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Junior Hurlers continue impressive run of form defeating Liffey Gaels - Wed, 22 Jun 2005

St Brigids 1-13 Lifey Gaels 1-2

The Junior hurlers of St. Brigid's produced an impressive display to defeat a lacklustre Liffey Gaels outfit in this Championship encounter at Russell Park. The hosts were dominant from start to finish and completely outplayed their opponents in all sectors, as the defence and midfield comfortably dealt with what little Gaels had to offer, while Gerry Byrne and Neil Plunkett scored heavily, as the pair finished the game with a combined total of 1-9 to their name.

An indication of the Saints' supremacy was that Gaels couldn't score from play in the entire contest as their 1-2 arrived from two frees and a penalty that was harshly awarded against Fergal Phillips, while they also failed to score at all in the second half. The tone for the evening was quickly set as Brigid's began in far brighter fashion, and the hosts led by 1-2 to 0-0 midway through the first half, with Byrne claiming the goal.

They should have been further ahead as the likes of Waters and Neil Plunkett looked rampant in midfield, but some wayward shooting by the Brigid's attack prevented them from pulling clear. And Gaels capitalized in the ensuing minutes, and rallied somewhat as Robbie Lupton dissected the uprights before slotting home a disputed penalty to leave the minimum between the teams.

That was as good as it was to get for the visitors, however, and Brigid's simply upped their game once again and dominated the rest of the half, as two scores from Byrne and a fantastic long-range Plunkett point left the Russell Park boys 1-5 to 1-2 in front at the short whistle.

The second half descended into a procession for Brigid's, and they signalled their intent in the opening ten minutes of the half as Declan Maloney dissected the uprights before two more Plunketts points, the second of which a monster long-range free was the score of the contest. And the outcome was virtually decided midway through the second half, when Gaels were reduced to fourteen men after a sideline fracas.

With the hosts now rampant, the Gaels resistance faded, and Brigid's players such as Waters, Plunkett, John Hanley, Seamus Lynam and Noel Kidd were now beginning to thoroughly enjoy themselves. The scores continued to come, and the hosts moved into an unassailable nine-point lead with ten minutes remaining courtesy of efforts from substitute Pat O'Callaghan and two points from placed balls from the ever-impressive Plunkett (1-11 to 1-2).

With Gaels now more content in using any method to keep the score down then playing themselves, the final ten minutes were a non-event although Byrne and Hanley managed to hit the target and leave the hosts with a truly convincing eleven-point victory.

Scorers: G Byrne 1-4 (2f), Plunkett 0-5 (3f, 1'65), N Kidd, D Maloney, J Hanley, P O'Callaghan 0-1 each.

St Brigids: T O'Leary; D Long, F Phillips, W Corbett; B Mulcahy, J Dunning, D Cahill; A Waters, N Plunkett; J Hanley, S Lynam, M Fitzsimons; D Maloney, N Kidd, G Byrne.

Subs: S Dunning for Fitzsimons, K O'Neill for Lynam, P O'Callaghan for Kidd, P Carter for Plunkett, B Condrum for Byrne.

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