Morgan Fuels Down Senior Football Championship: Kilcoo 2-11 Clonduff 0-4
WE won’t start with the old ‘they haven’t gone away you know’ cliché, but they haven’t you know.
Kilcoo, looking as fit, inventive and determined as ever and adding an extra kick pass or two to their trademark short-passing game, ran Clonduff – reckoned to be one of their closest rivals for this Championship – ragged tonight.
Clonduff won the throw-in and, after a minute of keep-ball, Aidan Carr split the posts but that was the one and only time they led. Kilcoo were level after another minute when Anthony Morgan passed to Dylan Ward and then Conor Laverty’s mark edged the All-Ireland champions ahead.
Then Tom Close fouled Darryl Branagan and his quick free slipped in Anthony Morgan whose score left it 0-3 to 0-1 five minutes
Barry O’Hagan, well shackled by Aaron Branagan in the Kilcoo defence, sent a free wide and it was already apparent that Clonduff’s kicking game was only getting them so far against the massed ranks in the Kilcoo rearguard.
The Magpies hunted the ball down in packs, transitioned with lightening pace and they could kick it too.
Aaron Brangan’s brilliant run was rewarded with an equally brilliant pass. Branagan flicked the ball to Jerome Johnston whose shot was well saved by Devlin but his opposite number Niall Kane split the posts with the 45 and Clonduff were three in arrears.
The Clonduff goal didn’t survive the next attack though. Ryan McEvoy broke forward and picked out marauding Aaron Branagan who played in his brother Eugene (who never stopped running) and he lashed the ball into the net.
Ryan McEvoy fouled Barry O’Hagan but Tom Close wasn’t close enough from the free (Clonduff kicked four wides in the first half) and Eugene Branagan’s point extended Kilcoo’s lead to seven.
Paul Lively did pull one back after Kane had fumbled Aidan Carr’s long-range effort but Clonduff were having to battle just to stay afloat and Ward underlined the gulf between the sides when he had the space and time to stroke over his second off the outside of his right boot.
Down manager Laverty added another but the Yellas at least managed the last score of a one-sided half when Padraig Wilson nailed a 45 to leave it 1-7 to 0-3 at the interval.
Ward, who had a terrific game, won an early free after Ryan McEvoy, commanding in defence, had halted a Clonduff attack and McEvoy trotted forward to send it over the bar and Jason Morgan – one of Kilcoo’s new faces – extended the lead to nine after seven minutes of the second half.
And from there on it was predictable. Kilcoo keeping the ball and keeping it some more and Clonduff, who didn’t lack for effort but never got going, chasing to try and get it back.
Jerome Johnston added another and, although Eamon Brown did convert a free, Clonduff’s shooting didn’t improve enough to remotely threaten the Magpies and Sean Og McCusker’s cool finish drove the final nail into their coffin.
No, they haven’t gone away.
Kilcoo: N Kane (0-1 45); N Branagan, R McEvoy (0-1 free), McDarragh Hynes; Aaron Branagan, D Branagan, C Rogers; Aaron Morgan, Anthony Morgan (0-1); C Doherty, J Johnston (0-1), E Branagan (1-1); C Laverty (0-2, 0-1 mark), J Morgan (0-1), D Ward (0-2)
Subs: R Johnston for J Morgan (40), S Johnston (0-2) for Ward (48), T Fettes for C Rogers (52), D McEvoy for N Branagan (57), S Og McCusker (1-0) for E Branagan (57)
Clonduff: M Devlin; L Branagan, R Lively, C Brown; J Gribben, D O’Hagan, J O’Hagan; A Carr (0-1), C Brown; P Lively (0-1), B O’Hagan, C Carr; T Close, P Wilson (0-1 45), E Brown (0-1)
Subs: B McConville for C Brown (40), D Rafferty for J O’Hagan (40), A McConville for P Lively (48), P O’Hagan for C Carr (49), P Cowan for Gribben (58)
Referee: C Gribben