Brackens overwhelm Sars to progress

GAA: FBD Insurance Tipperary Senior Football Championship Grouo 2

JK Brackens 2-4-9 (23)

Thurles Sarsfields 0-1-5 (7)

Report: Michael Dundon at The Ragg

JK Brackens scored 1-5 in the closing minutes as they overwhelmed Thurles Sarsfields in their winner-takes-all round three game in the County Senior Football Championship on Sunday.

Up for grabs was a place in the quarter-finals, both teams having lost one game each to the unbeaten Kilsheelan-Kilcash who topped the group. Last year’s intermediate champions, Sarsfields, had hoped to put one over on their Mid neighbours, but there was only one team in this encounter as Brackens produced their best of the year to romp home the easiest of winners.

Brackens had a late defection, Dean McEnroe dropping out after the warm-up, Ned Walshe getting the starting nod, but from the throw-in it was apparent that the Templemore/Clonmore lads had the appetite and ability to cope comfortably with what their rivals were offering. They had lots of possession in a pedestrian first half with scores coming very slowly.

Ned Delaney, Ned Walsh, and Jack Kennedy with a two-point free and another free, to which James Armstrong replied for Sarsfields pushed them 0-5 to 0-1 ahead and going away.

Then, Jamie Ormond got on the end of a five-man move to score their first goal in the fifteenth minute and from there on it was a damage-limitations exercise for Sarsfields.

At half-time, Brackens led 1-7 to 0-3 and their dominance became even more pronounced after the break. Jack Kennedy’s kicking from placed balls and play was impeccable. He scored three two-pointers in a ten point personal tally.

They were 1-14 to 0-7 ahead when their second goal came in the 59th minute, Adrian Bourke scoring off a Sarsfields kick-out following a Kennedy two-pointer.

Paddy Cadell then kicked a two-pointer and Conor Cadell had his first score as the Templemore lads ran riot in the closing minutes.

It was all too easy for Brackens. After a slow start to the campaign, they appear to be coming into form at the right time, their big concern now, with hurling action also coming down the line, will be to keep players fit.

Lyndon Fairbrother did not start because of injury and they will be hoping Dean McEnroe’s late withdrawal wont rule him out of upcoming games.

In this encounter their movement, support play, and efficiency in front of goal was streets ahead of their opponents and more of that will be required in the coming weeks when sterner tests face them.

Jack Kennedy was rightly in the groove. His kicking from placed balls and play yielded ten points in a man of the match performance.

Jamie Ormond was also on top of his game in attack. Paddy Cadell, Eanna McBride, Ned Delaney, and Lorcan Roche were others to shine. They face into the knock-out stages in good shape with confidence high after their two recent wins.

Thurles Sarsfields will be disappointed at the manner in which they lost as much as with the defeat itself. This was their poorest performance of the campaign, the concession of space and ground to their opponents their undoing.

On the positive side, their ambition this year was to retain their senior status and that has been achieved. They will have further experience of competition at this level when they line out in the Cusack Cup.

County men Paddy Creedon and Kieran Costello worked their socks off to advance the Sarsfields challenge as an underperforming attack made little headway.

Conor Fogarty, Conor Stapleton, Paddy Stakelum, Harry Fitzgibbon and Ronan O’Brien all tried hard on a day Sarsfields will want to quickly put behind them.

Player of the Match: Jack Kennedy (JK Brackens)

JK Brackens: Brian Roche (6); Michael Cahill (6), Tom Murphy (6), Jack Nevin (6); Ned Delaney (0-1, 7), Cathal Scully (6), Eanna McBride (7); Lorcan Roche (7), Paddy Cadell (0-3, 1x2play, 7); Jordan Moloney (6), Jack Kennedy (0-10, 1x2play, 2x2f, 4x1f) 8), Conor Cadell (Capt, 0-1, 6); Ned Walshe (0-1, 6), Shane Doyle (6), Jamie Ormond (1-1, 7).

Subs: Adrian Bourke (1-0, 6) for Roche (50); Cian Broderick 6) for Ormond (52); James Corcoran (6) for Doyle (54).

Thurles Sarsfields: Lorcan Cummins (6); Conor Fogarty (7), Cathal Hayes (6), Conor Stapleton (7); Michael Cahill (6), Henry Fogarty (6), Paddy Stakelum (7); Kieran Costello (Capt, 7), James Armstrong (0-1, 6); Aidan Ryan (0-1, 6), Paddy Creedon (0-2play, 7), Ronan O’Brien (0-1, 7); Kevin Bracken (6), Liam McCormack (0-1f, 6), Henry Fitzgibbon (6).

Subs: David Bourke (0-1, 6) for Bracken (47); Michael Stakelum (6) for Ryan (48).

Referee: Willie Fitzharris (Kilsheelan/Kilcash).