CLOSE ENCOUNTERS Castlebar’s Alan Nolan and Claremorris’ Sean Prendergast get up close and personal during last Saturday evening’s Mayo SFC game. Pic: Ray Ryan
Heffo’s army march on
SFC Section d
Claremorris1-13
Castlebar1-8
Michael Duffy
Claremorris
CLAREMORRIS derailed the Castlebar Mitchels championship bandwagon on Saturday with a comfortable success that leaves them top of the Group D table. Few would have envisaged such a scenario at the start of the campaign but Niall Heffernan’s men have visibly grown in confidence as the season has progressed, and in truth, they should have won this game more easily.
Mitchels were outplayed in every department and not even the introduction of Barry Moran and Neil Douglas could change the momentum of the game. The visitors started the game well and were in front after only 12 seconds when Eamon Tiernan pointed. As a nervous-looking Claremorris struggled to settle, Niall Lydon put over a second Mitchels point on five minutes after a fine fetch and lay-off from Richie Feeney.
Amazingly, that was Castlebar’s last score of the half, as Claremorris ran riot for the remainder of the opening period, kicking nine unanswered scores. The man who did most of the damage was Ger Brady. Having given Liam O’Malley a torrid time in the last round in Newport, this time Tom Cunniffe struggled to come to grips with the wily Brady. Cunniffe had started at centre back but after Brady kicked three on the trot, the last a free, Cunniffe was given the unenviable task of trying to quell the Brady influence.
By the 15th minute, Claremorris were playing like a team possessed. Wing back Liam Feeley sauntered upfield to collect a quick Pádraic Ring free and rifled over a sweet right footed drive from fully 50 yards out.
Mitchels simply could not get out of their own half as Brian Gallagher controlled midfield and Brady marauded at will, kicking a free and fisting a point to make it 0-6 to 0-2. Brady then set up Ring for another fine score before Brian Gallagher kicked the point of the half after a patient build-up that saw all six Claremorris forwards handle the ball. With the score at 0-8 to 0-2, Peter Ford made the decision to bring in Douglas with Kevin Filan being the unlucky one to come off, throwing his jersey away in disgust. But Darragh Murphy tagged on a ninth point on the trot to leave a seven-point gap at the interval.
As if to tell Castlebar that this was not going to be their evening, a dressing room door malfunction meant their rallying team talk had to be done in the long grass behind the changing rooms. Incoming sub Barry Moran seemed to be doing most of the rallying as the warm favourites tried to plot a way back into the contest. A foul on Moran meant Niall Lydon reduced the gap, but Claremorris sent out a signal of intent on 35 minutes through the outstanding Seán Prendergast, who beat three Mitchels players to a breaking ball before kicking a great score from 40 yards.
Douglas and Feeney both kicked fine scores to reduce the gap before a Claremorris goal on 39 minutes virtually ended the game as a contest. Tomás Griffin played a one-two with Brady before his goal-bound effort was saved by Richie Byrne, but Donal Feeley was on hand to palm the ball to the net.
Mitchels went in search of goals in the last quarter, with Lydon pointing when it seemed easier to hit the net, and sub Ger O’Boyle blazing wide with his first touch. Brady kept the Claremorris ship afloat with two frees in reply to points from Tiernan and Douglas before, in the last minute, a Barry Moran fetch set up Tiernan for a goal which he finished very well. However, that was to be Mitchels’ last score as Darragh Murphy wrapped up a famous win for Claremorris.
Claremorris
A McCallig; D Griffith, V Walsh, J Boyle; L Feeley (0-1), S Prendergast (0-1), A Feeley; G Mullins, B Gallagher (0-1); P Ring (0-1), R Hession, D Murphy (0-2); T Griffin, D Feeley (1-0), G Brady (0-7, 4f).
Sub used: M Gallagher for Ring.
Castlebar Mitchels
R Byrne; T Cunniffe, R O’Grady, P Healy; R Burke, A Roche; E Kennedy; S Fitzmaurice, A Nolan; S Ryder, N Lydon 0-3, 1f), R Feeney (0-1); D Flynn, E Tiernan (1-2), K Filan.
Subs: N Douglas (0-2, 1f) for Filan; B Moran for Flynn; G O’Boyle for Kennedy; N O’Hara for Kennedy.
Referee: M Daly (Ballyhaunis)
