Match Report - Senior League v O'Tooles

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Crokes opening AHL1 (senior league) game against O’Tooles under lights in Blunden Drive on Monday 23rd March 2009 was competitive for the first forty minutes.  Then, in a game where the winners’ physicality was telling, O’Tooles pulled away to leave it 2-14 to 1-07 at the end.

 

The opening quarter saw scores come thick and fast with O’Tooles 1-5 to 1-2 to the good - the Crokes scores coming from Shane McNicholas (goal), after Ronan Walsh had done well to bring the ball in, and Fergal Armstrong (two points).  Two further Fergal Armstrong points and one from Aodhan de Paor, all from placed balls, cancelled the same scores from the homesters and it was 1-5 to 1-8 at the break.

 

Playing into the strong, and very cold, cross wind, Crokes opened the second half brightly.  When Fergal Armstrong sent over his second free of the half there was only one point in it.  That was as good as it got for Crokes.  From there on O’Tooles chalked up 1-6 without reply.  Aodhan de Paor was the pick of the Crokes team while Kevin O’Loughlin kept a sound goal.  Fergus Garvey, Niall Lillis, Adrian Grogan and James Burke also had their moments.

 

Team: K O’Loughlin, W Ryan, F Garvey, N Lillis, S Gillen, A de Paor (0-1, f-1), R Mangan, A Grogan, H Gannon, R Walsh, J Burke, C Clinton, S McNicholas (1-0), F Armstrong (0-6, f-4, 65-1, D McGovern.  Subs:  E de Paor for D McGovern (half time), A Cleary for C Clinton (48 mins), P Clinton, K Dalton, B O’Leidhin, N Mulligan, D Moran, S O’Rorke

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