McCarthy’s Insurance Group Senior Football County League – Round 8

Full Time: Kenmare Shamrocks 2-16 (22) | Kerins O'Rahillys 1-19 (22) 

A blistering second-half performance, capped off by an unbelievable late long-range free from Tom Hoare, saw Strand Road secure a hard-earned and well-deserved share of the spoils in a high-scoring thriller down in Fr. Breen Park. On a sweltering afternoon for football, a gritty Blues outfit dug deep in a tight, point-for-point battle, showing immense character to match Kenmare the whole way through and ensure they returned up the road with a valuable league point.

Strand Road shuffled the pack before throw-in, with Rob O’Connor in goals, and Seamus Cahill, Donagh Buckley, and Ben O'Brien out of the starting lineup. In came Nick Lacey, Brayden Pierce, and Conor O'Sullivan, while Conor Hayes also missed out through injury.

Kenmare hit the ground running with a fast start, aided by late addition Tom Murnane pointing twice and Stephen O'Brien registering an early score. Strand Road settled into a good spell of possession to weather the storm, leading to a hard run through the middle where Ben Hanafin won a free, which Darragh O'Connor coolly converted. Shortly after, Nick Lacey won a crucial break, working it to O'Connor who was fouled, slotting the subsequent free.

O'Rahillys won another Kenmare kickout immediately after, working the ball well to Jake Hoare who fired over a fine point from play. Kenmare threatened to stretch their lead when they cut through for a major goal chance following a cheap Strand Road turnover, but wing-back Zack O'Shea pulled his effort wide to give the visitors a let-off.

The Blues capitalized on the reprieve; an incisive run from Padraig Griffin set up Darragh O'Connor to arrow over a magnificent 2-pointer from play. Defensively, Strand Road were tenacious, forcing an overcarrying free, though a long-range 2-point effort from Nick Lacey drifted just short. After a long, patient spell of possession, Barry John Keane won a free just outside the arc, but O'Connor's effort off the deck went narrowly wide. 

With Kenmare hitting a strong patch, Darragh got a vital point from play to keep the side in touch. While Conor O'Sullivan saw an initial chance to bring us closer drift wide, he backed himself immediately afterwards by nailing the next chance to close out the half, leaving Strand Road trailing by just two, 0-09 to 0-07.

Half Time: Kenmare Shamrocks 0-09 (9) | Kerins O'Rahillys 0-07 (7)

With the breeze at their backs for the second period, Strand Road exploded out of the blocks. Quick scores were exchanged before Shane McElligott won a vital kickout, allowing Jake Hoare to set up Ben Hanafin for a lovely point on the run. Momentum shifted further when Barry John Keane forced a kickout turnover and immediately unleashed a massive 2-pointer from play. Moments later, a booming kickout was won by Daniel Bowler, who found Darragh; the joint captain brilliantly slalomed past his marker and buried a clinical shot into the corner of the net for a green flag.

Kenmare responded well to our purple patch. Rob pulled off a spectacular point-blank save in the Strand Road goal, but the rebound was bundled over the bar. Jake Hoare steadied the ship with a counter-attack point, and after a towering catch from Tom Hoare, O'Connor floated over another point from play. O'Connor then displayed his elite range by drilling a spectacular 2-pointer from miles out off the deck.

Rob was called into action again to make two further crucial stops, before excellent link-up play between TJ Heaphy and Gearoid Savage down the left flank found O'Connor, who was fouled to yield another point. However, Kenmare struck a major blow with a goal of their own, despite hints of a square ball.

Staring down a late deficit after Kenmare raised another green flag, Strand Road refused to yield. Nick Lacey stepped up with a massive score under pressure to level the sides. In a frantic, nerve-shredding final few minutes, the Blues retained possession but struggled to carve open a clear opening through the Kenmare cover. Enter Ryan Carroll, who won a crucial free through sheer bravery. With the pressure at its absolute peak, Tom Hoare stepped up to take a long-range free from miles out, ice-veined, and nailed it to put Strand Road two points up deep in injury time.

Unfortunately, we couldn't retain possession from the ensuing play, and Kenmare worked the ball down the field with Kevin O'Sullivan landing a late two-pointer from play to level it at the death. A breathless finish to a classic encounter, sending both teams home with a hard-earned point.

Kerins O’Rahillys: Robert O’Connor, TJ Heaphy, Jake Foley, Brayden Pierce, Gearoid Dillane, Ben Hanafin, Daniel Bowler, Tom Hoare, Shane McElligott, Barry John Keane, Padraig Griffin, Jake Hoare, Darragh O’Connor, Conor O’Sullivan, Nick Lacey

Subs Used: Odhran Kerins, Ryan Carroll, Gearoid Savage, Stephen Nix

Scorers: Darragh O'Connor (1-09, tp, tpf, 3f), Barry John Keane (0-02, tp), Tom Hoare (0-02, tp), Jake Hoare (0-02), Conor O'Sullivan (0-02), Nick Lacey (0-01), Ben Hanafin (0-01).