Lynch fires Reds to victory over Na Fianna

Aaron Lynch scored 0-12 in Trim's opening round win over Na Fianna at Summerhill on Saturday.

Trim 0-5-9 (19)

Na Fianna 0-4-4 (12)

Trim and Na Fianna served up a two-pointer bonanza in Summerhill as Aaron Lynch’s impressive tally of 0-12 helped the Reds seal victory in this SFC opening-round clash on Saturday.

Lynch scored 0-8 of Trim’s first-half tally of nine points as they somewhat pulled away from Na Fianna in the second quarter. Ken Robinson’s side largely kept the opposition at arms length for the majority of the second-half. Tom Carmody’s two-pointer in the 50th minute put Trim ahead by seven points and effectively put the game beyond Na Fianna’s reach.

As impressive as Lynch’s scoring tally was, Trim have a lot to be thankful for the tenacity and energy that their backs brought to the clash. In particular, Conor McGinley stood out for his hungry defensive performance and he forced several turnovers. Conor Quigley also had a big impact when he was introduced in the second-half and he further solidified an already strong defence.

Ciaran Caulfield showed his class in the middle of the park at various stages while James Murray pulled some strings at centre-forward. The first-half was played at quite a slow tempo as both sides allowed each other plenty of time on the ball to work opportunities and scores.

Sean Rafferty set up Conor Downey for the opening score before Lynch took a stronghold on proceedings early on. In the space of two minutes, Lynch rattled of 0-4 which included a wonderful strike for a two-pointer.

Ethan Devine responded with an orange flag of his own before Eoin O’Reilly made a save to deny Cormac Rafferty a goal. Lynch then slotted two two-point frees off the deck while Dan Queeney kept Na Fianna’s tally ticking with their second orange flag.

Eoin Sweeney’s goal effort in the 28th minute rattled off the post and on the cusp of half-time, Carmody became the first player other than Lynch to register a score for Trim. At the break Trim led 0-9 to 0-5.

Five minutes after the restart, a Na Fianna defender interfered with a Trim free and that proved to be a costly mistake as the ball was advanced 50 meters which afforded Lynch the opportunity to raise another orange flag and bring his own personal tally into double figures.

A minute later, Alan Douglas had the goal at his mercy but instead opted to try to pass across to the onrushing Eoin O’Connor but the corner-forward failed to get enough of a touch on the ball to direct it into the net. In the very next play, Dan Queeney slotted a two-point free before Ethan Devine reduced the gap back to three points with 20 minutes left.

However, Trim responded well and seized momentum. Shane Geraghty pulled off a super save to deny Murray a goal but Lynch split the posts with the resulting ’45’. Caufield added a point before Carmody scored Trim’s fifth two-pointer which extended the gap to seven points with only 10 miniutes left.

Dan Queeney pulled one back for Na Fianna with a free but his score was cancelled out when David Lernihan claimed a Na Fianna kick-out and set up Carmody for a lovely point. Substitute Luke Kelly registered a nice score but again Trim responded well with a point when Sweeney played a lovely ball into O’Connor and he raised a white flag.

Shane Jordan raised an orange flag in injury time but again Trim maintained the gap between the sides with two points courtesy of Caufield and a free from Lynch. A late black card to Oran Smullen for dissent added a pinch of salt to the wounds of the Enfield side.

Trim: Eoin O’Reilly; Conor McGinley, Brian Bolger, Padraig Walsh; Cathal O’Reilly, Jack McGowan, Daire Lynch; David Lernihan, Ciaran Caulfield (0-2); Eoin Sweeney, James Murray, Tom Carmody (0-4 one two-pointer); Eoin O’Connor (0-1), Alan Douglas, Aaron Lynch (0-12 three two-point frees, one free, one two-pointer, one ‘45’). Subs: Conor Quigley for D Lynch half-time, Ciaran O’Rourke for McGowan 42m, Ian Byrne for Douglas 54m.

Na Fianna: Shane Geraghty; Cian Doherty, Sean Rafferty, Michael Farley; Sam Jordan, Oran Smullen, Conor Downey (0-1); Daniel Callaghan, Anthony Healy; Shane Jordan (0-2 two-pointer), Oisín Bright, Lewis Cassidy; Daniel Queeney (0-5 one two-point free, one free, one two-pointer), Ethan Devine (0-3 one two-pointer), Cormac Rafferty. Luke Kelly (0-1) for Callaghan half-time, Eoin Bright for Cassidy 38m, Jamie Queeney for C Rafferty 49m, Paul Kennedy for O Bright 55m, Cian Spillane for Shane Jordan 59m.

Referee: David Gough (Slane).