Moygownagh vs Burrishrule (MN)

 Moygownagh 1-11

Burrishoole 2-24

Moygownagh 

Eoin Horkan

Moygownagh’s return to the junior championship after a two-year absence ended in defeat as west Mayo side Burrishoole came out on top in this opening-round encounter.

There was little between the sides during an entertaining opening five minutes, with both teams finding the target. Adam Rehill got Burrishoole off the mark with a well-taken score from play, but Moygownagh quickly responded at the clubhouse end when Barry Gaughan landed an impressive long-range free.

The visitors then began to establish the upper hand. Fintan McManamon came close to finding the net when his effort flew into the side of the net,before Caolan Moran followed up with an excellent score from out on the wing raising an orange flag

Burrishoole struck for the second  goal of the game shortly afterwards. Midfielder Joseph McLoughlin broke forward and showed great composure to slide the ball into the back of the Moygownagh net.

The visitors continued to apply pressure as the half progressed, with Moran and Rehill adding further scores to stretch their advantage.

Moygownagh did manage to steady themselves and stem the flow, with John McDonnell and Kevin Murray both raising white flags to keep the north Mayo side within touching distance.

Goalkeeper Sean Hanley then contributed from a placed ball, converting a 45 to add another score to Moygownagh’s total.

The battle around midfield was proving particularly competitive, with Patrick Chambers and Gaughan involved in an intriguing contest as both sought to gain control of the middle third.

Burrishoole finished the opening half strongly, however, with their full-forward line causing continued problems for the Moygownagh defence. Jay Ryder and James McManamon both found the target before the interval to leave the visitors firmly in the driving seat at half-time.

Rehill was to the fore in the opening stages of the second half, with the Moygownagh forward adding two frees before landing a fine score from play off his right foot, keeping the scoreboard moving for the visitors.

Newport were making the most of the breeze and continued to press, with the McManamons both finding the target from dead balls during the opening quarter. Those scores helped the Newport-based side establish a foothold as they looked to build on their advantage.

The home side were not about to let them pull away, however, with Gaughan continuing to pose a serious threat. He converted another two-pointer from a free before adding a score from play as the gap was kept within touching distance heading into the closing stages.

The final ten minutes saw the game develop into a personal duel between Gaughan and Rehill. Rehill added another fine score to his tally, but Gaughan was quick to respond, ensuring the contest remained finely balanced as the clock ticked down.

There was little to separate the two sides in the closing exchanges, with the final two orange flags of the game coming from the two leading marksmen. Both Gaughan and Rehill found the target once more, underlining the influence they had in this opening round game.

Burrishoole:Sean Hanley (0-1 45),Charlie Browne,Patrick Cannon,Gary Wallace;Aaron McDermot,Dillon Coughlan,Diarmuid McNulty;Joseph McLoughlin (1-0),Patrick Chambers (0-1);Liam McNulty, Adam Redhill(0-10) 3 2pf 3fs),Caolan Moran (0-3);Jay Ryder (0-1),James McManamon (0-5 2fs 1 2pf)), Fintan McManamon(1-3 1f 1 2pf)

Subs Used:Shea Daly for Liam McNulty,Finn Hanley,Fintan McManamon,Eoin McNulty for James McManamon,Ciaran McManamon for Patrick Chambers,James Keane for Dillon Coughlan

Moygownagh:Rory Staunton;Brian Dyra,Darragh McDonnell,Iarla Gallagher;Mark Vaughan,Oran Gallagher,Kevin Murray (0-1);Barry Gaughan (1-8 3 2pf),Brendan Birrane;Oisin Carolan,John McDonnel (0-1)Cormac Blehin:Ciaran Traynor,Tiernan Gallagher,Alan Gallagher (0-1)

Subs Used:Thomas Birrane for Ciaran Traynor, Ronan Finnerty for Tiernan Gallagher,Brian Murphy for Alan Gallagher,Ollie Birrane for Iarla Gallagher.

Referee:Walter Doherty

Man of the Match  Adam Rehill top scorer in the game and was influential from the opening whistle 

Other nominations 

Moygownagh Barry Gaughan 

Burris Joseph Mcloughlin Caolan Moran