Dominant first-half helps Naas CBS to knock-out stages

LEINSTER GAA PPS SENIOR “A” CHAMPIONSHIP BRO BOSCO CUP GROUP 4 – ROUND 2 

NAAS CBS 2-14 MARIST COLLEGE ATHLONE 0-12 

A dominant first half display in which they turned over 2-9 to 0-2 to the good was the platform for Naas CBS to claim the victory over Marist College, Athlone in the Bro Bosco Cup, Group 4 Round 2 game in perfect conditions in Naas GAA on Thursday afternoon.

While the Naas intensity may have dropped off slightly in the second half, they had the comfort of scoring 2-8 without reply from the tenth minute till half time to see them safely through an improved second half performance from the Athlone school. Marists will probably be disappointed with their overall performance as they had reached last year’s Bro Bosco Cup decider before losing out the Leinster and All Ireland winners, Colaiste Mhuire, Mullingar. Nine of last year’s panel were included in the panel for Thursday’s game.

After Niall McAndrew had opened the scoring for Naas CBS in the third minute, Marists responded with points from the dangerous Sean Whitker and Luke Glennon. That was as good as it got for the Athlone school as they failed to score for the remainder of the half with the Naas defence coping well with the danger posed by Whitker.

Once Hugh Kelly levelled matters in the tenth minute, Naas CBS never looked back. Hugh Kelly and Oisin McAfee gave them a platform at midfield and with an attacking half back line and a playmaker in Robbie Millham the scores came regularly. JJ Reilly, with a two pointer free and a single point free, a Millham point from play and a second point from McAndrew put the Naas school in a comfortable position by the 18th minute and things were made even comfortable when Millham got in for the opening goal a minute later.

Goal number two came seven minutes from the break and this time it was Max Sargent who got on the end of a good move to finish to the net.

There were thirteen points in it at the break but two in a row for Marists College from Fiachra Feeney and Daragh Murray began to chip away at that lead immediately after the restart. Every time Marists pointed however, Naas CBS responded with a point of their own to keep the score out at twelve or thirteen points. Marists dangerman, Whitaker, began to assert a bit of dominance as the half wore on and although he fired over two two pointers from play a goal that might bring the Athlone school more into the game never materialised or indeed never looked like materialising as CBS closed out the game Following last week’s victory over Terenure College, Naas CBS will now go forward to the knockout stages of the competition as Group winners where they will meet as yet to be decided runners up in Group 3 in four weeks’ time.

NAAS CBS: Colum Gibbons (Naas); Rory Cooke (Raheens), Eoin Markey (Kill), Cathal Harris (Raheens); Fionn Stewart Byrne (Ballymore Eustace), Cillian Long (Naas), Niall McAndrew (Naas) 0-4; Hugh Kelly (Kill) 0-1, Oisin McAfee (Raheens); Rian Curran, Max Sargent (Eadestown) 1-0, Matthew Galvin (Two Mile House); JJ Reilly (Kill) 0-4 (1 X 2pt free, 2 free), Robbie Millham (Naas) 1-2, Rory Thompson (Raheens) 0-3 (I free) Subs: Conor Lafferty (Kill) for Fionn Stewart Byrne, Callum Cowzer (Naas) for Rory Thompson, Ronan Walsh (Eadestown) for Cillian Long, Alan Smyth (Naas) for Cathal Harris.

MARIST COLLEGE ATHLONE: Zac Mullally; Daniel Crosbie, Ryan Hughes, Ruairi Nicholson; Donnchadh O’Dwyer, James Pettit, Eoin Carr; Sean McDonnell, Tadhg Fallon; Daragh Murray 0-1, Sean Keegan, Dara Geary; Luke Glennon 0-1, Sean Whitaker 0-8 (2 X 2pt), Fiachra Feeney 0-2. Subs: Jimmy Walshe for Dara Geary, Odhran Mitchell for Luke Glennon.

REFEREE: Frank Delaney (Athgarvan)