Athenry turn the screw on Moycullen in clear-cut win

Moycullen 2-14

By PJ Lynch at Pearse Stadium

ATHENRY’S first foray back into the Galway Senior Hurling Championship in a decade proved worth the wait as they produced a commanding 1-25 to 2-14 victory over Moycullen in a lively opening round clash at Peasse Stadium on Saturday.

Having secured promotion last year with their Senior B title triumph, the men in maroon showed they belong back at the top tier, dominating for long stretches and displaying a clinical edge in front of goal that could trouble many sides in the weeks ahead.

From the outset, Athenry were sharp, disciplined, and intent on making a statement. While James Bradley opened the scoring for Moycullen with a free inside two minutes, Jack Carr, the excellent Conor Lawless, and Ronan Hardiman struck in quick succession to turn the tide, and by the 10th minute they were 0-5 to 0-2 in front.

The early exchanges saw Cian Burke’s accuracy from placed balls come to the fore, with the freetaker nailing four in a row between the 10th and 17th minutes to extend Athenry’s cushion. Moycullen found scores harder to come by from play, relying on the accurate Niall Mannion’s hard running and Bradley’s frees to keep in touch.

The game’s first major flashpoint came on 21 minutes when Éanna Noone buried a penalty for Moycullen after a foul in the square, cutting the deficit to three at 1-4 to 0-10. But Athenry’s response was immediate and assured. Burke’s unerring free-taking restored calm, while Patrick Hannon and Cillian Lawless added fine points from play to reassert control.

Moycullen closed the half with another Mannion point in injury time, but the scoreboard still read 1-7 to 0-13 at the break — a three-point gap that fairly reflected Athenry’s dominance in both possession and conversion rate.

The restart saw Moycullen begin brightly, with Cian Folan and James Bradley trimming the margin to just a single point by the 36th minute. Yet once again, Athenry had the answers. A Burke ’65, followed by a Ciaran Hardiman effort, steadied the ship before Mannion pegged one back.

Pictured: Athenry's Eoin Hannon has Eanna Davoren of Moycullen in hot pursuit during Saturday's Senior Hurling Championship tie at Pearse Stadium. Photos: Joe O'Shaughnesy.