Tones prove too strong for struggling Simonstown

SFC

Wolfe Tones.................... 2-1-17 (25)

Simonstown ...................1-2-8 (15)

They took their time, but Wolfe Tones eventually hit the right notes to sink neighbours Simonstown in a one-sided SFC first round clash on Saturday evening in Walterstown, writes Davy Rispin.

It was a drab opening with the game being played at a pedestrian pace and both sides adopting a safety-first approach which was hardly a major surprise looking back to their turgid quarter-final encounter last September.

Having exchanged scores early on with a Kyle Moran free for the Tones and an Eddie Nash effort for the men in blue, Paddy Martin’s charges then kicked three-in-a-row thanks to fine points from play from Sean Penny, Oisin Martin and Sarán Ó Fionnagáin.

The north Navan team’s response was impressive though and having just scored a sweet point, the excellent Eoghan Gough turned provider with a brilliantly weighted pass to Sean Tobin to curl past Ciarán Ó Gallachóir in the early stages of the second quarter.

Undeterred, last year’s beaten finalists registered a goal of their own five minutes later. Moran’s goal-bound shot was stopped by Robbie Burlingham but unfairly so in the eyes of referee Andrew Smith who awarded a penalty for a foot-block outside the six-yard box. Caolan Ward stepped up and cooly dispatched the resulting spot kick to give Wolfe Tones the lead again, a lead they would never relinquish.

The dominant Tones hit three of the next four points before the interval from Adam O’Neill, Ward (free) and Ó Fionnagáin with the sole riposte from Simonstown a free from Pádraig McKeever to hand the favourites a cosy 1-7 to 1-3 half-time lead.

The match was effectively over as a contest two minutes into the second period when Thomas O’Reilly’s speculative two-point attempt dropped short, somehow deceiving Burlingham in the process with the ball ending up in the net. Ward made it an eight-point margin before McKeever’s two-point free narrowed the gap temporarily.

There was no way back for Joe Lyon’s troops however, with Wolfe Tones getting stronger as the game wore on. A hat-trick of points from Ward (two) and Ó Fionnagáin despite another from Gough had the Feis Cup holders cruising entering the final quarter.

Níall Kane on his return to senior championship football notched another for the beleaguered blues but a further brace from O’Reilly and one from substitute Eoin Donegan made it a double-scores game entering the final five minutes, 2-14 to 1-7.

McKeever did muster another two-point free along with efforts from Tadhg Hanrahan and Brian McGrath, but the Tones were in a different league evidenced by late scores from the superb trio of O’Reilly, Ó Fionnagáin and Ward who converted a two-point free for the runaway winners.

Wolfe Tones - Ciarán Ó Gallachóir; Adrian Crawford, Shane Glynn, Conor Sheppard; Dan O’Neill, Ross Gallagher, Sean Penny (0-1); Adam O’Neill (0-1), Oisín Martin (0-1); Caolan Ward (1-7 1-0 penalty, one free, one two-point free), Thomas O’Reilly (1-3 one free), Sarán Ó Fionnagáin (0-4); Tom Gavigan, Fiachra Ward, Kyle Moran (0-1 free). Subs – Eoin Donegan (0-1) for Moran 41m, Brughach Ó Fionnagáin for D O’Neill 49m.

Simonstown - Robbie Burlingham; Mark Devlin, Michael Gavin, Shane Gallagher; Eddie Nash (0-1), Mark Gardiner, Brian McGrath (0-1); Shane Barry, Sean Conlon; Shane McEnery, Pádraig McKeever (0-6 one free, two two-point frees), Níall Kane (0-1); Eoghan Gough (0-2), Aaron Farrelly, Sean Tobin (1-0). Subs – Tadhg Hanrahan (0-1) for Barry 43m, Brían Conlon for Devlin 45m, Oran Meade for McEnery 51m, Aaron Chinchilla for Gough 55m.

Referee - Andrew Smith (Dunshaughlin).