Intermediates versus Clanna Gael Fontenoy in Championship - Thu, 10 Jun 2004
ST. BRIGID'S.........1-15
CLANNA GAEL/FONTENOY..0-12
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An Anthony Briody-inspired St. Brigid's eased past the challenge of Clanna
Gael at O'Toole Park last Thursday to move into the last eight of the
Intermediate Football Championship.
Briody was in superb form, especially in the first half, and ended the
game with 1-5 in his gearbag, 1-2 of which arrived from play.
But Briody wasn't the only to shine in the Brigid's attack as all six
forwards scored from play, with the likes of Seamus Bonner, Brian Donavan
and Oran McCann in particular standing out.
A gallant Clanna Gael outfit were brisk throughout, but in truth looked
second best for long spells of the game and simply had no answer to the
superb firepower of the free-flowing Brigid's attack, and in the end the
Ringsend boys' principle aim was to put a respectable look on the
scoreboard.
Mickey Joyce proved to be the main threat to Brigid's, as he left O'Toole
Park with 0-8 to his name, 0-6 of which arrived from placed balls.
Brigid's recorded a five-point victory over St. Mary's in the first round,
and continued from where they'd left off on Thursday to ease past Clanna
Gael.
The opening ten minutes were a tight affair which saw the Ringsend crew
0-3 to 0-2 up, but Brigid's hit the front seconds later with a superb goal
and never looked back thereafter.
The goal was a real gem, as a glorious long pass from Bonner found Briody
in acres of space, and the man-of-the match displayed remarkable composure
to calmly lob Ian Kavanagh when one-on-one with the 'Gael goalkeeper.
With the likes of Dessie Carolan, Cormac Kelly and Craig Kilmurray mopping
up everything around the middle of the park, Brigid's were now in complete
command, and extended their lead on twelve minutes when another fine pass
from Kilmurray reached Briody, who slotted over again to leave his team
three points clear (1-3 to 0-3).
To their credit, Clanna Gael kept plugging away as the game swung from end
to end, and the sides made the turn with Brigid's 1-6 to 0-8 clear as
McCann, Bonner and Donavan pointed for the Saints, while Joyce continued his
lone plight and ended the first half with all but one of his team's scores.
The see-saw nature of the contest continued after the restart, as Brigid's
held a 1-8 to 0-9 advantage after 35 minutes, after McCann and Kilmurray
split the uprights.
Donavan had a double opportunity to put Brigid's clear midway through the
half, as first he blazed wide with the goal gaping and then he came
agonisingly close to gathering the ball after Briody's point-effort had
struck the post.
Nevertheless, with the Brigid's rearguard - marshalled by the extremely
solid John Quinn at full-back - playing so well, Clanna Gael never seriously
threatened to hit back and it was the Saints who were collecting the scores
as Briody and Peter Blessing, a nephew of Meath legend Colm O'Rourke,
pointed to reward the Blanchardstown boys pressure (1-10 to 0-9).
After Brian Nicholson received his marching orders for striking Bonner,
Clanna Gael now appeared to have given all they could, and that proved to be
the case as further scores from Bonner, Kelly, Donavan and Briody (2) eased
the Russell Park boys to a comfortable win.
SCORERS: St. Brigid's: A Briody 1-5 (3f), B Donavon 0-3, O McCann, S
Bonner 0-2 each, C Kilmurray, P Blessing, C Kelly 0-1 each. Clanna
Gael/Fontenoy: M Joyce 0-8 (6f), M Neville 0-2 (1f), S Byrne, G Kavanagh 0-1
each.
ST. BRIGID'S: N Peacock; D Fitzgerald, J Quinn, C O'Sullivan; F Condron, D
Cahill, A Daly; D Carolan, C Kelly; O McCann, C Kilmurray, B Donavan; S
Bonner, P Blessing, A Briody. Sub: M Gahan for McCann.
CLANNA GAEL: I Kavanagh; M O'Sullivan, C Murphy, I McManus; B Nicholson, C
McGarvey, G Kavanagh; S Saunders, S Brady; P O'Malley, K Connolly, M Joyce;
M Neville, S Byrne, C Reynolds.
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