Joyce turns on the style in KillererinÕs narrow victory

Killererin 1-9Caherlistrane 1-7

Declan Tierney at Tuam Stadium

WHAT initially appeared to be a canter for Killererin turned into a nailbiting encounter before the Caherlistrane challenge ran out of steam in the end as the 2010 champions were deserving of their two point victory.

Killererin were five up at the break, eight up two minutes into the second half, but seven minutes later there was just a point between the sides as Caherlistrane mounted a dramatic recovery only for a series of subsequent missed chances proving their undoing.

Admittedly the swirling breeze around Tuam Stadium on Saturday evening made shooting difficult but it did not prevent Padraic Joyce from putting in another masterclass performance for Killererin by scoring 1-5 of his side’s tally.

Joyce had proven his continued worth for Galway the previous Sunday in the Connacht championship and his good form continued for Killererin when he slotted1-3 from play in a performance that was crucial to his side’s progress to the next round.

But Caherlistrane will be bitterly disappointed that they did not get something from this game as they made a real contest of it in the second half when they put themselves right back in the frame, but some morale crushing wides and missed opportunities put paid to their challenge.

It was a frustrating day for their star forward Cormac Bane who untypically missed a number of frees he would be expected to tap over; late on in the game he hit the woodwork and then to compound his frustration he looked to be clear through for a goal but fouled the ball on the ground.

From the free that was awarded Killererin went down and got a point to add to Caherlistrane’s woes and it proved to be a game-changing situation as the winners simply maintained their superiority, particularly in defence.

While Caherlistrane were guilty of some terrible missed chances in the opening half, they still maintained a two points to one lead after 20 minutes. J.J. Greaney opened the scoring while Bane got a superb point from the tightest of angles to keep their noses in front.

This was despite the fact that Killererin held a distinct advantage at midfield where Tommy Joyce and Thomas Hughes were dominant under the kick-outs and this eventually enabled them to assume control before the end of the half.

For more, read this weel's Galway City Tribune.