The Nire Brian Wall and An Rinn Shane Ó Ceallaigh in aerial battle at Fraher Field.
The Nire 3-11; An Rinn 0-7
Defending champions The Nire all but secured their predicted place in the latter stages of this year’s County Football Championship following a 13-point win over An Rinn at Fraher Field.
The first half was a very tight affair with The Nire going in at the break three points in front after An Rinn had proven profligate in front of goal, missing three good goal scoring chances.
The games scoring opened on 32 seconds when Diarmuid Wall kicked a point for the holders. Mike Tobin responded seconds later and when inter-county star Liam Ó Lionáin kicked a point shortly afterwards, The Nire knew that they were in a game.
Michael O’Gorman and Liam Ó Lionáin exchanged points and when O’Gorman kicked a second score just past the half way point in the opening half the sides were all level.
Minutes later, The Nire surged upfield and as Shane Walsh attacked the An Rinn goal he was brought down, leaving referee Jim Murphy with no option but to award a penalty which Walsh himself drove home.
While the first half was a true contest, the same couldn’t be said for the second, as The Nire ran rampant.
Brian Wall kicked two early points from frees to put Nire five points to the good, and when veteran Connie Power fired in the first of his goals four minutes after the restart the game was all but over.
Shane Walsh extended the champions lead before Mike Tobin kicked two points from frees to cut the champions advantage somewhat, but the respite for An Rinn was to be short lived.
The third goal of the game came with 12 minutes when Connie Power was given the simplest of tasks to touch the ball over the line following some good work in the build-up by dual Deiseman Shane Walsh.
The same player seconds later brought his total for the day to 2-1 when he kicked a point putting The Nire 3-7 to 0-5 to the good.
Shane Ó Ceallaigh converted a free for An Rinn but a brace of points from Brian Wall and Martin Walsh (all from play) further extended the champions lead.
Mike Tobin kicked a late consolation point for An Rinn in additional time at the end of the second half.
With the Nire all but guaranteed a place in the quarter finals, two other teams from Group 1 will join them there.
Saint Brendans, after two defeats in their opening games are unlikely to feature in the latter stages which will mean that two from Kilrossanty, Ardmore and An Rinn will advance, which will mean that as these sides meet in the remaining games some mighty battles will be fought.
Nire: T Flynn; J Walsh, T O’Gorman, Maurice O’Gorman; J Moore, D Ryan, P Prendergast; B Wall, Michael O’Gorman; D Wall, S Walsh, C Power; L Lawlor, M Walsh, M Moore. Sub R Fenton for S Walsh
Scorers: Connie Power 2-1, B Wall 0-4 (0-2 frees), S Walsh 1-1 (1-0 pen), Michael O’Gorman, M Walsh 0-2 each, D. Wall 0-1.
An Rinn: N Ó Lionáin; E Breathnach, C Ó Murchadha, S Ó Lionáin; P Ó Drócháin, S Ó Hartaigh, S Ó Drocháin; M Tobin, L Ó Lionáin; N Ó Murchadha, C Ó Conchubhair, T Ó hUallacháin; L de Gras, P Ó Murchadha, D O Murchadha.
Substitutes: S Ó Ceallaigh for S Ó Drocháin, S Ó Drocháin for Seamus Ó Lionáin.
Scorers: M Tobin, 0-4 (0-2 frees), L O Lionain 0-2 S O Ceallaigh 0-1.
Referee: J Murphy (Mount Sion).
