Valley Rovers 0-18

Kinsale 1-12

JJ HURLEY REPORTS

VALLEY Rovers had an extra gear to move into as the Innishannon men saw off Kinsale in a competitive Ross Oil South East Junior A hurling final at Shanbally on Saturday.

Valleys now face Dromina in the quarter-final of the Co-Op Superstores county junior A hurling championship.

Having impressed in the championship so far, Kinsale pushed the Innishannon outfit all the way, but two barren spells in either half for the seasiders proved costly.

Acknowledging that Kinsale had put it up to his team, manager Darragh Crowley was delighted to get over the line.

‘Yeah, over the moon,’ he said.

‘We knew it was going to be a battle, and every fella turned up for battle. That’s all we could ask. We got over the line, eventually.’

On a day when leaders were required, Eoghan Galgey really stood out, adding ten points to his team’s tally. His performance was not lost on his manager.

Crowley also had plenty of praise for Johnny Cottrell, whose vast experience proved important in steadying the ship when required.

From the opening exchanges, it was clear that there was little to separate the sides, with Kinsale and Valley Rovers trading scores in a competitive encounter.

However, a crucial spell in the closing stages of the first half proved costly for Kinsale, as Valleys registered five unanswered scores to take control of the game.

Kinsale made a positive start, with John O’Brien opening their account from a free. Valleys responded strongly.

Conor Taheny came close to finding the net, only for his goal-bound effort to be denied by Timmy Broderick. The resulting 65 was converted by Galgey to get Valleys up and running.

Galgey added another point before Eoin O’Reilly got his first of the afternoon, giving Valleys a 0-3 to 0-1 advantage after ten minutes.

Kinsale soon found a response through Michael Murphy, who produced an excellent individual effort to fire the ball into the Valley Rovers net. Further points from Galgey and O’Brien left the score at 1-2 to 0-4 midway through the half.

Kinsale continued to build momentum, adding two more points alongside an excellent long-range free from Seán O’Regan. Their efforts gave them a two-point cushion as the game approached the break.

However, Valleys finished the half in impressive fashion. They took control of the scoring exchanges, hitting five consecutive points, three of them from Galgey, to head into the dressing room with a 0-10 to 1-4 lead.

Valley Rovers' Eoghan Galgey was named man of the match. (Photo: Siobhan Russell)

The teams were evenly matched again after the restart, with both sides registering eight points over the second half. O’Brien and Ollie Buckley got Kinsale off the mark, but Valleys quickly reasserted themselves with another unanswered run of five points.

Cottrell contributed two of those scores as Valleys moved 0-15 to 1-6 clear after 46 minutes.

As the closing stages approached, Galgey and O’Brien exchanged points, leaving four points between the sides with just three minutes remaining.

Kinsale continued to search for the goals that might bring them back into contention, but they were unable to find the breakthroughs they needed. They finished the second half having outscored Valleys by three points to two, but it was not enough to overturn the deficit.

Charlie O’Sullivan was outstanding in the Valley Rovers defence, helping his side withstand the late Kinsale pressure. With Kinsale running out of time to mount a comeback, it was fitting that Galgey, who was named man of the match, added the final score of the contest.

Scorers 

Valley Rovers: E Galgey 0-10 (6f, 2 65); J Cottrell, E O’Reilly, K Dart O’Flynn 0-2 each; S O’Regan (f), C McCarthy, C Taheny 0-1 each.

Kinsale: J O’Brien 0-9 (8f, 1 65); M Murphy 1-0; O Buckley, C Fitzpatrick, M Murphy 0-1 each.

Kinsale: T Broderick; N McCarthy, K O’Callaghan, D O’Leary; J Murphy, O Ryan, B Coughlan; C Fitzpatrick, B O’Neill; N Ryan, O Buckley, J O’Brien; D Forde, C Fitzpatrick, M Murphy.

Subs: G Finn for N Ryan (43), C O’Leary for O Buckley (51).

Valley Rovers: J Lynch; N Daly, C O’Sullivan, E Duarte; S O’Regan, D Lynch, E Delaney; C Kilduff, E O’Reilly; C McCarthy, K Dart O’Flynn, J Cottrell; S McEntee, C Taheny, E Galgey.

Subs: D Carthew for S McEntee (43), S O’Leary for C McCarthy (48).

Referee: A O’Connor (Ballygarvan).