Cushendall entered the game as strong favorites and it the early stages they looked full value for this as they raced into a 3 points to no score lead with the scores coming from Conor Carson, Eoin Laverty and a Neil Mc Manus 65’. Conor Rocks got Rossa off the mark from a free in the 11th minute. Then the lead changed hands, Cushendall failed to deal with a high ball into the danger area and Stephen Beattie crashed the ball to the net. Conor Rocks edged the Andersonstown men further in from a free before Neil Mc Manus got Cushendall back on track with a neat point. Sean Birt then drew the side’s level when he battled hard to win the ball and dissect the uprights. Rocks converted his third free of the match but again Neil Mc Manus leveled for Cushendall. The tit for tat exchanges continued with first Stephen Beattie and Paddy Mc Naughton and then Terry Mc Alister and Conor Rocks trading points but as the game neared half time it was Cushendall who got their noses in front with the final 2 points of the half coming from Conor Carson and Neil Mc Manus to leave the half time score Ruairi Og 0-10 Rossa 1-5. In the second half it was Rossa who were first to strike with a point from Paul Connolly, Eoin Laverty restored Cushendalls 2 point cushion from a free but in a split second Rossa hit the front again when another high ball caused panic in the Dall defense and Connolly lashed the ball to the net. Eoin Laverty steadied the ship from a free for Cushendall but his free was cancelled out when Stephen Shannon thundered over a free from almost one hundred yards. Neil Mc Manus, showing a bit of leadership pointed for Cushendall but Rossa had really gotten to grips with Cushendall and they scored the next 3 points from Conor Rocks, Stephen Beattie and Christopher Mc Guiness. Eoin Laverty gave Cushendall brief hope of a comeback when he crashed a 21’ free to the net but it was all Rossa in the closing stages and they scored 3 more points in the closing stages from Beattie, Mc Guiness and Rocks to emerge victorious on a score line of 3-13 to 1-13.
How they played: Cushendall were on top for much of the first half but failed to turn their supremacy into scores. In the second half they had no answer to the speed and movement of the Rossa forwards. That said, Eoin Gillan could not be blamed for Rossa’s goals and he was sound under the dropping ball, In front of him Marty Burke and Shea Mc Naughton tried hard, Neil Mc Manus contributed 5 points and Mark Donaghy was full of effort and commitment but my man of the match was Kevin Mc Killop who tried his best to stem the tide, he was always combative and worked hard for 60 minutes.
Team: 1. E Gillan 2. S Mc Naughton 3. E Mc Alister 4. S Mc Killop 5. P Mc Naughton 6. A Graffin 7. M Burke 8. N Mc Manus 9. K Mc Killop 10. M Donaghy 11. C Carson 12. E Laverty 13. T Mc Alister 14. S Birt 15. A Mc Naughton
Subs used: Eamon Laverty
