Offaly champions Rhode powered their way to the AIB Leinster club senior football championship final when they defeated Éire Óg by 14 points at Dr Cullen Park on Sunday. The sheer physical size of the Rhode team and their footballing ability was something the Éire Óg men could not come to terms with.
The sides were evenly matched for the opening 15 minutes with the teams level at 0-3 each. Rhode were first to attack but it was right half forward Bryan Carbery who opened the scoring with a good point after two minutes. Rhode responded quickly and their top scorer Niall McNamee sent over two pointed frees in the fifth and sixth minutes. Eric McCormack levelled the sides for a second time in the ninth minute. With each side playing good football and defences on each side coping well it was Niall Darby who broke the deadlock as he sent over a long range effort from the right wing. Turning into the second quarter it was disaster for Éire Óg as Rhode were awarded a penalty. Michael Hennessy made a brilliant save from Alan McNamee’s shot, but McNamee followed through and booted the ball to the net, 1-3 to 0-2. True to form, Éire Óg battled hard and for the next 11 minutes pinned the Rhode men back in their own half of the field, however four scoreable wides and only one point from Alan Curran was not enough in a game of this magnitude. After withstanding this onslaught the Offaly men broke down field and Niall McNamee sent over a steadying point as they led by 1-4 to 0-3 at half time.
Whatever hope of an Éire Óg revival was quickly dashed in the first 30 seconds of the last period, when corner forward Anton O’Sullivan slammed home a goal after a good cross from Darby. Claims for a square infringement were dismissed and the goal stood. Rhode were now in the driving seat and dictating the game and when Paschal Kelleghan shot home their third goal they were on their way to the Leinster final. Fourteen minutes from the end and Rhode were reduced to 14 men when Shane Sullivan was red carded. Éire Óg could only manage a lone point from James Ryan seven minutes from the end, they had gone 33 minutes without a score. This is a good Rhode team and they will now play Dublin champions Kilmacud Crokes on Sunday week in the Leinster final. Niall McNamee was the star of the show with a personal tally of 1-7. Éire Óg never gave up and were battling to the very end, but this time they met a higher level of opposition.
Éire Óg: Michael Hennessy, James Ryan 0-1, Shane Myers, Vinny Kavanagh, Alan Curran 0-1, Cormac McCarthy, Bernard Hennessy, Christopher Bolger, Sean Gannon, Bryan Carbery 0-1, Tommy Dowling, Alan Byrne, Eric McCormack 0-2, Cormac Mullins, Alan O’Brien. Substitutes: Eddie Phelan, Peter Kingston, Willie Quinlan, Damian Farrell, Andrew Byrne.
Scorers: Rhode; Niall McNamee 1-7, Anton O’Sullivan 1-0, Paschal Kelleghan 1-0, Niall Darby 0-2.
Éire Óg: Eric McCormack 0-2, James Ryan 0-1, Bryan Carbery 0-1.
Referee: Syl Doyle, Wexford.
