Disappointing stuff as Daly’s frees see Mountbellew home

Caherlistrane 0-8

AS the scoreline might suggest, and the fact that just six of the 18 scores came from play, this third round championship match was certainly nothing to write home about as Mountbellew-Moylough grimly held on for victory at Tuam Stadium.

Prior to this match taking place, there was a general discussion in the stand about potential threats to Corofin completing the six-in-a-row and Mountbellew-Moylough were touted as their biggest obstacle.

But not after this torturous encounter with Caherlistrane which left onlookers shaking their heads in disbelief at not only some of the errors that were made, but also the fact that the referee blew for almost 50 frees which ensured that any continuity in play was virtually non-existent.

It was a mistake-ridden championship match with both sides deciding to implement some of the most unappealing defensive strategies – there were times when each of the teams dropped everyone behind the ball. It was akin to watching paint dry.

Mountbellew-Moylough were probably the worst culprits but at the same time they were the most creative and industrious up front when they did have possession. But they are a long way away from threatening the likes of Corofin.

While they are sitting comfortably on top of their group with three wins from three matches, they are far from the finished product and there were times when Caherlistrane made life extremely difficult for them.

Ultimately, the quality up front provided by county player Michael Daly and corner forward Colm Mannion was crucial to Mountbellew-Moyclough gaining the upper hand towards the latter stages, but for long periods they struggled.

Caherlistrane had to start without key forward Oisin O’Brien through injury but held the lead for much of this stop-start game. However, they lacked forward strength and imagination when the opposition looked both vulnerable and were making a frightening number of handling errors.

There is no doubt that Mountbellew-Moylough were the out and out favourites to dismiss the Caherlistrane challenge, but it certainly did not work out that way as there was virtually nothing between them up to the last 20 minutes of the match.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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