Favourites tag fits as Larries lead the way
Joe Hanamy has a shot on goal during the second half. Photo: James Lawlor.
A free-scoring St Laurence’s showed why they are among the favourites for the National Electrical Wholesalers Intermediate Football Championship as they comfortably accounted for neighbours, Kilcullen at Manguard Park on Saturday.
While it was far from perfect, 16 first-half points put eight between the teams at the interval despite the concession of an own goal. A burst of four unanswered points brought Kilcullen back to within four with nine minutes remaining, but Larries comfortably eased from there to the finish line, scoring 1-4 without reply to gain revenge on the Rags for a group stage defeat last year.
The breadth of St Laurence’s attacking options was impressive, particularly in the first half. Corner forward Joe Hanamy weighed in with six points and in the opposite corner Dylan O’Dwyer managed four, but all six forwards were on target with Ruaidhrí Lawlor’s class again in evidence with the county under-20 star slotting home the clinching goal a minute into injury time.
It wasn’t all about the forwards, either. Senan Gallagher was a lively raider from corner back, though he won’t look back on his own goal with any fondness. There was little he could do, however, to prevent himself turning Turlough Donnelly’s attempted pass across goal into his own net on the 22nd minute.
The half-back line of Oisín Grufferty, Kevin Eustace and James Donnelly were magnificent in front of him while Mark Glynn and David O’Driscoll were dominant in midfield.
Kilcullen battled hard but they struggled for possession from kickouts and had very little firepower up front as they fell to a second defeat in a row.
Larries opened in devastating fashion and were 0-10 to 0-1 ahead by the 18th minute thanks to points from Donnelly, Lawlor, Hanamy (three), Tom Dooley (two) and O’Dwyer (three), Kilcullen’s only resistance coming from a Dan Coughlan point from close range.
But a five-minute Kilcullen burst threatened a tighter outcome. Ciaran O’Brien fed Coughlan for a point and Kerry import Donagh McKivergan converted a free.
When Gallagher turned Donnelly’s attempted pass into his own net, and McKivergan converted a two-point free with his sweet left foot, the Rags were back to within two (1-5 to 0-10) heading towards half-time.
St Laurence’s reacted like potential champions, though. Hanamy and Grufferty stretched the lead back to four and Donnelly chipped over when a goal might have been on offer before Hanamy (free), Felix Lawlor and a fine Jason McHugh effort made it 0-16 to 1-5 at the break.
Corner back Daragh Burke saved Kilcullen with a goal line clearance on the restart when Cormac Barker ventured from goal and was beaten to the ball by Hanamy, before McKivergan narrowed the gap with his second two-point free.
St Laurence’s were not moving as impressively at this stage, though Hanamy and O’Dwyer kept the scoreboard ticking with a point apiece. Kilcullen themselves went 11 minutes without a score, but O’Brien kickstarted another burst on 43 minutes and when that was followed by three more from Tom Maloney, Coughlan (free) and O’Brien again, they were within four heading into the last nine minutes.
But Gallagher and Lawlor settled St Laurence’s with singles, McHugh added another in injury time and Lawlor followed that up, finishing low to Barker’s net with an ‘assist’ from O’Dwyer. Substitute Rocco Roche rounded off the win with the final point.
Paul Clynch; Senan Gallagher 0-1, Ciaran O’Sullivan, Conor Clarke; Oisín Grufferty 0-1, Kevin Eustace, James Donnelly 0-2; Mark Glynn, David O’Driscoll; Felix Lawler 0-1, Ruaidhrí Lawlor 1-2, Jason McHugh 0-2; Dylan O’Dwyer 0-4 (1f), Tom Dooley 0-2, Joe Hanamy 0-6 (2f).
Niall O’Connor for O’Driscoll (HT), Seanan Murphy for Dooley (46), Cian Miley for Glynn (49), Rocco Roche 0-1 for Hanamy and Adam Steed for F Lawler (both 56).
Cormac Barker; Daragh Burke, Jack Dooley, Jack Redmond; Eddie O’Loughlin, Scott Fleming, Paul Bell; Seán Knight, Ciaran Melinn; Seán Hurley, Donagh McKivergan 0-5 (2tpf,1f), Robbie Lee; Ciarán O’Brien 0-2, Turlough Donnelly 1-0, Dan Coughlan 0-3 (1f).
Jack Jordan for Hurley (HT), Jack Cronin for Fleming (37), Tom Maloney 0-1 for Bell (40), Thomas Hickey for Lee (49), Jamie Buckley for O’Loughlin (54), Liam Wynne for Redmond (56).
Ryan Moran.
