ACHL Division 1
Naomh Éanna 1-15 O’Donovan Rossa 1-18
Photographs: JJ Lawell
A Pearce Short goal eight minutes from time was the decisive score as Rossa overcame the challenge of St. Enda’s in a well-contested game at Hightown on Wednesday.
There was little between the sides during a contest where the points were important for contrasting reasons with Rossa keen to maintain their place at the top of the table while Naomh Eanna wanted to climb out of the bottom 3.
Naomh Éanna got off to a flying start with Niall O’Connor and Joe Maskey firing over early points at Hightown.
Deaglan Murphy replied for Rossa from a free, but Naomh Eanna were flying and added points through Cormac Jennings and Frank Kane as they dominated the early exchanges.
Rossa began to grow into the contest however and replied with a hat-trick of scores from Murphy – one from play – to draw level before edging ahead with points from James Connolly, Eoghan McMenamin and Seaghan Shannon.
Maskey ended a barren 17 minutes for the hosts from a free after they had shot a number of wides, but McMenamin and Murphy hit back at the other end.
The hosts looked in for a goal late in the half but Brendan Cormican screwed his shot wide when a goal looked on and Rossa went in at the break with a 0-10 to 0-6 lead after Jennings and Murphy traded late scores.
Murphy extended the Rossa lead from a free early in the second half, but Naomh Eanna grabbed the goal they needed as Ruairi Donaghy got onto a long delivery and despite being closed down, he created the space to fire home.
Cormac Jennings followed with a point as Naomh Eanna started to threaten with Murphy replying at the other end but it was the hosts who were calling the shots and Maskey, O’Connor and Luke O’Connor were all on target as the Hightown side hit the front again.
Rossa replied and points from Murphy and Joe Mulholland tipped the balance back in their favour, but Donaghy levelled again from a free.
It was all to play for heading into the final quarter, with Murphy hitting three of the next four points from placed balls, while he was denied a goal by Niall McGivern.
However, that goal would arrive in the 52nd minute as a Mulholland shot was parried by McGivern but Short was first react to the break as he finished to the net.
Donaghy and James Connolly swapped points, but another Donaghy free and Cormac Jennings’ fourth from play left three between the sides as the clock ticked down.
Naomh Éanna pressed hard in the closing stages but a number of high deliveries failed to produce the goal they needed and they had a late appeal for a penalty waved aside as Rossa held on for the win that keeps them top of the table.
Naomh Éanna: N McGivern; R Eager, D Maguire, O Ó Quinn; E Conlon (0-1), N O’Connor (0-2), M McGibbon; C O’Connor, C McAlister; R Donaghy (1-3, 0-3f), M Mullan, J Maskey (03, 1f); F Kane (0-1), C Jennings (0-4), B Cormican.
Subs: D Maguire for M Mullan (HT), L O’Connor (0-1) for B Cormican (35), R Gillan for F Kane (49), E O’Connor for O Ó Cuinn (53)
Rossa: D Armstrong; O McVicker, C Orchin, N Crossan; C McGuinness, G Walsh, A O’Brien; J Mulholland (0-1), E Trainor; S Shannon (0-1), P Short (1-0), D Rogan; E McMenamin (0-2), J Connolly (0-2), Deaglan Murphy (0-12, 9f, 1×65).
Subs: Daire Murphy for D Rogan (43), T Morgan for S Shannon (43), L Carr for E Trainor (56), C Walsh for Deaglan Murphy (60+1)
Referee: Piarais McCaffrey (St Gall’s)
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