Naas move through the gears in the second half to overcome Sallins
Dermot Hanafin (Naas) on the ball in front of Luke Kelly (Sallins) Photo: Sean Brilly
Naas pulled clear in the second half to earn two valuable points in their Senior Football League Division 1 derby away to Sallins on Saturday.
The two sides found themselves deadlocked at 0-11 to 1-8 at the half-time break, but it was the visitors who had that bit more in the tank, holding their neighbouring rivals to just four points over the closing half hour.
Sallins were quickest out of the blocks in this tie, Cian Grimes whipping over their opening point before adding another by way of a free with the game just four minutes old.
Naas, however, started to win a lot more possession off the opposing kick-outs and accounted for the next five points, Sean Hanifin bookending that run with fine efforts, while Ciaran Doyle, Paddy McDermott and Dermot Hanifin also contributed for the visitors.
The lead they generated would certainly have been enlarged had not Sallins goalkeeper, Ryan Herbert managed to deny Sean Hanifin a goal when he blocked his strike with an outstretched foot on nine minutes.
It was the first of three outstanding stops made by Herbert in the opening half, the Sallins netminder again preventing Hanifin from finding the net, before he was quickly off his line to smother Kevin Cummins’ attempt six minutes later.
At the other end of the pitch, Grimes ended a run of 11 minutes without a score for Sallins when he struck the first of his three two-point frees on the day midway through the first half, and a single from Stephen Kelly seconds later served to square the game.
The latter was almost in for a goal himself when he hit the afterburners to work his way in around the backline, but he sent his strike just over the bar.
It was Naas, however, who registered the game’s only goal on 23 minutes when Neil Aherne gratefully mopped up a misplaced pass before racing in and tucking away.
But back came Sallins with a point from Lorcan McKenna and a superbly curled two-point free from Kelly to restore parity yet again.
And, while Cummins and Dermot Hanifin did both split the posts to nudge Naas back in front, Grimes delivered another excellent free from beyond the arc to level it up once more just ahead of the half-time whistle.
The visitors did make the early running in the second half when Ciaran Doyle served up two quick points from play and a free.
Grimes responded with a free for the hosts, and the Sallins half-forward was desperately unlucky to see another attempt at a double cannon back off the upright on 42 minutes.
It was a chance Sallins could certainly have done with taking, as Naas, again, began to generate some momentum that would prove decisive, Jimmy Higgins’ side going on a run of six unanswered points, with Paul McDermott, Cummins and Conor McCarthy all putting the ball over the bar, while Paddy McDermott struck from far out.
Grimes got Sallins up and running again with a free that bridged a gap of 12 minutes since they had last scored.
But Naas were not about to afford their hosts a way back into contention at this late stage, and tightened their hold on the game with further scores from Aherne, Cummins and substitute, Liam O’Connor.
Scorers:
N Aherne 1-3 (0-1 f), C Doyle 0-3 (1f), Paddy McDermott 0-3 (1tp), K Cummins 0-3 (1f), S Hanifin 0-2, D Hanifin 0-2, Paul McDermott 0-2, C McCarthy 0-1, L O’Connor 0-1.
C Grimes 0-10 (3fs, 3tpfs), S Kelly 0-4 (1tpf), L McKenna 0-1.
Luke Mullins, Tim Ryan, Eoin Doyle, Daniel Lenehan, Tom Browne, Rob Murray, Paddy McDermott, Paul McDermott, Conor McCarthy, Elliott Beirne, Kevin Cummins, Dermot Hanifin, Neil Aherne, Sean Hanifin, Ciaran Doyle.
Rob Fitzgerald for Lenehan (20 ), Cathal Daly for Browne (HT), Liam O’Connor for C Doyle (43), Mark Maguire for Beirne (50), Tom McGrane for Ryan (54 mins).
Ryan Herbert, Darren Keane, Mark Moynihan, Sean O’Domhnaill, Conor Dalton, Eoin McConnon, Glen McEvoy, Daragh Mangan, Lorcan McKenna, Cian Grimes, Luke Kelly, Rory Gavin, Stephen Kelly, Ben Caulfield, Kevin Foley.
Paul Farrelly for Foley (48), Emmet Ralph for McKenna & Sean Egan for Moynihan (both 54 ), Sean Coyle for Kelly (57), Cillian Power for Gavin (60).
Henry Barrett
