Ballymun Kickhams 1-16 (19)
St. Brigids 0-13 (13)
Parnell Park. Sunday October 9th
It was once again the Dean Rock show this afternoon, this time in the confines of Parnell Park. Dublin’s top scorer started where he left off last week and with 1-09 in today’s game against St. Brigids it left no doubt who the winners of this contest would be.
Paddy Small drew first blood for Ballymun but that score was quickly answered at the other end by Philly Ryan. Both sides set up quite defensively with Kickhams finding the better of the breaking play.
A ’45 and two frees from Rock stretched the lead for the red and green before Lorcan McCarthy scored the first of his 0-04 with two thirds of the half gone.
Ballymun were unlucky to lose Ted Furman to a black card for an unnecessary tangle off the ball not long after another Dean Rock score, but Liam O’Donovan proved to be a valuable replacement.
With Ballymun looking comfortable, a through ball to Kevin Leahy just outside the left of the semi circle saw him in the clear, but Leahy very unselfishly palmed the ball to Dean Rock who had arrived at pace, and slotted it aggressively past Shane Supple into the Brigids net.
Rock added two more before the half ended, along with Kevin Leahy’s only score of the game, and a Lorcan McCarthy free to aid the cause for Brigids.
Ballymun’s James McCarthy looked sore and uncomfortable leaving the field and not surprisingly did not return after the break. And although Brigids tried hard to capitalise on his absence Ballymun managed to get the scoreboard ticking twice before Lorcan McCarthy again stepped up for Brigids to score his third of the afternoon.
Brigids moved Paddy Andrews in between the half and full forwards, and had introduced Kevin Bonner to the corner for the half. And for a spell of around seven minutes with a third of the half gone, Andrews, Bonner and McCarthy notched up four unanswered scores between them to close the gap to five points.
There did seem to be a different feeling to the game until scores from Paddy Small and Dean Rock took Ballymun back in control with ten to go. And St. Brigids will regret not taking their chances in the first half as they matched Ballymun score for score, five each to be precise, but it wasn’t enough.
Paddy Andrews definitely enjoyed his role better in the second half, adding two more scores to his tally. Substitute Colm Carr popped one over and Kevin Bonner and Philly Ryan got their second each for the day to round the scoring for Brigids.
But with Dean Rock adding three more, leaving Liam O’Donovan and Jason Whelan to finish the job, Kickhams really never looked like losing.
So the 2012 County Champions now advance to the last eight in the competition with the draw taking place this Tuesday evening. For Brigids it’s back to the drawing board.
Ballymun Kickhams Scorers:
Dean Rock 1-09 (8f)
Paddy Small 0-02
Liam O’Donovan 0-02
Jason Whelan 0-02
Kevin Leahy 0-01
St. Brigids Scorers:
Lorcan McCarthy 0-04 (2f)
Paddy Andrews 0-04 (2f)
Philip Ryan 0-02 (2f)
Kevin Bonner 0-02
Colm Carr 0-01
