Fr Casey's secure comfortable win to finish Limerick SFC group with perfect record
Fr Casey’s were already assured of a Limerick Senior Football Championship semi-final spot before Thursday night’s clash
SEMI-FINAL bound Fr Casey’s ended their round robin campaign with a fifth win in a row as they defeated Oola 1-18 to 1-8 in the Irish Wire Products Senior Football Championship in Kilmallock on Thursday.
The Abbeyfeale men are looking to regain the Fr Casey Cup for the first time in 20 years and are an hour away from returning to a second final in three years.
Top spot was assured for the west Limerick men before this clash between these two teams whose pitches are 90km apart.
Defeat for Oola - paired with Galtee Gaels defeating St Kieran’s - means the east Limerick side must now face into the relegation playoffs.
They have two games to preserve their senior status and will want to see improvements from a Thursday night clash where they only had two players on the scoresheet.
Eliah Riordan and Dylan Quirke got the Abbeyfeale men off the mark but the first real hammer blow was dealt by Oola.
In the ninth minute, Raymond Ryan broke a kick out and the ball went to Shane O’Grady who took on two defenders before a low, hard finish past Kevin Lane.
The scoring - and assisting from Riordan ensured the west side regained the lead. He kicked a two-pointer and set up two Ronan Quirke scores 60 seconds apart.
A Paddy Ryan two-pointer ensured Oola stayed in touch but scores from Dylan Quirke, Callum Boyce, Jamie O’Connor and Diarmuid Buckley saw Casey’s take a 0-11 to 1-5 lead into the half time break.
The second half was a disjointed affair.
Evan O’Connor’s 37th minute goal after a sloppy turnover in the Oola defence all-but sealed the win in the third quarter.
Casey’s played most of the rest of the game a man short as Leon Curtin and later Eliah Riordan received black cards.
Oola couldn’t make the most of the numerical advantage scoring only twice in the second half, including a Paddy Ryan two-point free. Ryan would end up with a match-best personal tally of 0-7.
At the other end, Ronan Quirke knocked over late frees to notch up half a dozen points to top-score for the Abbeyfeale side.
The fifth win in a row has earned them a rest period where they can sit back and watch the quarter-finals in a couple of weeks time.
A late red card for Oola’s Darragh Coughlan saw the east Limerick side finish with 14 as the game fizzled out in a lifeless fourth quarter.
SCORERS - FR CASEY’S: Ronan Quirke 0-6 (2f); Eliah Riordan 0-5 (1 tptf 1 ‘45); Evan O’Connor 1-0; Sean Kilbridge 0-2 (1 2pt); Dylan Quirke, Callum Boyce, Jamie O’Connor, Diarmuid Buckley and Mark McCarthy 0-1 each; OOLA: Paddy Ryan 0-7 (1f, 1 tpt, 1 tptf); Shane O’Grady 1-1.
FR CASEY’S: Kevin Lane; Danny McCarthy, Sean Kilbridge, Matthew O’Connor; Mark McCarthy, Diarmuid Buckley, Callum Boyle; Dan Daly, Cullan Quigley; Sam Quigley, Eliah Riordan, Dylan Quirke; Evan O’Connor, Ronan Quirke, Jamie O’Connor; Subs: Adrian Enright for M O’Connor (24 mins); Leon Curtin for D Quirke (39 mins); Ronan Sweeney for Daly (44 mins); Aaron O’Kelly for S Quigley (47 mins).
OOLA: Cian McGrath; Padraig Crowe, Niall McCormack, Sean Ryan; Dylan McGrath, Eoin Ftizgibbon, Colin O’Grady; Tom Ryan, John O’Callaghan; Darragh Coughlan, Shane O’Grady, Raymond Ryan; Eamon Lyons, Packie Richardson, Paddy Ryan. Subs: Fionn Foche for Richardson (h-t); Liam Cummins for R Ryan (55 mins).
Referee: Johnny Murphy (Ballylanders).