Moortown roll past Rock to progress in playoffs

Moortown 2-18 Rock 1-12

MOORTOWN moved to within two hours of a quick return to senior football after they made home advantage count to emerge worthy winners over Rock in their promotion playoff on Saturday afternoon.

Apart from early on it was a contest that the Loughshore men led from start to finish and by the break they were well in control leading 1-9 to 0-5.

They stretched that advantage out to nine points and looked as though they were going to coast home but wind assisted Rock then hit 1-3 without reply to leave everything up for grabs again.

Moortown though didn’t panic and a second goal left them in the ascendancy again and this time they didn’t let go on a day when they had twelve different scorers with man of the match Shea Lawn contributing eight points.

Lawn and Liam Nugent exchanged early points from frees before Thomas Mackle put Rock in front for the only time in the game in the 10^th minute.

The next five minutes saw Moortown take a grip on proceedings with Shea (2) and Liam Lawn adding points before Blaine Ryan fielded a kick out and fed Shaun Conway who teed up Mattie Conlon to palm to the net past keeper Jason Cunningham. Shea Daly and Brian McLernon traded points before Nugent went for goal but Moortown keeper Tony Quinn tipped his effort over the bar.

Lawn then landed his fourth point of the afternoon before Dara McNally, introduced for the injured Liam Lawn, converted a mark. Nugent responded for the visitors but it was wind assisted Moortown who closed out the first half on top with midfielder Sean Kelly and Rian Smith both on target to leave them in a strong position at the short whistle.

Shane Murphy had the opening score of the second half for Rock from a free but Moortown hit back with three in a row with Conor Quinn and Ryan pointing from play either side of a Lawn conversion.

Moortown were nine points to the good at this stage but Rock then enjoyed a purple patch. Nugent, Conor McGarrity and substitute Padraig Ward all registered before a speculative effort from Murphy from out on the right wing in the 44^th minute sailed all the way to the net.

Rock looked to have the momentum at this stage but sixty seconds later the crucial score of the contest arrived when Shaun Conway sold a neat dummy before firing past Rock keeper Cunningham. Conor Quinn and Nugent swapped points with Daly scoring from a mark before an effort from Ward was tipped over the bar by Moortown keeper Quinn.

That score in the 49^th minute proved to be Rock’s last of the contest as Moortown closed he game out in style. Lawn hit three in a row with substitute Thomas Hurl on target before centre half back Tarlach Quinn concluded the scoring deep into injury time. Just prior to that last score both sides were reduced to fourteen men when respective number fives Conor Quinn and Conor O’Neill were sent off.

The Scorers

Moortown

Shea Lawn 0-8 (3F, 1 “45”), Mattie Conlon 1-0, Shaun Conway 1-0, Conor Quinn 0-2, Liam Lawn 0-1, Brian McLernon 0-1, Dara McNally 0-1 (M), Sean Kelly 0-1, Rian Smith 0-1, Blaine Ryan 0-1, Thomas Hurl 0-1, Tarlach Quinn 0-1

Rock

Liam Nugent 0-5 (2F), Shane Murphy 1-1, Padraig Ward 0-2, Shea Daly 0-2 (1M), Thomas Mackle 0-1, Conor McGarrity 0-1