Fethard seal fourth
Mogue’s always had edge on Rocks
FETHARD ALWAYS had the upper hand in this contest to secure fourth in Group A of The Courtyard Ferns Intermediate hurling championship against a very disappointing Tara Rocks in Samaritans St. Patrick’s Park on Friday.
Remarkably, Cian Byrne’s 63rd-minute goal proved hugely significant. In the three-way ‘mini league’ involving Horeswood, Fethard and Askamore, scoring difference saw Jim Byrne’s side take fourth on -24 compared to Horeswood’s -27.
For a fifth-round game, this contest lacked intensity. Fethard couldn’t find a top gear, but they didn’t need to on an evening when the opposition’s touch and general play was well off the mark.
The seasiders were 5-0 up after six minutes, and were finding scores rather easy to come by against a team that were a pale shadow of the 2023 version.
With Cian Byrne on form from play and frees, and his brother Cillian causing problems with his pace, Fethard’s superiority was always going to be rewarded with scores.
But while Dean O’Toole was very good for the Gorey District side, and the likes of Niall Breen, Rob Murphy, Niall Hughes, Mark Boland and Páraic Hughes battled gamely, they simply were too far off the pace collectively.
The Fethard full-back line was on top, and while Tara Rocks competed well around the middle third, their touch and passing let them down repeatedly when they did deliver the sliotar to the inside line.
The fact that Tara Rocks were going to finish fifth or sixth irrespective of the result, and therefore be in a relegation semi-final, has to be factored in.
This was a much-needed win for Fethard after a below-par display against Rathnure a week earlier.
While the Byrnes bagged 2-7 between them, they were assisted in attack too by Adam Waters and Adam O’Grady, with the latter delivering his best display of the season.
A few well-struck frees from Niall Breen kept his side in touch in the first-half. On 22 minutes Fethard moved 1-7 to 0-4 clear when Cillian Byrne gathered a Garrett Foley delivery, turned with speed and managed to find the net despite being tackled.
Scores from O’Toole, Breen (free) and Curtis (free) brought Tara Rocks right back in it, but three Cian Byrne frees, and a neat score from play following a Jake Molloy run, left it 1-11 to 0-9 at the break.
It was a stop-start contest throughout, and this pattern continued in the second-half. Joe Curtis and Adam Waters exchanged scores early on, before the north Wexford men got back to within three with decent efforts from O’Toole and Páraic Hughes.
But they continued to undo a lot of their good work with careless errors. Cillian Byrne set up his brother Cian for a point on 42 minutes, and the former won a turnover before extending his wrists well to make it 1-14 to 0-12 entering the final quarter.
Both sides were guilty of wasting a few chances during this period. Tara Rocks emptied the bench and made a few switches, with Rob Murphy’s move to the forwards a positive one.
They were within four points in the latter stages, but Cian Byrne’s goal and pointed free late on, the goal coming after he raced on to an Adam O’Grady pass, before drilling to the net, saw the New Ross District side run out eightpoint winners.
Tara Rocks have a lot of soul-searching to do ahead of their preliminary quarter-final/relegation semi-final against Gusserane. Fethard march on to the preliminary quarter-final where they will face Craanford.
Fethard: Kieran Furlong; Dylan Whelan, Eoin Whelan, Chris Molloy; Darren Foley (capt.), Graham O’Grady, Richie Waters; John Tubritt, Jake Molloy; Adam O’Grady, Cian Byrne (1-14, 0-9 frees), Garrett Foley; Cillian Byrne (1-2), Seán Nunan, Adam Waters (0-2). Sub. – Conor McLoughlin for D. Foley (51).
Tara Rocks: Peter Hughes; Jason Bolger, Rob Murphy (0-1), Pádraig Jones; Conor Hughes, Niall Breen (capt., 0-5, 4 frees, 1 ’65), Tom Mordaunt; Conor Devitt, Mark Boland; Páraic Hughes (0-2), Niall Hughes, Dean O’Toole (0-5, 1 free); Conor Kinsella, Brendan Hobbs, Joe Curtis (0-2, 1 free). Subs. – Seán Hughes for C. Hughes (35), Brendan Bolger (0-1) for Curtis (42), Lee Owley for J. Bolger (47), Stephen Hughes for Hobbs (47), Seán Forde for Boland (51).
Referee: Gearóid McGrath (St. James’).