Kilnadeema/Leitrim 1-23
Carnmore 1-15
A goal from half-time substitute Shane Lawless early in the second period proved to be the crucial score in Kilnadeema/Leitrim finally breaking the challenge of a plucky Carnmore outfit who, early on, had led this Group A contest by six points at Kenny Park, Athenry on Saturday.
For 24-hours, this Kilnadeema/Leitrim victory gave them a mathematical chance of still making the knockout stages. However, with Liam Mellows defeating Tommy Larkins and Craughwell accounting for Castlegar, it meant Des Roche’s charges must now shift their focus to retaining their senior A status.
That next phase will be crucial for what is a young up-and-coming team, underlined by the fact many of Saturday’s players at Kenny Park were either still minor or U-21. Regardless, they still played with a great deal of maturity when, on occasions, it looked like a result might get away from them.
No more so than in the opening 10 minutes. Despite being without some influential players, including Paul Fox and Ciaran Murray, Carnmore sprinted out of the blocks and hit the opening six points through Kevin Killilea (four, three frees), Barry Hanley and George Hanley.
Thereafter though, Kilnadeema/Leitrim began to get a handle on the game. Galway forward Brian Molloy was a guiding light, tallying 14 points over the ensuing 50 minutes, six from play. Seven of those were tallied in the first half and they were enough to cut the deficit to just one by the interval.
Kilnadeema/Leitrim’s only other contributor during this time was recent All-Ireland minor medal winner Jack Kenny, who finished off a move involving Tom Tierney and Molloy, and, overall, Des Roche and his management would not have been entirely happy with their side’s first half showing.
At any rate, the victors responded in the second period, outscoring Carnmore by 1-10 to 0-2 in the opening 18 minutes. Along with Molloy, two other players to the fore in this impressive epoch were substitutes David Tierney and Lawless, both of whom would finish with 0-3 and 1-2 respectively.
Lawless, his first touch, Dara Herlihy (2) and Molloy all struck points immediately after the break and, while Barry Hanley replied for Carnmore to leave two points between them (0-12 to 0-10), Kilnadeema/ Leitrim were now relentless. It was only a matter of time before they cracked Carnmore.
That moment arrived on 36 minutes when a short puck-out to Stephen Molloy enabled him a free delivery downfield. Getting on the end of it, speedy substitute Lawless raced on and steered the sliotar to the Carnmore net. For Seamus Qualter’s charges, yet another game had slipped unceremoniously away.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
