Round Tower 2-9 v St Finians 1-15, Monastery Road, 31st August
Our senior footballers aspirations for an AFL2 play-off suffered a major setback last Saturday at Monastery Road as St Finians of Swords belied their league position and put in an impressive performance to claim a 1-15 v 2-9 victory, writes Mick McGlynn. Towers will be particularly disappointed to have not seized the opportunity to claim a valuable two points against a side that lies second from bottom of the league. However the performance from the northside team was not one of a side that had lost eight of its 12 league games and their excellent movement through the game created the opportunities to kick a series of impressive scores.
The visitors stamped their authority on the game in the opening ten minutes, when excellent interplay saw them mount a series of attacks to enable them kick six unanswered points. The movement of the visitors forwards caused the Towers defence a number of problems and six excellent points were kicked without reply. Barry Gallagher registered the home sides opening score on 11 minutes. A long Derek Murray free to the edge of the square was broken by Jason Phillips and Gallagher retrieved and kicked the point from a tight angle. Despite Finians early dominance, Towers were just two points behind mid-way thru the half as Brian Costello’s 45 went thru the keepers grasp into the back of the net. However Finians response was resounding, kicking a point and a converted penalty to leave them 1-7 v 1-1 ahead. Phillips determination to carry the fight to the visitors was a hallmark throughout the game and he carried the ball forward to set up Ciaran Corrigan for a point. He had the defence retreating once again on 22 minutes and Eoin Moran sustained the momentum before finding Barry Gallagher in space. The corner-forward was pulled to the ground when shooting for goal. Cathal Carty’s subsequent penalty was saved but Corrigan pointed from the resulting play. Running at the retreating defence by Phillips and Moran once again created an opportunity and Carty finished low to the keepers left to bring two points between the sides. When Carty was fouled he converted the free to cut the deficit to the minimum. Towers were now winning the breaking ball around the middle and Gallagher passed to Corrigan who turned his man and pointed from 30 metres to level. Having struggled for most of the opening half Towers would have been relieved to find themselves level at half-time.
Once again it was the visitors who were quickest to settle in the second-half and they kicked two early points. They could have gone five ahead when a high ball was fielded by their full forward and his strike at goal was deflected off the line by Towers fullback Jamie McCarthy. Ian Ward was influential throughout the second half and he started a move with a kick pass to Corrigan on the half forward line who in turn found Gallagher and the overlapping Ward kicked a point from distance from the left. The northside team edged further ahead before Liam Connolly did well under pressure to find Ward and his crossfield ball to corner back Brian Costello finished with a point from distance for the number 4. Ward was involved again when his long ball into the inside forwards was gathered low down by Corrigan and he pointed the subsequent free he was awarded. With seven minutes remaining the sides were now level but a Towers attack broke down and the visitors capitalised when their full forward broke inside to run at the retreating defence and point from 30 metres. They then edged two points ahead but Towers responded. Ward intercepted a Finians attack and he found Corrigan whose ball inside to substitute Stephen McGibney led to a foul and converted free by Corrigan. With a point between both sides each play became even more critical and Finians won clean a kick-out that led to another point for their full forward. Towers could not find an opportunity for a clean strike at the posts or goal and the last score kicked by the visitors brought them a three point win.
This was a severe setback for Towers chances of promotion and their remaining two games are away to St Pat’s of Palmerstown and St Anne’s in Bohernabreena.
Round Tower: Keith Graham, Eoghan Young, Jamie McCarthy, Brian Costello, Derek Murray, Ian Ward, Barry Keane, Jason Phillips, Liam Connolly, Jason Joyce, Eoin Moran, Eric Finn, Cathal Carty, Ciaran Corrigan, Barry Gallagher. Used subs: Conor L’Estrange, Eoghan Moore, Stephen McGibney.
