Derrynoose 1-8 Shane O’Neill’s 0-18
Shane O’Neill’s are the first team through to the Intermediate Championship semi-finals as they defeated Derrynoose. Seven-points split the teams by the end of the game, with the Shane’s being deserved victors.
The men in green and white started brilliantly and always had their noses ahead throughout. The scoring power and accuracy in front of the posts from Ruairi O’Brien was key in the end for the Shane O’Neill’s men.
Shane O’Neill’s, with the breeze at their backs, sailed into a six-point lead by the end of the first quarter. Ruairi O’Brien and Paul O’Rourke raised two white flags a piece while David McCabe and Keegan Grant also split the posts.
Derrynoose got their end of the scoreboard ticking on the 17th minute mark when John Joe Hughes claimed the game’s first goal. Two Conor McNally frees followed as Derrynoose got themselves right back into the game.
But Shane’s opened up a bit of a gap again, with McCabe firing over a two-point score while Matthew Girvan also got his name on the scoresheet. O’Brien chipped over another two points as the Camlough men restored their six-point advantage.
Derrynoose were also reduced to 14 men for a period, when Mark Lennon was shown a black card before the break. Hughes nailed a two-point free with the final score of the half, with Shane’s leading 0-11 to 1-4 at half time.
McNally and Aodhan Conlon exchanged pointed effort at the start of the second period before Hughes converted a two-point free. O’Brien matched that at the other end and also raised a white flag too.
The final score of the day fell to Shane O’Neill’s corner forward Caolan O’Hare, who registered his first. That saw Shane’s soar into a seven-point lead when the referee called for the ball.