Wicklow loss signals disappointing start to Christy Ring campaign

Wicklow 1-24  Tyrone 2-16

TYRONE hurlers slumped to an agonising loss in Aughrim on Saturday afternoon as their Christy Ring campaign failed to ignite in the manner in which they would have hoped.

Wicklow came into this year’s Championship as the lowest-ranked team in the Ring competition, going by League standings. But they probably would have targeted Tyrone – relegated from Division Two earlier this year – as one of their better opportunities to claim two invaluable points. The Red Hands in fairness would also have harboured similar sentiments.

However in the end it was the hosts who prevailed over a county that beat them twice last year.

The home side set a blistering early pace, going 0-8 to 0-2 up in only 14 minutes and affording Tyrone very little opportunity to get their forwards into the game. The home team were having no such trouble teeing up their forwards, delivering good-quality ball in for the most part.

But it was midfielder Pádraig Doran – who delivered a fine overall performance – who landed the eighth point of the quarter, and it was the pick of the bunch, from a terribly tight angle right of the posts. Jack Doyle and Pádraig Doyle both landed two points from play in that period and were causing Tyrone a world of trouble.

But by the 26th minute, Tyrone had the gap down to two at 0-8 to 0-10 without doing anything remarkable. Wicklow consistently fouled their men and gave away silly frees, and Tyrone’s Aidan Kelly converted five such opportunities between 16 and 26 minutes.

Conversely, Pádraig Doyle had stepped into free-taking duty for Wicklow instead of Seánie Germaine, and while he was having a good game from open play, his dead-ball striking was ragged, and he knocked three scoreable frees wide in the opening half.

Wicklow would, however, go to the break with a six-point margin they certainly deserved, and the key score was a Pádraig Doyle goal. He swung at the sliotar after Tyrone could only knock a long-range Wicklow ball as far as the full forward.

It was a highlight of what had been a good display from Wicklow up front, frees aside. Seánie Germaine had been kept unusually quiet throughout the half, but all of his forward colleagues had scored, with Doyles Pádraig and Jack topping the charts with 1-6 and 0-2 respectively, helping Wicklow to a 1-12 to 0-9 halfway lead.

Tyrone would win the second half by a point, but it didn’t feel that way, especially with Wicklow continuing to assert their dominance up to the 55th minute, extending their lead to nine at 1-19 to 0-13.

By now, all of Wicklow’s forwards were on the scoresheet, including the more-prominent Germaine, who broke his duck emphatically with points on 48 and 53
minutes.

On the other hand, Tyrone’s corner forwards – Branán Molloy and Turlough Mullin – had been kept out of the game by Ian Clancy and Ben Kearney, and were both withdrawn by that stage, emblematic of a Tyrone display that had only produced two points from play and created few chances aside from that. But Tyrone then opted to go the long route, and they finally found some success.

They goaled on 56 minutes when Wicklow failed to deal with a ball in, only batting it as far as Kiefer Morgan, who applied the finish for 1-13 to 1-19.

Wicklow initially reacted well, Germaine and the increasingly brilliant Doran tagging on two points to help them go 1-21 to 1-15 up with only five minutes left, but then Tyrone goaled again.

This time, Wicklow again failed to deal with a ball in, and the sliotar was touched home by Kelly from close range, leaving Tyrone, somehow, just three behind at 2-15 to 1-21.

But Wicklow would outscore Tyrone by 0-3 to 0-1 from there, and two of their scores were beauties. Ronan McMahon first got the run on his marker and finished for a brilliant point, and Doran knocked over his fifth of the day after a neat one-two with Eoin McCormack.

Scorers

Wicklow: Pádraig Doyle (1-9, 4f, 1 ‘65’), Pádraig Doran (0-5), Ronan McMahon (0-3), Jack Doyle (0-3), Warren Kavanagh, Dan Redmond, Luke Evans, Seánie Germaine (0-1 each)

Tyrone: Aidan Kelly (1-7,7f), Seán Duffin (0-5, 2f), Kiefer Morgan (1-0), Fionn Devlin, Tiernan Morgan, Michael Little, Aidan Woods (0-1 each)

Teams

Wicklow: Conor McNally, Ben Kearney, Andrew Kavanagh, Ian Clancy, Tommy Collins, John Henderson, Sam O’Dowd, Warren Kavanagh, Pádraig Doran, Luke Evans, Dan Redmond, Ronan McMahon, Seánie Germaine, Pádraig Doyle, Jack Doyle. Subs used: Marc Lennon for Kavanagh (46 mins), Torna Mulconry for Doran (61), Eoin McCormack for Redmond (65)

Tyrone: Conall Molloy, Dean Rafferty, Fionn Devlin, Ronan Molloy, Lorcan Devlin, Cormac Munroe, Tiernan Morgan, Seán Duffin, Séamus Sweeney, Aidan Kelly, Ciarán Magill, Michael Little, Branán Molloy, Kiefer Morgan, Turlough Mullin. Subs used: Aidan Woods for Mullin (41mins), Ruairí Devlin for Molloy (52), Rory Weir for Magill (570, Oran McKee for Morgan (61)

Referee: Conor Doyle