ACL 1
STONE SHOW THE WAY
Rostrevor 0-8 Longstone 1-10
There is a famous scene in the movie “Crocodile Dundee” where the hero from the Australian outback is strolling down a street in New York when he is confronted by a mugger brandishing a flick knife. What’s that then?” asks the surprised Aussie. “That” says the mugger, menacingly, “ is a knife!” So Crocodile, reaches to the back of his belt, draws forth a twenty inch “crocodile skinner” and drawls: “That’s not a knoife…. This is a knoife!”
TO MIND
That image came to mind during last Fridays First Division game at Pettit Park. Reds pranced out on to the field exhilarated by their “Long Ball “ epiphany in Hilltown the previous Monday. Longstone, infamously more addicted to the short ball game than even Rostrevor ever were, should have provided the ideal showcase for confirming Reds new discovery. So Stone strolled out, stuck Ambrose Rodgers in at full forward and drawled “That’s not a long ball game… this is a long ball game!”
MORE TO IT
Of course, there was more to it than that. With Ambrose at full forward, the rest of the Stone men had no compunction in delivering the ball long and early in his general direction, secure in the knoweledge that it wasn’t going to come straight back out again. But also vital to the new set-up, was the intelligent way that speedy corner men Mark Poland and Stephen Doran were able to snap up the scraps that came off Ambroses deployment. Just as important was the ability of the side to hold their own without Ambrose at midfield. Right through John Magee was the busiest and most effective midfielder on view, while big Peter Trainor ensured that Jarlath Austin wasn’t!
EVEN
The pattern of the game did not emerge straight off. With fifteen minutes gone, the scores were level at 0-3 each. Stones three points had all come from play, two from barry Doran, one from his brother Stephen. But Sean parr was still doing enough at full forward for Reds to suggest that he could have as big an outcome on the game as he had had in Hilltown earlier in the week. . This included a delightful teasing point from a narrow angle in the 12th minute. The difference this time, however, was that he did not have Lloyd Parr alongside him. Another difference was the workrate of the Longstone forwards in denying Rostrevor backs the leisure to work the ball out of danger.
TURNING POINT
The turning point came in the 16th minute. As reds laboured to inch the ball over the gain line, Ambrose stretched out a lng arm to intercept a sideways pas, and two seconds later the ball was in the Rostrevor net, thanks to quick hands from Mark Poland, and cool feet from Stephen Doran. Points by Mark Poland, Mark Doran, Ambrose Rodgers and Barry Doran increased Longstones lead to 1-7 to 0-5 by half time, and within ten minutes of the restart, mark Poland, Conor Smith and barry Doran pushed that on to 1-10 to 0-6. Stone didn’t score at all over the last twenty minutes, but they didn’t really need to. So feeble was Rostrevors response that they struggled to get even the two final quarter points they did, one from a 45 by Conor daly and one from Shaun Parr. Indeed, when you realise that Shaun Parr, with two points, was the only home forward to score from play, you get something of a measure of just how poor Reds were.
PROMISE
Stone, on the other hand, were good; at times very good. Certainly, if they can afford to play Ambrose Rodgers on the edge of the square for substantial periods of all their games, they will trouble any defence in the county. And they move into championship season with the prospect of Michael Higgins returning to their defence, and Ryan Kelly still to come into an already gifted attack.
Rostrevor really were por, however. Ironically, their brightest performer was young Colm Murney, who, while he never actually curbed the Ambrose menace, gave the countyman a progressively stiff contest of it over the hour. Apart from that , they were snuffed out in attack, where Shaun Parr was left unsupported, bogged down at midfield, and stretched alarmingly in defence. Kevin McGrath was brought in midway through the second half to stiffen things up, but lasted only a few minutes before being sent to the line. That had no bearing on the outcome, of course. Rostrevor fans could not complain that they ended up losing by five points. Indeed, they may secretly have accepted that the margin could have been a dozen or more.
Rostrevor scorers;Conor Daly [0-4] 4 frees; Shaun Parr [0-2]; Colm Clerkin [0-1] 1 free; Jarlath Austin [0-1]
Longstone scorers; Barry Doran [0-2] 2 frees; Stephen Doran [1-1]; Mark Poland [0-2]; Mark Doran [0-1]; Ambrose Rodgers [0-1] 45; Conor Smith [0-1].
Rostrevor scorers; Padraig Mulholland; Jarlath farrell, Paul Magee, Eddie Magee; Gary Magee, Colm Murney, Sean Farrell; Conor Daly, Jarlath Austin; Eamon McConville, Colm Clerkin, Fintan McBreen; Martin Doran, Shaun Parr, Adrian Mackin.
Longstone team; Adrian Poland; James Cunningham, Eamon Quinn, Cormac Poland; Conor Smith, Barry Kelly, Mark Doran; John Magee, Peter Trainor; Eamon Trimble, Barry Doran, Gary Trainor; Stephen Doran, Ambrose Rodgers, Mark Poland.
Man of the Match: John Magee [Longstone]