Tall order faces Ahascragh/Fohenagh hurlers in semi-final
AHASCRAGH/Fohenagh will battle against the odds to secure a place in the All-Ireland intermediate club decider when they face a highly-fancied Lismore outfit in an attractive semi-final at O’Connor Park, Tullamore on Sunday, 2:15pm.
As club games go, this is a mouth-watering prospect. On the Galway champions side, you have the two Mannion siblings – Padraic and Cathal – while leading the charge of the Waterford and Munster holders will be the renowned Shanahan brothers, Dan and Maurice. That facet of the fixture alone should be worth the entrance fee.
For Ahascragh/Fohenagh’s part, their main injury concern is full-forward Mark Kelly. Plagued by a hamstring injury throughout his side’s 2016 club campaign, Kelly continues to be a worry for Willie Dilleen and his management team of Aidan Dolan, Seamus Moclair, Jonathan Leonard, Anthony Kelly, Vincent Glynn and Cyril Donnellan.
Shane Connelly is currently sidelined with the flu but Dilleen expected him to be fit for selection come Sunday. Other than that, Ahascragh/Fohenagh are good to go. “We have trained and prepared well,” said the Ahascragh/Fohenagh manager this week.
“We know we have a big task ahead, particularly with Lismore having two big household names in the Shanahan brothers (Dan and Maurice) and given Tony Browne (former Waterford star) is coaching them. We saw them play in the Munster final and they are a well-balanced team.”
So, too, though are Ahascragh/Fohenagh. Donal Kelly is a confident custodian while the likes of John Kelly and captain Padraig Mannion provide a solid spine to their defence at full-back and centre-half back respectively.
Stephen Kelly was arguably the stand-out midfielder in the Galway intermediate club championship in 2016 while his centre-field partner Laurence Tully has been a consistent performer for the club, regardless of the position he plays in that middle third, over the last number of years.
Up front, Cathal Mannion is obviously their marquee sharpshooter but in the likes of Eoghain Delaney, Ronan Kelly, Stephen Smyth and Mark Kelly, they do have forwards capable of causing opposing defences trouble.
This was reflected in not only their 1-17 to 1-15 victory over title favourites Oranmore/Maree in the county semi-final but also in their facile win 2-15 to 0-8 over Ballinderreen in the county decider.
Extended preview in this week's Connacht Tribune