May 26 - Senior Football: Wolfe Tones v Shannon Blues

Wolfe Tones 1-8 Shannon Blues 3-11

The best performance of the day came from the Shannon Blues who got their title defence off to a flying start with an impressive win over the Wolfe Tones.  The Blues looked the fitter side and played a nice brand of running passing football.  Goals from Kieran Hurley and Richard Blaine put the game beyond their opponents.

Johnny Kelly looks to Kenny Regan for help

Shannon Blues were in the ascendancy for the first 30 minutes.  Kieran Hurley returned to the fold for another tilt at the Boston championship, and made his mark at corner forward with a well taken goal off the bottom of the far post.  The Tones started well and pointed twice through Collie Carr, but from then on the forward line was kept quiet by a close marking Blues defence.  The Blues tallied all of their first half scores uninterrupted.  Points from Hurley, Anto Duffy, Barry Hartnett, and Patrick McCarthy put the Blues firmly on top.  The Tones finished the half with a point from center back, Johnny Kelly to make it 1-5 to 0-3 in the Blues favour.

The Tones had reason to hope for better things as the breeze would favour them in the second half, but it was not to be.  The Blues continued the running game and played it with great effect opening up the Tones rearguard on several occasions with some slick passing.  Early in the half one such move led to a Hurley goal, the final pass supplied by Pat Murray.  The Tones answered with a right away Sean Kelly goal, but there was a six point gap at that point that could not be bridged. 

 

Patrick McCarthy points for the Blues.

In spite of Cormac Joyce-Power pointing twice for the Tones who attempted to lift themselves, the Blues looked in control of affairs.  Hurley pointed twice more and was followed by  Duffy before Blaine hit with a third goal for the Blues.  Even when chances presented themselves in the form of frees, the Tones failed to capitalize as there were a couple of uncharacteristic misses from the usually reliable Carr.  With 10 minutes to go it was a nine point game, and it was as good as game over.  A great start for the Blues, and for the Tones it is hoping for better in the games to come.

Tones:  C. Hynes, S. O'Hagan, B. McShea, M. O'Brien, J. Kelly (0-1), S. Higgins, C. Joyce Power (0-2), G. Brilly, M. Kelly, D. Egan (0-1), C. Carr (0-2), D. McCabe (0-1), S. Kelly (1-1).  Shannon Blues:  D. O'Brien, G. Ryan, K. Hartnett, P. McCarthy (0-1), S. Brosnan, S. Moriarty, P. Murray, B. Hartnett (0-1), S. Kavanagh, R. Blaine (1-0), A. Duffy (0-4), A. Glennon (0-1), K. Hurley (2-4).

By Rory O'Donnell