, the effort from Coakley the pick of the two. Jack Feehan at full forward chipped in with a score also.
Bobby Daly Jnr added a point to get Ballinbranna back on the scoreboard on 57 minutes. Less than a minute later Eire Og moved the ball from their own half through the hands to find substitute Mark Daly inside the 14 and with a great finish to the inside netting made it a 1 point game. Eire Og had chances in the final few minutes, but Ballinbranna held out for the win.
Eire Og: Ben McCarron; Luke Murphy, Adam Nolan, Evan Kelly; Adam Shaw, Stephen Lacey, Cillian McGrath; Jody Murphy, Jamie Coakley; Eoin Maddock (c), Adam Murphy, Mark Behan; Ronan Quinlan, Jack Feehan, Michael Healy.
Subs: Tom Behan for Lacey (20 mins), Mark Daly for Kelly (HT), Anthony Keating for A Murphy (HT), Hugh Dooley for Maddock (45 mins), Luke Ramsbottom for McGrath (56 mins).
Scorers: R Quinlan 0-6 (5f), J Coakley 0-2, Jody Murphy 0-1, Michael Healy 0-1, Jack Feehan 0-1, Mark Daly 1-0.
Ballinabranna: David Byrne; Evan Tunstead, Bobby Daly Snr, Jack Dunne; Andy Mulleney, Jamie Lunney (c), Cormac O’Hara; Paddy Meaney, Colin Byrne; Ceilum Darcy, Ben Kavanagh, Gary Dunne; Liam Ryan, Robert Sansom, Mark Fitzgerald.
Subs: Bobby Daly Jnr for Darcy (39 mins), Brian Cox for Dunne (46 mins), Collie Quigley for Byrne (50 mins), Kealan Brennan for Ryan (50 mins)
Scorers: R Sansom 1-4 (1p, 4f), G Dunne 0-2, Jamie Lunney 0-1, Cormac O’Hara 0-1, Andy Mulleney 0-1, Mark Fitzgerald 0-1, Ben Kavanagh 0-1, Bobby Daly Jnr 0-1.
Ref: Sean McCormack (O’Hanrahans).
