BELGOOLY 2-11
GARNISH 2-5
JJ HURLEY REPORTS
Belgooly brushed Garnish away in the second half of the McCarthy Insurance Group confined junior B football championship in Dunmanway last Saturday.
Despite leading 2-3 to 0-5 at the interval, the Beara side had no answer to the Carrigdhoun team in the second period as Ryan Long led the line with a goal and two points.
Notching up just two points in the second half, Garnish were in all sorts of trouble as Long and Joe O’ Sullivan found the net in the second half.
In truth, Belgooly failed to take three guilt edge green flag opportunities during the 30 minutes when Joe O’Sullivan and Ronan Power each went close.
Despite opening with the first score, Belgooly found themselves trailing 2-2 to 0-3 after 10 minutes, as Garnish twice carved opened the Carrigdhoun side’s defence.
The first of those goals arrived after 2 minutes when Naoise Jeisy and Enna Murphy combined for the latter to net.
Belgooly had hardly time to draw breath as Tuan Millen set up Sean O’Sullivan for Garnish’s second goal after 10 minutes.
Some outstanding Sean Kiely defending settled his team’s nerves as they began to take control of the game.
Conor O’Donovan, deadly in front of the posts, added two points and the scoreboard read 2-3 to 0-5 to the men from the west at half time.
It was one-way traffic in the second half as Belgooly pushed home their advantage. The O’Donovan brothers, Conor and Eoin, aided by Long and helped by an impressive Liam Og O’Riordan pulling the strings, as Belgooly led 2-9 to 2-4 after 50 minutes.
To their credit, Garnish did not throw in the towel. Matthew O’Leary made a number of darting runs and caused problems for Belgooly, as did the hardworking Sean O’Sullivan and Enna Murphy.
Belgooly’s DJ Cotter continued to push up from the back and was rewarded with two points.
The real blows came from the goals in the 35th and 50th minutes via Long and O’Sullivan. Garnish had no answer to Belgooly’s green flags but Jerome O’Dwyer did score a late consolation point.
In reality, the game had long drifted away from the men from the west and Belgooly ran out six-point winners.
Scorers
Belgooly: R Long 1-2 (1 f), C O’Donovan 0-4 (1 f), D J Cotter 0-2, J O’Sullivan, A Daly E O’Donovan 0-1 each.
Garnish: E Murphy, A O’ Sullivan 1-1 each, J O’Dwyer, T Millen, S O’Sullivan, 0-1 each.
Belgooly: C Crowley; S Kiely, D Walsh, F Walsh; D J Cotter, N O’Sullivan, D O’Callaghan; G O’ Riordan, L O’Riordan; E O’Donovan, R Long, C O’ Donovan; A Daly, R Power, JO’Sullivan.
Subs: J O’ Regan for R Power (55).
Garnish: E O’Neill; M O’Leary, B Walsh, D O’Sullivan; K O’Sullivan, E Murphy, J O’Sullivan; T O’Sullivan, A O’Sullivan, C McCarthy, S O’ Sullivan, T Millen; C Collins, J O’ Dwyer, N Jeisy.
Subs: R Maher for J O Dwyer (47), J O’ Dwyer for Cillian O’Sullivan (56)
Referee: Olan O’ Donovan (Clonakilty).
