Portarlington 3-19 Palatine 0-9
Portarlington footballers inflicted a crushing 19 point victory on the Carlow champions at Netwatch Cullen Park on Sunday, to set up a rematch of last year’s Leinster Club semi-final with defending provincial champions, Kilmacud Crokes of Dublin.
The greater share of the damage on the home team came from Portarlington’s left flank of attack, with Rioghan Murphy and Colm Muphy hitting a combined 3-8, 3-7 from open play.
The Laois champions scored a brace of late first half points to take a substantial 0-11 to 0-5 half time lead. And when Colm Murphy cracked home a 35th minute goal there was only going to be one outcome.
Nineteen-year-old Rioghan Murphy hit two goals later in the half to add to his two points from play as the Palatine challenge collapsed. Palatine were hit hard just before half time when losing their top forward Conor Crowley to injury.
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Many of the murmuring Aviva Stadium crowd left early or headed to the bar. Irish expectations have changed
But there was no doubting the overall superiority of Portarlington, whose manager Martin Murphy felt it was the most complete team performance since their narrow 1-11 to 0-12 loss to Kilmacud Crokes in 2021.
Palatine centre forward Shane O’Neill hit 0-6 for his side while left half back Ciarán worked hard all through and deserved his second half point from play.
Portarlington: S Osbourne; C Bennett, D Bennett, A Mohan; S Mulpeter, R Piggott, J Moore (0-2); P O’Sullivan, S Byrne (0-1); A Ryan (0-2), R Coffey (0-1), R Murphy (2-2); J Fitzpatrick (0-2), D Murphy (0-3, 0-2 frees), C Murphy (1-6, 0-1 free). Subs: D Slevin for Coffey (47 mins); E McCann for C Murphy, C Slevin for Moore (both 51 mins); C Ryan for Ryan (53 mins); J Fullam for O’Sullivan (57 mins).
Palatine: C Kearney; C O’Doherty, D Fitzpatrick, G Healy; C Duff, C Lawlor, C Moran; J Kane, F Kavanagh; T Sheehan, S O’Neill (0-6, 0-3 frees, 0-1 sideline), B McMahon; A Kehoe, J Egan (0-2, 0-1 mark), C Crowley. Subs: C O’Neill for Crowley (29 mins); S Reilly for Fitzpatrick, C Parle for Sheehan (both half-time); P Kelly for Duff (39 mins); S Woods for Kehoe (48 mins).
Referee: C Reilly (Meath)
Ratoath (Meath) 0-11 Rhode (Offaly) 0-9
Ratoath’s first win in the Leinster club championship, a rare one for a Meath club in the competition, didn’t come without a struggle against Rhode at Pairc Tailteann.
Five points in a row between the 36th and 50th minute ultimately proved decisive in a low scoring game, turning a two-point deficit into a three-point lead and the Brownstown men hung on from there.
Ratoath did so without cruciate victim Joey Wallace though his brother, fellow Meath forward Eamon, continued his strong form in his new centre back role, sniping two important points.
Ratoath trailed by a point at half-time, 0-4 to 0-5, despite holding an ultra experienced Rhode side to one point from play in that period.
Rhode twice opened up a two-point advantage in the third quarter but even Niall McNamee’s free-taking prowess, the 37-year-old Offaly forward kicked seven points from placed balls, couldn’t deny the Meath champions. They will play The Downs of Westmeath in the last four clash at Croke Park on November 19th.
Ratoath manager David Brady, eligible for regular duties after a red card in the county final was rescinded, was twice shoved by Rhode’s Anton Sullivan in separate flashpoints late on.
“I’m kind of going, give a dog a bad name,” said Brady of the skirmishes which he insisted he didn’t start. “It actually wasn’t me. Someone interpreted it that way, they turned around and went, of course it was Brady.”
Ratoath: D McPartlin; C O Fearraigh, B Wyer, C McGill; G McGowan, E Wallace (0-2), B Daly; B McGowan, J Flynn (0-1 free); K McCabe (0-1), D McGowan (0-3, two frees), C Rogers (0-1 mark); C O’Brien (0-1), B O’Brien (0-1), B McMahon (0-1 mark). Subs: P Byrne for McCabe (54 mins), A Gerrard for Daly (57 mins), C Rooney for O’Brien (61 mins).
Rhode: K Garry; J McPadden, J Kavanagh, B Darby; K Murphy, C McNamee (0-1), G McNamee; A McNamee, D Kavanagh; P Sullivan, A Kellaghan (0-1), C Heavey; N McNamee (0-7 frees), A Sullivan, R McNamee. Subs: S Hannon for P Sullivan (half-time), D Garry for Heavey (39 mins), P McPadden for G McNamee (48 mins), S Sullivan for A McNamee (61 mins).
Referee: S Mulhare (Laois).
The Downs 1-17 St Mary’s, Ardee 0-12
With Westmeath forward Luke Loughlin in top form in attack, The Downs had a surprisingly comfortable win against St Mary’s, Ardee in pleasant conditions in Mullingar on Sunday afternoon.
The home team got off to a great start with a quality point from Loughlin after 90 seconds. It got even better for Lar Wall’s troops some two minutes later when Kevin O’Sullivan found the net in style.
Loughlin’s third point from play in the 18th minute was followed by a fisted score from Andrew Kilmartin, compensating for a glaring goal miss a few minutes earlier.
A quick-fire brace from defenders Conor Keenan and Kian Moran kept the Louth champions in touch (1-5 to 0-3) with 25 minutes elapsed. On the half-hour mark, Ciaran Keenan set up Daire McConnon who looked sure to find the net, but he hesitated and the ball was cleared. The Downs led by 1-8 to 0-5 at the interval.
