Gerry Quinlan manages to miss the back of the net as Teemore get goal-hungry
Teemore 2-12
Kinawley 0-11
The outcome of this senior championship replay was effectively settled inside the opening six to seven minutes.
Teemore had a stunning start which catapulted them into a 2-2 to 0-0 lead and it was going to take a remarkable comeback from second division Kinawley if that disastrous position was going to be turned around.
For the remainder of the game there was only minimal signs that Kinawley would in fact be able to achieve that.
Over the middle stages of the half the Brian Boru’s did manage to get a foothold of sorts and edged back to some degree but Teemore were to finish the half on an upbeat note, two points slipped over and the interval gap was an ominous eight points.
That was stretched to nine immediately on the restart, Teemore full forward Gerry Quinlan knocking over a close range score and Kinawley’s goose was more or less cooked.
The underdogs did however manage a revival of sorts over the following ten minutes, a spell which saw them make some inroads into the deficit and for the first time in the contest there was the whiff of a competitive edge.
But Kinawley’s ersatz revival lacked a genuine kick and Teemore reasserted themselves over the finishing straight to sling over a seam of points that had them fully in the comfort zone once again.
Teemore who had found themselves battling to hang on in the opening meeting were never under any considered pressure here and they looked just too well equipped for Kinawley to again pose a danger to them.
Their defence had the Kinawley attack well contained overall and up front bright contributions from Declan Fitzpatrick and Gerry Quinlan in the full forward line, Declan O’Reilly and John Fitzpatrick in the half line and Cian McManus a hub in the middle third kept Teemore ticking over.
For Kinawley the disastrous opening period scuttled whatever sense of self belief that they might have felt coming into the contest.
For them it was a case of being on the chase from first to last and given the fact that they were to be those six/seven points in arrears more or less from the outset, their cause always had a forlorn look about it.
Teemore into their stride from the throw in, John Fitzpatrick looping over a point inside a minute, Declan O’Reilly thumping a shot against the crossbar, centre back Joey Donegan pushing forward to notch the second point.
And then the roof caved in as far as the hapless Boru’s were concerned as they were poleaxed by a two goal salvo.
Barry Owens drove forward on a surging run, his shot headed for the net but perhaps touched on by Gerry Quinlan. Two minutes later and the Kinawley defence was ripped again, this time Declan Fitzpatrick sliding home a goal.
Kinawley did stall the tide but the damage had been grievous. They were to pick off points from Shaun Doherty (two) and from Sean McManus but by now they were ringing the personnel changes, Ruairi Corrigan among those introduced.
But it was Teemore who ended the half the better, the Shamrocks collecting two crucial points from Cian McManus and Declan Fitzpatrick to underline their command.
A point from Quinlan on the resumption before Kinawley finally managed to exert a reasonable spell of pressure.
For some ten minutes they were to have Teemore on the back foot and they were rewarded with a run of points, Shaun Doherty (two), Ruairi Corrigan and Sean McManus one each.
Teemore had also lost defender Damian Lee on a black card further indication that they were feeling some heat.
And the supporters in the stand had also begun to perk up.
But it was a shortlived Kinawley rally.
Teemore responded with three points in three minutes, John and Declan Fitzpatrick and Declan O’Reilly and Kinawley’s bubble had burst.
Routine fare to the finishing line, the teams trading a number of points, Kinawley getting the greater share but this was only putting respectability on their scoresheet.
Teemore clearcut winners and winners from the game’s opening minutes.