Brackens finding form as they demolish Drom

GAA: FBD Insurance County Senior Hurling Championship Group 1

JK Brackens ...........................3-24

Drom & Inch ............................2-16

Report: Ronan Loughnane in Templetouhy

With little more than local bragging rights on offer, JK Brackens recorded their first win of the campaign as they easily brushed aside the weak challenge of Drom & Inch on Sunday.

With Brackens already in relegation and Drom safely through to the last eight as group winners, it was one of those awkward ties with both sides needing a boost ahead of their next game. From that end, Brackens will be thrilled to have struck some bit of form ahead of the relegation battle while Drom will have plenty to ponder after a below-par performance.

Drom captain Seamus Callanan won the toss and elected to play with the gale which howled south across the bog. But it was the Brackens captain Andrew Ormond who got the scoreboard moving with the opening point inside a minute.

Callanan responded with three placed balls in the opening seven minutes while Jordan Moloney’s move to the forwards yielded a point for Brackens. Johnny Campion pointed nicely for Drom before the first of Brackens three goals arrived in the tenth minute when Dean McEnroe soloed through to give Eoin Collins no chance in the Drom goal.

The alarm bells were already ringing in the Drom defence as Brackens were finding oceans of space and Conor Cadell could easily have had another major a minute later but his shot fizzed wide.

David Collins pointed for Drom to tie it up in the thirteenth minute before his brother Eoin landed a haymaker to restore Drom’s lead.

The rampaging McEnroe found himself all alone again in the seventeenth minute and he fed Shane Doyle for Brackens second goal to leave them 2-2 to 0-6 ahead.

The sides shared twelve points in as many minutes with Lyndon Fairbrother (4), Andrew Ormond and Neil Quinlan on target for Brackens in reply to Callanan (3), Tommy Nolan, David Collins and Maidhc Fitzpatrick for Drom.

The Drom rearguard was breached for the third time in the 30th minute when Eanna McBride goaled. Fairbrother and Jamie Moloney traded points to leave Brackens 3-9 to 0-13 to the good at the short whistle.

Considering the strength of the breeze there was little chance of a Drom comeback.

With their tails up Brackens added five points to Drom’s two in the opening minutes of the second act and the lead was out to eight. To add to Drom’s woes half-time substitute Mikey Connors was dismissed in the 39th minute having received a second yellow.

Ormond, Fairbrother, McBride, Paddy Cadell, Eoin Fitzpatrick, and Dean McEnroe all added points to leave Brackens well clear. Injury time goals from Callanan (penalty) and Tommy Nolan mattered little as Brackens finished eleven point winners.

They now go forward to the relegation battle with renewed hope having produced their best performance to date.

The return of Paddy Cadell is a huge boost, and he provided a great platform from which they launched many attacks. Dean McEnroe, Jordan Moloney, Andrew Ormond, and Lyndon Fairbrother also featured prominently.

Drom & Inch have been around the block many times and won’t be pressing the panic button just yet. They have plenty to work on in defence however and will be alarmed that their final point from play came in the 32nd minute. Jamie Moloney, Johnny Campion, Robbie Long and Maidhc Fitzpatrick fared best.

Player of the Match: Paddy Cadell (JK Brackens)

JK Brackens: Jack Kennedy (6); Luke Ormond (6), Tom Murphy (7), Martin Delaney (6); Jack Bergin (6), Neil Quinlan (0-1, 6), Eanna McBride (1-1, 6); Dean McEnroe (1-2, 7), Conor Cadell (6); Jordan Moloney (0-1, 7), Andrew Ormond (0-4, 7), Stephen Cahill (6); Shane Doyle (1-0, 6), Lyndon Fairbrother (0-12, 9f, 7), Paddy Cadell (0-1, 8).

Subs: Jack Nevin (6) for C Cadell (45); Eoin Fitzpatrick (0-2, 6) for Moloney (48); Adrian Bourke (6) for Cahill (50); Jamie Bergin (6) for Quinlan (55).

Drom & Inch: Eoin Collins (0-1f, 6); Kevin Hassett (6), Michael Campion (6), Stephen Nolan (5); Liam Ryan (6), Pauric Campion (5), Maidhc Fitzpatrick (0-1, 7), Robbie Long (7), Lorcan Campion (5), John Campion (0-2, 7), Jamie Moloney (0-1, 6), Seamus Callanan (1-8, 0-6f, 0-1, ’65, 1-0 pen) 6), Tommy Nolan (1-1, 6), David Collins (0-2, 6), Johnny Ryan (5).

Subs: John Ryan (5) for L Ryan (16 inj), Jack Lillis (6) for P Campion (35), Tony Cahill (5) for Collins (40).

Referee: Peter Carroll (Burgess).