Third quarter class fires Fr Caseys to comfortable win over Monaleen

FR CASEYS made it two wins from two in the Irish Wire Products Limerick Senior Football Championship after seeing off Monaleen on a 1-16 to 1-9 scoreline at Sean Finn Park, Rathkeale.

The Abbeyfeale side landed six points without reply at the beginning of the second half and Monaleen had no answer to Caseys’ power in that period.

Ronan Quirke’s 1-3 in the opening half had helped Caseys to a two-point advantage but six Darragh Murray brought Monaleen to within two points at the break.

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However, Caseys went through the gears in the second half to earn a well-deserved victory to add to the one they gained against Newcastle West in Round 1.

The game only got going on 18 minutes when a barnstorming run from Rory O’Brien opened up the door for Quirke to flash a powerful shot to the net to put Fr Caseys 1-2 to 0-1 ahead.

Darragh Murray’s second of the game and a Tadhg Ó Siochrú score brought Monaleen to within two but Michael Kilbridge and Quirke soon restored a four-point advantage for Keith Harnett’s Caseys.

A superb Murray two-pointer again cut the gap to two on the half hour but it was immediately cancelled out by a similar effort by Quirke that raised the orange flag.

However, a two-point Murray free saw the half time deficit at two with Fr Caseys leading by 1-6 to 0-7 at the end of the first half.

Monaleen would have been happy enough with their position heading into the second half but were blown away by the class and power of their opposition.

Caseys signalled their intention with Eliah Riordan effortless point from play that was followed up by scores from Michael Kilbridge, Quirke, O’Brien and Adrian Enright in the space of five minutes to leave the score at 1-11 to 0-7.

Quirke hit the target again to make it an eight-point game and that advantage was at nine moments later when Mark McCarthy popped up from centre back for his first score of the game.

Monaleen were shellshocked by what they faced in that second half and only registered their first point of the game on 51 minutes by virtue of an Ó Siochrú free.

Enright then fired over successive points for Caseys, who had emptied the bench at this stage, as they headed to a comfortable victory.

Jack Canny did get a late goal for the city divisional side but it was scant consolation for a Monaleen outfit that were well off the mark in the second half.

The win puts Fr Caseys at the top of Group 1 after two rounds ahead of the three-week break until the third round fixtures.

Scorers - Fr Caseys: Ronan Quirke 1-5 (1f), Michael Kilbridge and Adrian Enright 0-3 each, Eliah Riordan 0-2 (1f), Rory O’Brien, Mark McCarthy and Culann Quigley 0-1 each; Monaleen: Darragh Murray 0-6 (1 tpf), Jack Canny 1-0, Tadhg Ó Siochrú 0-3 (2f).

Fr Caseys: Sean Scannell; Danny McCarthy, Sean Kilbridge, Matthew O’Connor; Dan Daly, Mark McCarthy, Cathal Woulfe; Culann Quigley, Eliah Riordan; Rory O’Brien, Oisin Woulfe, Michael Kilbridge; Adrian Enright, Ronan Quirke, Dylan Quirke; Subs: Leon Curtin for Daly (21 mins, inj), Sam Quigley for O Woulfe (39 mins), Jamie O’Connor for O’Brien (44 mins), Ronan O’Connell for R Quirke (51 mins, inj).

Monaleen: Colm Mulhally; Darragh Clifford, Padraig Quinn, Conor Carew; Tadhg Ó Siochrú, Darragh Kennedy, Andrew Kearney; Luke Murphy, Lorcan Lyons; Paul Crosse, Darragh Murray, Mark Torpey; Jamie Crowley, Alan Nicholas, Jack Canny; Subs: Niall Loughran for Crosse (h-t), Barry Griffin for Crowley (37 mins), Robbie Widger for Kennedy (48 mins), Kyle O’Donovan for Kearney (61 mins), Harry McDermott for Clifford (61 mins).

Referee: Donnacha O’Callaghan (Feohanagh-Castlemahon).