The imposing Niall Mitchell pointed just 15 seconds into the second half. In truth, The Downs never looked in the slightest danger of being overturned at that juncture.
McConnon was unlucky to see his rasping shot come off the crossbar in the dying seconds, but the outcome had long since been decided and it is The Downs who will face Ratoath in the Leinster semi-final in Croke Park next Saturday week.
The Downs: T Martin; Darragh Egerton, P Murray, E Burke; C Coughlan (0-3), M Kelly, J Moran; C Drumm, C Nolan; A Kilmartin (0-3), N Mitchell (0-2, one free), K O’Sullivan (1-1); I Martin (0-2), L Loughlin (0-5), J Lynam (0-1). Subs: Dean Egerton for O’Sullivan (46 mins), D Clarke for Drumm (50 mins), B Murtagh for Kilmartin (57 mins), D Carroll for Lynam (61 mins), J Carroll for I Martin (62 mins).
St Mary’s, Ardee: J McGillick; P McKenny, R Leavy, Conor Keenan (0-2); K Moran (0-1), K Faulkner, Carl Gillespie (0-2, one free); RJ Callaghan, D Clarke (0-2, one free); Conor Gillespie, Ciaran Keenan (0-1), L Jackson; S Matthews, D McConnon (0-1), T Jackson. Subs: R Carroll (0-2) for Matthews (half-time), E Malone for Leavy (half-time), D Matthews (0-1) for L Jackson (41 mins), R Rooney for Clarke (51 mins), T Corrigan for Conor Gillespie (57 mins).
Referee: J Hickey (Carlow).
Newcastle West 1-11 Adare 2-5
It took extra time but defending champions Newcastle West captured their fourth Limerick Senior Football Championship title in eight years after a dramatic game in Fitzgerald Park in Kilmallock on Sunday afternoon.
The Magpies’ win now puts the West Limerick men level with Oola Monaleen on six senior titles.
In what was a meeting of the two standard bearers on Shannonside over the past decade, the repeat of last year’s final saw Newcastle West overcome Adare by three points 1-11 to 2-05. Both Newcastle West and Adare have now won seven of the last eight Limerick SHC titles between them.
It was Jimmy Lee’s Newcastle West side that started the brightest and got the game’s opening goal after 20 minutes when towering full forward Mike McMahon fisted into the net after rising highest to a long Bryan Nix shot on goal
The goal, which opened up a five-point lead, looked like it had set Newcastle West on their way to victory, but Adare had other ideas and a first half injury time penalty Robbie Bourke penalty brought it back to a one-point game at the half time break – 1-03 to 1-02.
In the second half, Adare outscored Newcastle West by 1-2 to four points to force extra time in what was a dramatic final quarter in East Limerick.
In a tight affair, it was Adare who levelled midway through the second half as Willie Griffin superbly turned inside his marker Michael O’Keeffe to score the first point of the second half.
Adare’s second goal of the game with six minutes of normal time remaining made it a two-point game – 2-03 to 1-04 – a counterattack Shane O’Connor goal after a superb Griffin pass.
A Diarmaid Kelly free and a Thomas Qulligan free drew the sides level for the second time before a late Mark Connolly close-range free put Adare ahead. A stoppage time Darren O’Doherty point brought the sides level yet again and forced the game to extra time.
In extra time, Newcastle West’s inter-county stars rose to the occasion when needed the most; Limerick stalwart Iain Corbett pointed early before All Star nomination Cian Sheehan set up Shane Stack who kicked over to give Jimmy Lee’s side a two-point advantage.
Mike McMahon scored his side’s third point in-a-row to add to Adare’s woes with a superb outside of the boot point, before a Robbie Bourke free narrowed the deficit to two
As daylight quickly descended, McMahon pointed late to put three between the sides and secure the historic win for Newcastle West.
Newcastle West will face the winner of Nemo Rangers and Clonmel Commercials in three weeks’ time in the Munster Club Senior Club Championship semi-final.
Newcastle West: Michael Quilligan; Michael O’Keeffe, Darren O’Doherty (0-1) Brian O’Sullivan; Ruadhán O’Connor, James Kelly, Cian Sheehan; Emmet Rigter (0-1), Iain Corbett (capt.) (0-1); Sean Murphy, Sean Stack (0-1), Diarmaid Kelly (0-2, one free); Eoin Hurley, Mike McMahon (1-3, one mark), Bryan Nix.
Subs: Thomas Qulligan (0-02, two frees) for Hurley (47 minutes), Todd Donovan for Murphy (54), Seamus Hurley for James Kelly (full time), Hurley for O’Connor (full time), Aaron Neville for O’Doherty (83), Sean Murphy for Diarmaid Kelly (89),
Adare: Jeffery Alfred; Oran Collins, David Connolly, Jack Fitzgerald; Josh Toomey, Shane Doherty (capt.), Paul Maher; Roy Glesson, Joe Sweeney; Shane Costello, Robbie Bourke (1-1, one penalty, one free), Davy Lyons; Willie Griffin (0-1), Mark Connolly (0-3, two frees), Mikey Lyons.
Subs: Shane O’Connor (1-0) for Davey Lyons (13 minutes, inj), Jack English for Gleeson (54), Cian Sparling for Collins (62), Adam Canny for Mikey Lyons (83), Charlie McCarthy for Griffin (89)
Referee: Timmy McGrath (Oola)
