Kilmacud Crokes second half blitz claims victory over Whitehall Colmcille

KILMACUD CROKES 2-25 

WHITEHALL COLMCILLE 2-16

Kilmacud Crokes picked up the precious two points on offer when accounting for Whitehall Colmcille by nine points in their Go-Ahead Dublin Senior 1 Hurling Championship Group 1 encounter at Parnell Park on Saturday afternoon.

Both teams entered the clash in dire need of a victory having lost their opening fixture, with the decisive scoring burst arriving in the early stages of the second-half as Crokes struck for two goals inside three minutes through Dara Purcell and Sean Purcell.

Whitehall could not have wished for a brighter start as Eoghan O’Donnell collected possession fifteen metres from goal in the 2^nd minute and while his subsequent shot lacked power, it possessed enough precision to nestle in the bottom corner of Ben Hynes’ net.

A cracking point by Sean Foran followed soon after as Colmcille opened up an early four-point lead before Crokes halved their arrears thanks to an Oisin O’Rorke free and a Conal Ó Rain.

O’Rorke added two further frees but it was evident from the outset that the holders were struggling to impose themselves in attack, with the exception of the lively Brendan Scanlan.

Scanlan added two scores from play to keep Kilmacud in touch but with the wind at their backs, Colmcille continued to keep their scoreboard ticking over thanks to a brace of Eoghan O’Donnell points and an excellent solo score from Enda O’Donnell.

With little to be seen in an attacking perspective from the likes of Dara Purcell, O’Rorke, Fergal Whitely and Alex Considine, Crokes were largely reliant on the free-taking of O’Rorke for scores and two frees in quick succession helped restore parity by the 28^th minute.

However, Eoghan O’Donnell continued to prove a handful for the Crokes defence and a barnstorming run from fifty metres culminated in a kicked shot that flew past the helpless Hynes to leave his personal tally at 2-2 by half-time.

Leading by 2-8 to 0-12 at the break, Whitehall briefly extended their lead through a third Eddie Moran free but they soon found themselves on the back foot as Dara Purcell raced onto Michael Roche’s pass before firing emphatically beyond Ronan Murray from ten yards.

Points followed from Whitely and Scanlan before Kilmacud opened up a healthy lead in the 34^th minute as substitute Sean Purcell highlighted his poacher’s instincts in poking home after Whitely’s point attempt had dropped short.

From that juncture, the Kilmacud attack found a greater degree of room to exploit and while their finishing lacked its customary precision, they began to pull away thanks to points from Dara Purcell, Scanlan, Colin Crehan and O’Rorke.

At the opposite end, Eoghan O’Donnell was unable to repeat his first-half heroics as Cian Ryan and Mark Grogan mopped up well under sporadic pressure although Adam McDermott’s perseverance was rewarded with two smart points from play.

Fittingly, the final score arrived through O’Rorke, his tenth free and eleventh point in total, as Kilmacud eased home with plenty to improve on ahead of Round 4.

Scorers – Kilmacud Crokes: O O’Rorke 0-11 (10f), D Purcell 1-2, B Scanlan 0-4, S Purcell 1-0, F Whitely, A Considine, C Crehan 0-2 each, C Ó Riain, B Kenny 0-1 apiece. Whitehall Colmcille: Eoghan O’Donnell 2-2, E Moran 0-6 (6f), A McDermott 0-2, D Gray, Enda O’Donnell, L McCarthy, S Foran, D Ryan, N O’Connor 0-1 apiece.

Kilmacud Crokes: B Hynes; B O’Carroll, D Lucey, C Ryan; C Conway, M Grogan, C Ó Riain; B Hayes, D Purcell; S Veale, O O’Rorke, F Whitely; B Scanlan, A Considine, M Roche. Subs: S Purcell for Veale (half-time), C Crehan for Considine (45), B Kenny for Roche (51), J Dillon for Scanlan (53), L O’Loughlin for O’Rorke (62).

Whitehall Colmcille: R Murray; D Noonan, C Murphy, J Thorp; D Constantine, D Gray, Enda O’Donnell; S Cassidy, E Moran; C Boland, L McCarthy, S Foran; C Cummins, Eoghan O’Donnell, A McDermott. Subs: K Nangle for Constantine (24), D Ryan for Boland (half-time), N O’Connor for Cassidy (45), S Kellett for Cummins (53), P Spellacy for Foran (62).

Referee: Mark Ryan (St Patrick’s Palmerstown).