Resilient St Kieran’s surprise Monaleen in Limerick senior football championship

SAINT Kieran’s pulled off a shock 3-14 to 2-9 victory over Monaleen in Adare on Saturday to make it two wins out of two in Group One of the Irish Wire Products county senior football championship.

Six points down just minutes before the break despite playing with the wind, St Kieran’s looked in big trouble before a penalty launched an amazing turnaround during which they outscored their opponents by 3-11 to 1-3. 

Kierans’ trump card was the finishing of Alan Daly and Eoin McEnery as well as half-time substitute Dylan Moloney who banged fourteen scores between them once given enough space to find the route to the posts.

Early on, they were starved of possession as Monaleen played with far more control than in their opening defeat to Adare and, with Daniel Daly providing both a focus and a finish for their attack, they clinically established their dominance.

However, once their carefully-constructed lead was shaved back coming up to the interval, St Kieran’s found not only a new lease of energy but also a sense of belief not seen in recent seasons.

Monaleen failed to respond and allowed their opponents to stage a second fightback after a mini-recovery saw the city side regain the lead going into the final quarter.

With their next outing after the six-week break against table-proppers Na Piarsaigh, Kierans are in pole position to grab that third victory that will ensure a quarter-final place at a minimum.

Monaleen, on the other hand, still have to meet pacesetters Mungret-St Paul’s and nothing less than success in the three remaining group fixtures is likely to be enough to secure their accustomed place in the knockout phase.

SCORERS: ST KIERAN’S: Alan Daly 1-7 (0-5 frees), John Hayes 2-1 (2-0 penalties), Dylan Moloney (1 mark), Eoin McEnery 0-3 each; MONALEEN: Daniel Daly 1-5 (0-2 frees), Barry Griffin 1-0, Conal Ó Duinn, Dara Golden, Dara Ó Siochrú, Darragh Murray 0-1 each.

ST KIERAN’S: Ray Noonan; Michael Shanahan, Brendan McCarthy, Mossie Shine; Darragh McMahon, Darragh Treacy, Michael Long; Diarmuid Mulcahy, John Hayes; Adam Lacey, Eoin McEnery, Anthony Mullins; Alan Daly, Liam Kennedy, Cormac Mann. SUBS: Aaron Heffernan for Oisín Ryan (injured, 17 minutes), Seán Long for Anthony Mullins (28 minutes), Dylan Moloney for Mossie Shine (half-time), Cillian Heffernan for Michael Long (51 minutes).

MONALEEN: Colm Mohally; Darragh Clifford, Dara Golden, Peter Clarke; Shane Cusack, Darragh Kennedy, Ger Clancy; Paul O’Shea, Darragh Murray; Conal Ó Duinn, Niall Loughran, Dara Ó Siochrú ; Paul Crosse, Daniel Daly, Jack Canny. SUBS: Tadhg Ó Siochrú for Ger Clancy (38 minutes), Barry Griffin for Paul Crosse (47 minutes), Darragh Killeen for Conal Ó Duinn (injured, 60 minutes).

REFEREE: Jonathan Hayes (Saint Senan’s).