Cor na Boinne Cup
Match Report: Cor na Boinne Cup Round 2
Dunshaughlin: 1-18 (21) Longwood: 0-4
It was a nice evening for the Round 2 away clash with Caoimhin King’s Longwood. The home team were without the services of two Meath hurlers Mickey Burke and Damien Healy and the two Hogan brothers who are with the Meath footballers. Given the number of absentees, it was always going to be hard for Longwood against the team who came down from senior last year and who only had one player unavailable for selection due to Meath commitment, Mathew Costello. Also available to play for their clubs this weekend were members of the Meath under 20 panel and Richie Kealy started three of the Dunshaughlin contingent, Conor Gray in midfield, Ruairi Kinsella at centre forward and Aaron Murphy at corner forward. Gray was making his adult football debut having missed last year’s championship due to an ankle injury sustained in the All-Ireland Minor semi-final. The only other two changes from last weeks starting fifteen were Mark Galvin in goals and Niall Byrne at wing half forward.
The game was well over as a contest by half time with Dunshaughlin in a very commanding position leading 0-12 to 0-1. Dunshaughlin held Longwood scoreless until the 28th minute. The benefit of this pre-season competition is the use of unlimited subs which both teams took advantage of, Dunshaughlin introducing nine subs in the 2nd half. It was great to see James Traynor come on in the 2nd half, returning after a long injury, also among those introduced were the three other members of the Meath under 20 contingent, John McDonagh, Fursey Blake & Ciaran McCarrick and two players (with a big age gap between them) making their first appearances this year Luke McCarthy and Michael Aherne.
Dunshaughlin top scorers were Ruairi Kinsella (0-6) and Niall Byrne who in a seven-minute spell late in the game scored 1-2. Fergus Toolan and Aaron Murphy scored three points apiece, Cathal McCormack got two points and McCarrick and Harry Dunne got one a piece.
Dunshaughlin were in control throughout and after twenty minutes led 0-9 to 0-0 without too much of a fuss. There is plenty for Dunshaughlin to be happy about (including the high percentage of shots scored) but in truth little would have been learned from this game as Dunshaughlin were rarely troubled.
Although Dunshaughlin are still without their top free taker Luke Mitchell through injury they scored all five attempts with shots from frees with Kinsella executing perfectly. All six of the Dunshaughlin starting forwards scored.
Dunshaughlin play Kilmainham at home in their final Cor Na Boinne Group game next Friday night and we are bound to see some more players on display in addition to the thirty-three lads that have already played for Dunshaughlin in the first two Cor Na Boinne cup games.
Dunshaughlin scorers – Ruairi Kinsella 0-6, Niall Byrne 1-2 (0-5), Fergus Toolan 0-3, Aaron Murphy 0-3, Cathal McCormack 0-2, Ciaran McCarrick 0-1, Harry Dunne 0-1.
DUNSHAUGHLIN: Mark Galvin; Oisin Foley, Alaster Doyle, Paul Briody; Alex Arkins Flinter, David Dunne; David Fildes; Conor Gray, Ben Duggan, Niall Byrne, Ruairi Kinsella, Harry Dunne, Cathal McCormack, Fergus Toolan, Aaron Murphy.
Subs used: John McDonagh, Fursey Blake, Ciaran McCarrick, James Traynor, Sean O’Neill, Conor Duke, Andrew Leneghan, Luke McCarthy, Michael Aherne (all 2nd half).