Rhode bid to atone for near misses of the past

 

KEVIN EGAN previews this Sunday’s Leinster club semi-final between Rhode and Moorefield and reflects on Kilcormac/Killoughey’s win over Raharney last weekend.

 

Rhode have had more than their fair share of “might-have-been” stories in the Leinster club championship over the past decade and their failure to hold on to a six-point lead against Kilmacud Crokes in 2008 probably rankles more than any other result among members and supporters of the Village club.

However their 2006 final reverse to Moorefield was arguably more regrettable, since they went into that tie as slight favourites only to be undone in extremely soft conditions in O’Moore Park. The concession of three goals was simply too much to overcome on that cold and damp December afternoon and from then on the pursuit of this trophy has become something of a holy grail for the club, a painfully conspicuous gap in their otherwise glittering roll of honour.

Two of those goals came from first half penalties awarded by Maurice Deegan that were undoubtedly contentious and since these clubs haven’t had the chance to renew hostilities since that encounter eight years ago, there will still be a sense of unfinished business within the Rhode club in the lead-up to this tie. Depending on Shane Sullivan’s fitness, as many as eight players from the Rhode side that took part that day will line out this Sunday so it’s not as if it’s a new generation who will line out in green and gold either – this group will remember that afternoon vividly and they will crave atonement in no small measure this week.

Their hunt for provincial success continued after that defeat but the story kept on adding chapters, without any “happy ever after”. In 2008, as mentioned above, they coughed up a glorious position against Kilmacud, while in 2010 the harsh winter forced the postponement of the their rematch with the south Dublin side into January of 2011. A landslide challenge match win over Nemo Rangers in the lead-up to the fixture suggested that they were well poised to get over the line at the third time of asking, but instead they misfired and Crokes enjoyed an easy win.  

Perhaps the biggest advantage that Pat Daly’s men will wield this Sunday will be that for the moment at least, all that pressure and expectation is not really an issue. There are no trophies to be won on Sunday and such has been the form of reigning All-Ireland champions St Vincent’s on the other side of the draw that even if they do progress, they’ll still be expected to be little more than cannon fodder for the Marino side when the final rolls around. There won’t be any need for club management to keep players’ expectations in check since everyone knows that a long road still has to be travelled.

Nonetheless a significant improvement in performance is badly required this Sunday as their last three outings have been just about good enough to get through against their opponents at the time, but not nearly at the level required to cause Vincent’s or even Moorefield any problems. Niall McNamee is scoring well, Anton Sullivan has come back into some form and is getting close to fulfilling his boundless potential and Glenn O’Connell has shown fleeting glimpses of his ability to deliver key scores, but overall the lack of scoring range in the team needs to be addressed.

Paul McPadden and Niall Darby aren’t weighing in with the three or four scores per game that their role and ability demands of them, while Pauric Sullivan is not a scoring centre-forward and instead is there to link up play and put in tackles around the middle third, a role he has fulfilled very well this year but one that still doesn’t directly put scores on the board.

Another change this year is that Rhode haven’t got many scores from deeper positions. Conor McNamee is a notable exception here as he stepped up to the mark with a vital goal against St Pat’s and another key point in their win over Navan, but since this generation of players has come to the fore, most Rhode teams tended to get a handful of scores from their single digit jersey wearers. This year, in part due to their clustered defensive alignment where they hold a defensive line some 40 metres from their own goal and rarely leave any fewer than four or five bodies in that area regardless of the location of the ball, those scores haven’t materialised.

They are winning matches while scoring between 12 and 14 times, but that number won’t always be good enough against the better sides and from now, there are no more games to be had against ordinary county champions – it’s All-Ireland contenders only on the agenda.

K-K have plenty to ponder
With just over a fortnight to go before the Leinster club hurling final, Kilcormac-Killoughey manager Danny Owens will be more than a little concerned about the manner in which his group has also run into a slump in scoring form at the worst possible time.

For the second time in as many games, Cillian Kiely ended last Sunday’s meeting with Raharney as their only attacking player who would be entitled to be largely satisfied by his performance. And if Ballyhale come through Sunday’s meeting with Kilmacud Crokes in Parnell Park - as they are almost certain to do - anything less than their best performance of the season will see them fall short in their provincial final.

It’s entirely accurate to say that Raharney put K-K under immense pressure in Cusack Park on Sunday and that many of the errors that came from Danny Owens’ men were forced. However it’s not as if Ballyhale are going to stand back and let an opposing team hurl the ball up and down the field without impediment. Bad wides, misplaced handpasses and fumbled catches contributed to a situation where K-K led by just two points going into injury time and in that time there were two clear goal chances, one for each side.

When Raharney had their opportunity, Killian Doyle’s handpass fell just too far in front of Brian Connaughton and the substitute had to stretch to get a clean contact on the ball, leading to a scuffed shot that dribbled wide of the target. That meant that they had to keep pushing forward, which in turn led to Dan Currams taking possession in 40 yards of open space for the game’s final act, a run and close range finish.

It goes without saying that if the same opportunity fell to Henry Shefflin, TJ Reid or Colin Fennelly in the closing stages, their handpass would be right on the money and Kilcormac-Killoughey would be twiddling their thumbs right now. Whether it’s rest, increased focus or more planning for switches and alterations that are required in the K-K camp, the clock is ticking as they bid to diagnose the problem and turn it around in advance of their big game at O’Moore Park next month.