Eire Og Annacarty/Donohill get the win they needed in Tipperary Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship

Eire Og Annacarty/Donohill 0-22 Sean Treacys 1-11

Eire Og Annacarty/Donohill got their season up and running at Drombane on Saturday when overcoming Sean Treacys in Round 2 of the FBD Insurance Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship.

Having gone down to Thurles Sarsfields in Round 1, this was a make or break game and a big final quarter from midfielder Donal O’Dwyer got them over the line.

O’Dwyer, who was having a quiet game up to the three-quarter mark, hit four points from play during the last fifteen minutes.
For the final 25 minutes of this contest Eire Og outscored their opponents by thirteen points to four, with Aidan Griffin hitting 0-7.

Throughout the game Sean Treacys never reached the expected heights and were over dependent on Paddy Carey from placed balls. Their full forward line, in particular, never really reached the pitch of the game, despite getting an abundance of ball.

Eire Og were quickly out of the traps and Seanie Ryan converted a placed ball inside the opening minute. By the second minute Treacys were on level terms when Stevie Carr got off the mark from open play.

Eire Og then got a run on their opponents, hitting the next three points, all from placed balls, two from long range from Seanie Ryan and one close-in from Aidan Griffin.

Tom Hickey pulled one back for Treacys before Brian Fox followed up with a point when he latched onto a breaking ball, following a good save by Shane Stapleton from Aidan Griffin.

Tom Hickey again got in for his second score from out near the open side to reduce the deficit.

Paddy Carey hit two from frees, either side of a similar score from Seanie Ryan, before Darragh Kelly hit two wonderful points from both sides of the field.

Kelly was causing problems to the Treacys inside line as Eire Og upped a gear, and they had gone into a four-point lead as half-time approached.

With 27 minutes on the clock Paddy Carey intercepted an attempted short puck out and punished Eire Og when he crashed a low shot to the net to leave the minimum between the sides at the break, Eire Og 0-9, Sean Treacys 1-5.

Treacys started the second half with a flurry, Paddy Carey putting over a free after fifty seconds and following up with a similar score three minutes later to give his team the lead for the first time.

This lead was short-lived, however and Aidan Griffin, who had taken over the free taking duties, equalised within minutes, 0-10 to 1-7.

Both defences put up the shutters and for the next nine minutes play moved up and down the field, with neither side advancing their tally until Aidan Griffin eased Eire Og in front on fourteen minutes from a free.

Dinny Crosse replaced Kevin Fox in attack, bringing fresh legs to the game and this began to pay dividends.

As the game entered the final quarter Eire Og upped their game, with midfielder Donal O’Dwyer coming to the fore and leading by example. He got his first point after fifteen minutes, before Paudie Bradshaw put three between the sides.

O’Dwyer struck two more long range efforts either side of an Aidan Griffin free and suddenly they were five to the good. Treacys were finding the Eire Og defence tough to breach, with Conor O’Brien and Tom Fox coming into their own.

Paddy Carey hit his sixth point from a placed ball, but Aidan Griffin replied on the double. His long range point from a sideline cut split the posts and he then followed up with a huge free.

Treacys went on all out attack as the clock neared the 60th minute in an effort to salvage something. Jody Ryan (Rogers) blazed a close-in free over the bar, but Dinny Crosse and Donal O’Dwyer replied on the double.

Deep into injury time Paddy Carey and Aidan Griffin exchanged points to close out the game.

Eire Og got the required result and now go into round three, knowing that advancement to the knockout stages rests firmly in their own hands. For Treacys, they need to get a result from the Sarsfields game in order to avoid the relegation play-off.

Scorers: Eire Og: Aidan Griffin (0-9, 7 frees, 1 sideline), Seanie Ryan (0-4 frees), Donal O’Dwyer (0-4), Darragh Kelly (0-2), Brian Fox (0-1), Paudie Bradshaw (0-1), Dinny Crosse (0-1).

Sean Treacys; Paddy Carey (1-7, 0-7 frees), Tom Hickey (0-2), Stevie Carr (0-1), Jody Ryan (0-1).

Eire Og Annacarty: Darragh Mooney, Daragh O’Brien, David Fox, Mikey Bradshaw, Conor O’Brien, Tom Fox, Paul Devlin, Donal O’Dwyer, Seanie Ryan, Paudie Bradshaw, Brian Fox (captain), Connie Bradshaw, Darragh Kelly, Kevin Fox, Aidan Griffin.

Subs: Dinny Crosse for Kevin Fox (42 mins), Eoin Bradshaw for Connie Bradshaw (59 mins).

Sean Treacys: Shane Stapleton, Brian Nolan, Sean Hickey, Emmett Ryan, Chris Egan, Seanie Ryan (Rogers) (captain), Paul Nolan, Stevie Carr, Mikey Feehan, Darragh Kennedy, Brian Carey, Tom Hickey, Paddy Carey, Jody Ryan, Pat Deegan.

Subs: Andy O’Brien for Stevie Carr (42 mins), Cillian Kennedy for Emmet Ryan (46 mins), Pat Dawson for Tom Hickey (54 mins).

Referee: Seamus Delaney (JK Brackens).