Mayo champions outclassed by Roscommon rivals
The bookies called this one wrong as odds-on favourites Kilmeena were well beaten by Strokestown in the Connacht Intermediate Football Championship final, which ended 4-11 to 0-14 in favour of the Roscommon champions at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, Castlebar, this afternoon, writes John Melvin.
Strokestown will feel they should have been further ahead than seven points at half-time having harnessed the force of a gale to hold a 2-9 to 0-8, but they lost Kevin Finn to a black card just before half-time and that was something that gave Kilmeena hope facing into the second half with the gale at their backs.
However, by the time Finn had returned to the action 10 minutes into the second half, Kilmeena had failed to find the target while Strokestown had added a point to push their lead to eight.
It was the absence of the injured Jack Carney around the middle in the second half which hurt the Mayo champions most. It resulted in Strokestown taking over around the centre of the field, where Colm Neary put in a massive performance, while goals from Shane McGinley and Colm Compton in the opening half inflicted huge damage as Kilmeena toiled at times.
The Roscommon champions moved the ball with pace, scoring 2-9 in that opening half, Kilmeena far from out of this game having clocked up eight points of their own, John McGlynnn with three frees and three excellent points, while Liam Moore, Carney and John Ryan also contributing a point apiece.
By the time Kilmeena began to realise the game was drifting away from them, Strokestown had scored their third goal, Stephen Tighe palming the ball to the net after a thunderbolt from Stephen McGinley came back off the crossbar on 48 minutes, the Kilmeena ship now listing heavily at this point.
A superb two-pointer from Stephen Staunton stoked a mini-revival from Kilmeena but the damage had long since been done, Strokestown finishing with their fourth goal from substitute Evan Moran.
*See the print edition of The Connaught Telegraph on Tuesday for a comprehensive report