Carnaross continued their recent run of form with a comprehensive victory over Clann na nGael in Round 6 of the A League in Dunganny.
Carnaross 3-15 Clann na nGael 2-6
A League (Division 3)
Played in Dunganny – 24/3/2018
The match had to be switched to Dunganny the day beforehand due to a lack of playable pitches and the game was played in excellent conditions with minimal wind.
The match started slowly with Patrick McDermott converting a free after a few minutes which proved to be the only score in the first ten minutes for either side. Clann na nGael then sprung to life and notched their first score of the game with a point from play. This was followed up by two quick-fire goals which left Carnaross reeling. The first goal came about after direct running created an overlap and the second was a well-taken penalty after a Clann na nGael player was brought down in the area.
Clann na nGael were on top at this stage as Carnaross struggled to deal with their runs from deep. However, the north Meath side gradually got to grips with this threat as they began to tackle aggressively further up the pitch. McDermott added a point from play and Dermot McGee followed up with Carnaross first goal of the game. The full forward chipped the ball over the keeper and into the far corner with an exceptional finish that may or may not have been intentional.
McDermott added another point from a tight angle to the right of the goal and substitute Thomas Nugent did well to gather a long ball in to the full forward line before turning his man and calmly slotting over. Clann na nGael then added the last point of the half to maintain a 1 point lead going into the break: 2-2 to 1-4.
Carnaross kept up their work rate in the second period and began to take control of the game. Incisive support running created several scoring opportunities which led to four successive points and a second goal for McGee. Wing forward Niall McDonnell then went on a scoring run and added 1-2 in a matter of minutes, the goal coming after an impressive run and finish to the bottom corner.
The Carnaross backline remained vigilant and repelled several Clann na nGael attacks during this period. Clann na nGael fought back and added two points in as many minutes but Carnaross maintained focus and outscored their opponents by 5 points to 2 for the remaining ten minutes to win on a score of 3:15 to 2:6. The two sides will meet again in the group stages of the championship which begins in two weeks.
Carnaross: Shane McNiffe, Peter Carpenter, Peter Farrelly, Jack Roche, Ian Donoghue, Cian O’Reilly, Paul Donoghue, Pierce Fleming, Tomás Plunkett (0-1), Niall McDonnell (1-3), Cormac O’Reilly, Stephen Flattery, John Brogan (0-1), Dermot McGee (2-1), Patrick McDermott (0-4, 1f). Subs: Thomas Nugent (0-1) for Flattery, Dillon Fox (0-1) for Fleming, Liam Brogan (0-1) for Donoghue, Shane Casserly (0-1) for John Brogan, Cian Yore (0-1) for Jack Roche
