CLUB| O’Rahillys Leave It Late Again

Saturday 17.09.2016

Club

It was a late show once again from Clonoe as they won an enthralling senior championship clash with Carrickmore in front of a huge crowd at Edendork on Saturday evening.

Once again it was full forward Danny McNulty who came up with the winning goal a minute from the end of normal time as the O’Rahillys edged it 3-9 to 1-13.  Clonoe got off to the best possible start with a PJ Lavery goal after only two minutes but wind assisted Carrickmore hit back with half a dozen unanswered points from Johnny Munroe, Martin Penrose, Conor Gormley and Ruairi Loughran. McNulty got Clonoe’s first point of the game and Paul Coney closed the gap further but three Penrose points enabled Carrickmore to lead 0-9 to 1-4 at the break.

Connor McAliskey had the opening score of the second half before an outstanding long range free from McNulty from out on the left wing levelled matters in the 8th minute. Sixty seconds later though and the impressive Munroe finished low to the bottom right hand corner of the Clonoe net and when Oisin McElroy quickly followed with a point there was four between the sides.

Three minutes after that Carrickmore goal the O’Rahillys struck for another major and again it was Lavery the finisher after a clever flick from McAliskey. Ciaran Lynch then levelled matters but Carrickmore hit back with Mark Donnelly bursting through to fire over before Mickey Slane cut in from the right wing to make it a two point game going into the final quarter.

McAliskey capped a brilliant run with an outstanding point but his county team mate Munroe quickly replied at the other end of the field. The tempo never slacked as both sides gave it everything in pursuit of victory. Daryl Magee split the posts with a superb effort with the outside of his boot before Munroe pulled on a loose ball but sent it narrowly wide. Six days after winning the game against Omagh big McNulty did the business again when a long delivery in from Lavery from the side line was fielded by him before he slipped it to the net.  There was still five minutes of injury time for Carrickmore to respond but Clonoe held on to book a last four meeting with old rivals and near neighbours Coalisland.