Goals fire Kilruane past Portroe

Kilruane MacDonaghs 3-19

Portroe 1-17

Report: Shane Brophy in Nenagh

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Craig Morgan (Kilruane MacDonaghs)

SCORERS – Kilruane MacDonaghs: Paidi Williams 1-5 (0-1 free); Willie Cleary 0-4 (1 free); Seamus Hennessy 1-1; Niall O’Meara (1 free), Sean MacAdams 0-3 each; Thomas Cleary 1-0; Mark O’Neill, Kieran Cahill, Kian O’Kelly (free) 0-1 each.

Portroe: Kevin O’Halloran 1-5 (0-2 s-cuts); John Sheedy 0-5 (4 frees, 1 65); Robert Byrne 0-3 (1 free); Conor O’Brien 0-2; Anthony Bourke, David Lumbroso 0-1 each.

Kilruane MacDonaghs booked a place in the North Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship semi-final after a comfortable victory over Portroe in this quarter final in Nenagh on Wednesday evening.

Three first half goals set MacDonaghs up for victory as they could also afford to shoot fifteen wides to see off a Portroe side that didn’t have the firepower to match their opponents.

Kilruane were shorn the services of the injured Jerome Cahill and the unavailable Cian Darcy, and off the back of a first round win over Ballina, they started brightly with Mark O’Neill, Willie Cleary, and Kieran Cahill on target from play inside two minutes before Conor O’Brien opened Portroe’s account.

Kilruane struck for their first goal in the third minute with Thomas Cleary goaling from close range. It was all one-way traffic, but Portroe settled into the game with John Sheedy (65), Robert Byrne (2) and Kevin O’Halloran (side-line cut) on target to cut the gap to a minimum after ten minutes.

The lively Sean MacAdams and O’Halloran traded points before Kilruane struck for their second goal on fifteen minutes as Willie Cleary won a fine angle ball and running at the Portroe defence, laid the ball off to Seamus Hennessy who finished well. A second Conor O’Brien point saw Portroe trail 2-4 to 0-8 at the water-break.

Portroe were arguably playing the better hurling and got back within one again through a Sheedy free, but Kilruane always managed to keep the scoreboard ticking over through Paidi Williams and a Willie Cleary free, after he took over from Williams who missed three placed balls at that stage.

John Sheedy and Kevin O’Halloran responded for Port and after Niall O’Meara opened his account to cut the margin to two, Kilruane struck for a timely goal just on half time as Seamus Hennessy made a superb catch under pressure in the square before laying off to Paidi Williams who first time to the net for a 3-7 to 0-11 half time lead.

That goal was huge as Portroe never looked like clawing back the deficit after the break, despite the best efforts of John Sheedy, Anthony Bourke, O’Halloran and sub David Lumbroso, but they couldn’t work a good goal chance to create some momentum.

At the other end, boosted by the first half goal, Paidi Williams scored three second points from play along with a free, to add to a Kian O’Kelly free, as well as two long range efforts from Niall O’Meara and a Seamus Hennessy point as they led 3-13 to 0-6 at the second water-break.

Sean MacAdams added two long range points as Kilruane opened a ten-point lead by the time Kevin O’Halloran scored Portroe’s goal in the 58th minute and a minute later was denied from a 21-yard free as Port came with a late rally but it came too late.

TEAMS – Kilruane MacDonaghs: Conor Doheny (6); Eanna Hogan (7), Jack Peters (7), Aaron Morgan (7); Kieran Cahill (7), Craig Morgan (9), Mark O’Neill (8); Niall O’Meara (7), Rob Austin (7); Willie Cleary (7), Sean MacAdams (8), Kian O’Kelly (6); Thomas Cleary (7), Seamus Hennessy (8), Paidi Williams (7).

Sub: James Cleary (NR) for T Cleary (55).

Portroe: Diarmuid Boyle (7); Jack Moloney (6), Michael Breen (6), Michael Creamer (7); Brian Keating (7), Robert Byrne (8), Kieran McKeogh (6); Conor O’Brien (7), Anthony Bourke (7); Ian O’Donnell (6), Paddy O’Flaherty (6), John Sheedy (7); AJ Willis (6), Kevin O’Halloran (8), Mark Gennery (6).

Subs: David Lumbroso (6) for O’Flaherty (30+1); Ruadhan Mulrooney (6) for Gennery (HT); Justin Conroy (6) for O’Donnell (47); Cormac Keating (6) for O’Brien (52 inj)

Referee: Ger Fitzpatrick (Roscrea)