Strong first half sets Clonakenny up for first win

Clonakenny 3-20

Carrick Swan 1-18

Clonakenny set up a winner takes all clash with Portroe for a quarter final place after seeing off Carrick Swan in Littleton on Saturday evening.

The deserved win for Clonakenny has their campaign back on track following a first-round defeat to Cashel. Three first half goals, two from Nicky Ryan and one from the outstanding Cian O’Dwyer, set them on their way.

A second defeat leaves Swan pointless and the only team without a win in the highly competitive group, with Cashel King Cormacs at the top on four points and Clonakenny and Portroe both on two points.

In a pulsating encounter, the play swung from end to end, with some marvellous score-taking. However, the Mid side always had a slight edge. Cian O’Dwyer was imperious from play and placed balls, with a huge total of 1-15, 1-5 from play.

Joint captains John Joe Ryan and Bobby Bergin both had huge games and Nicky Ryan was a major threat upfront, and his two goals set the side on the way to a crucial victory.

The three first half goals helped Clonakenny to a 3-9 to 1-11 half-time lead.

While the third quarter saw a spirited Swan revival that brought the margin back to a single point, Clonakenny outscored the south men 0-8 to 0-2 in the final quarter to run out comfortable winners in the end.

Carrick Swan enjoyed their purple patches when they threatened to overhaul Clonakenny, thanks in large part to the remarkable contribution of Gavin O’Halloran. In the space of two minutes midway through the first half, he hit three wonder points from play. Then nine minutes from the break, with the game slipping away from Swan at 3-5 to 0-7, he rifled a free to the net, as the Carrick men hit 1-2 without reply to force their way back into contention.

Clonakenny led 1-3 to 0-1 after nine minutes with Nicky Ryan reacting quickest to a free lobbed into the danger area and he added his second goal to make it 2-4 to 0-3 midway through the half.

Gavin O’Halloran single-handedly dragged Swan back into contention with three superb points from play, but the good work was undone when Clonakenny struck for their third goal, Cian O’Dwyer cutting in from the right side and shooting past Adam Kerwick.

Gavin O’Halloran caught the Clonakenny defence off-guard to find the corner of the net to help reduce the margin to three points. By half-time the lead had moved to 3-9 to 1-11.

Gavin O’Halloran pointed two frees in the first four minutes and even when Bobby Bergin replied for Clonakenny, back came Swan with great scores from Scott Hogan and Owen Harrigan to make it a one-point game, 3-10 to 1-15.

However, Clonakenny weathered the storm. Nicky Ryan was through on goal for his hat-trick, but Kerwick brought off a super save for a 65 that O’Dwyer pointed. He extended the lead, and even though O’Halloran brought it back to a two-point game, the Carrick men were only to score twice again.

Clonakenny closed out the game in style, going on to score five without reply through O’Dwyer (3), John Joe Ryan and John Ryan ended a great move from deep in defence with an inspirational score.

An O’Halloran free, had the first Swan score in ten minutes and Aaron Dunne added another, but Cian O’Dwyer closed out a personal virtuoso performance, and an impressive team display.

Player of the Match: Cian O’Dwyer (Clonakenny)

Clonakenny: Stephen Russell; Brian Mullally, John Costigan, Cian Russell, Diarmuid Ryan, Willie Ryan, Proinsias Matthews, Delacy Byrne, John Joe Ryan (0-2); Michael John Carroll, Bobby Bergin (0-2); Cian O’Dwyer (1-15, 0-8f, 0-2 ‘65s); Nicky Ryan (2-1); Peadar Byrne, Matthew O’Sullivan.

Subs: Conor Shanahan for O’Sullivan, Paul Bergin for Carroll, Stephen Maher for Bergin.

Carrick Swan: Adam Kerwick; Daniel Walsh, Stephen Hahessy, Billy Murphy, Scott Hogan (0-1); Colin Loughman, Gavin O’Halloran (1-10, 1-6f); Aaron Dunne (0-3); Kevin Lanigan, Dean Waters, Eric O’Halloran, Ben Mulcaire, Owen Harrigan (0-2); Danny O’Hanlon, Cory Ryan (0-2).

Subs: Jamie Holloway for Lanigan, Colin Waters for Loughman, Taylor Fleming for Harrigan, Jack Murphy for Waters.

Referee: Michael Kennedy (Newcastle).