Carlow Credit Union S.F.L. Division 1 semi-final By Eamonn O’Sullivan
Rathvilly 1-16 Tinryland 0-5
An understrength Tinryland bowed out of this years league at the penultimate hurdle against an experienced Rathvilly team at Netwatch Cullen Park on Sunday 7th June.
The game was played in blustery conditions with at times torrential rain, more associated with games at the start of the league as opposed to an early June evening.
The first score arrived in the 7th minute with a point from Rathvilly’s Paddy Bolger. As happens with the “new rules”, over the next seven or so minutes Rathvilly took control and scored a further 4 points from play from Brandon Kelly, Paddy Bolger, and Kevin Murphy as Tinryland battled against the wind and rain.
When the rain cleared Tinryland broke upfield several times but with the final passes breaking down before converting to scores.
As per the new rules Rathvilly broke quickly on two occasions to score further points from play via Brandon Kelly and Darragh Murphy.
Tinryland eventually opened their account in the 23rd minute courtesy of Paddy Regan but the men from the Wicklow border closed out the first half with another point to leave the half time scoreboard reading Rathvilly 0-8 Tinryland 0-1.
After half time Rathvilly introduced 4 substitutes. The first point arrived in the 34th minute when Rathvilly converted a free by Brandon Kelly as a result of a breach. Five minutes later Diarmaid Walshe scored an outstanding 2-pointer from play to bring the score to 0-9 to 0-3. Shortly afterwards Conall McGuire produced a good save to deny Rathvilly a goal with the breaking ball cleared by a hard-working Tinryland defence.
Mid way through the second half a promising move resulted in Tinryland hitting the post with Rathvilly again breaking quickly downfield but this time they were denied a score by a brave block from Niall Lowry. Things improved for Tinryland a few minutes later when Conor Carew landed another excellent 2-pointer from play to bring the score to 0-9 to 0-5.
Unfortunately, this was as close that Tinryland got to catching their opponents as the experienced Rathvilly team scored a further 1-7 to close out the game as comfortable winners. The last score was a 2-pointer for the men from Irelands former tidiest village who will now meet Eire Og in the final. Tinryland meanwhile will now look forward to the Intermediate championship which commences on Thursday July 16th with a mouth-watering game with St. Patricks and further early championship dates with Clonmore and Kildavin-Clonegal.
Tinryland: Conall McGuire, Rory Doyle, Conor Ryan, Chris Townsend, Mark Mullen, Niall Lowry, Maurice Lawler, Paddy Regan 0-1, Sean Murphy, Seamus McCullough, Diarmaid Walshe 0-2, Conor Carew 0-2, Cormac O’Brien, Adam Mullen, Jamie Doyle, Jamie Walker Danny Moran.
Rathvilly: Regan Murphy, Padraic Deering, Josh Moore, Daire Byrne, Eric Molloy, Dara Curran, Padraig Bolger, Ed Finnegan, Kenneth Bello, Adam Burgess, Brandon Kelly, Peter Burgess, Jake Elliott, Darragh Murphy, Kevin Murphy, Subs: Brendan Murphy, Liam Gavin, Brian Smith, Ryan Sibbald.
Referee James Foley Kilbride
