Borris-Ileigh GAA Club Match Report
Borris-Ileigh vs Thurles Sarsfields (FBD County Senior Championship- Round 1)
23rd July 2022
Borris-Ileigh starting lineup
James McCormack
Seamus Burke Ciaran Cowan Sean McCormack
Liam Ryan (1pt) Brendan Maher (C) Ray McCormack
Dan McCormack (1-2) Tomas Ryan
Niall Kenny Jerry Kelly (1pt) Kevin Maher
James “JD” Devaney (1pt) Conor Kenny (2pts (1f)) Eddie Ryan (5pts (5fs))
Kieran Maher (2pts) for Brendan Maher
Paddy Stapleton for Ciaran Cowan
Borris-Ileigh’s Senior squad opened their County Championship campaign for 2022 with an eagerly anticipated contest with Thurles Sarsfields in Semple Stadium on Saturday, the 23rd of July. With both teams well tipped to go far in the championship and it being the key opener of a tough group, a hard hitting contest was expected. Sars started by far the quicker and on the front foot early both in the tackling department and also with prime possession. Dan McCormack stepped up for Borris’ first score with a well taken solo score on the new stand side but Sars controlling the early stages with multiple scores being implemented in pockets of space around the half forward zone. Borris did however generate a good goal chance when Conor Kenny caught and ran with possession towards goal before a redirected flick found Kevin Maher who was unlucky with a strike to the post as Borris rued the chance with Sars scoring efficiently up front to open up a 5-2 lead. Sars put a stamp on their early control when they caused a turnover in the Borris inside defensive line before Paddy Creedon finished with a one handed strike to raise their first green flag and just reward for an intensity brought in the first quarter. Borris were generating some chances up front but looked indecisive with regards taking points or going towards goal. Sars were winning 1-6 to 2 points after the first 10 minutes before JD did well to generate a free which opened up Eddie Ryan’s free scoring account for the game as Borris looked to translate short puckouts to long range dominance with limited success. Niall Kenny then gathered possession and rampaged towards goal before being fouled which resulted in Eddie’s second free of the half but a hammer blow was to quickly ensue. A misplaced delivery into the Sars forward line appeared to be under control but the Borris defences mis controlled the exit from danger which allowed Sars to deliver the ultimate punishment in the form of the second goal and the introduction of a huge mountain to climb for Borris. The period continued to lack success for Borris as they struggled to create good scoring chances whilst Sars continued a very workmanlike and efficient approach up front to extend their lead. Brendan Maher then pulled up with an apparent hamstring injury to add to the team’s woes and despite a valiant attempt to continue, had to be substituted after 20 minutes by Kieran Maher. The scoreline also had a grim look to it after 20 minutes with Sars well on top on a scoreline of 2-10 to 4 points. Sars continued to snuff out the long ball challenge of Borris and use the ball well to set up efficient shooting opportunities, Jerry Kelly ending the slump with a well taken score on the back of good solo play by Kieran Maher. Borris and Sars were polar opposites in the half with regards scoring setup as emphasised by Liam Ryan needing to score from long range whilst Sars were opening up their attackers across the scoring zones. The half time whistle then arrived with Sars well on top with a scoreline of Sars 2-13 to Borris’ 6 points.
Borris, to their credit came out with better intent on the ball at the beginning of the second half which bore fruition with Eddie slotting free’s 3 and 4 after good work from Niall Kenny and JD. Borris made a positional change with intent of higher work rate in the half forward line and directed play from deeper which aided the good start to the half. Kieran Maher stepped up with two excellent points as Borris attempted to chip away at the deficit but Sars maintained their efficiency up front taking easy scores as opposed forcing goal opportunities. Despite Borris’ far superior start in the second as opposed the first, the team still trailed 2-16 to 10 points after 36 minutes. Borris’ more directed passing then opened up a scoring opportunity for JD who duly accepted before Eddie finished his 5th free of the game as Borris were starting to take control of the middle third, the control however not leading to a reduction in deficit as the aforementioned efficiency of Sars forwards keeping a substantial lead. Conor Kenny then generated a well taken score after a catch and shoot to keep the scoreboard ticking over but it quickly dissipated as a snuffed out goal chance and two consecutive missed frees put a dampener on any sort of comeback as after 47 minutes, Sars still led by 2-19 to 13 points. Paddy Stapleton replaced Ciaran Cowan during his period but the game went into a real lull with Borris generating scoring opportunities but hitting wide after wide for a stretch of 5 minutes. Dan Mc did however score a goal when he judged a high ball well to finish sharply to the back of the net but Sars were able to take their foot off the pedal as the game meandered to a finish with the full time whistle arriving and Sars running out deserved winners on a scoreline of 2-23 to 1-14.
As mentioned before, this being the opener in a tough group and the structure being loser vs loser in round 2, a quick start was needed. Borris appeared flat footed from the get go which in part is down to Sars’ high work rate. Sars’ two goals are down to Borris turnovers primarily but Sars dominated the first half as emphasised by a 2-13 to 6 point deficit at the interval. Dan McCormack stood out in the first half with two well taken scores and a high work rate in multiple positions but the back to front approach wasn’t bearing positive results for the Borris men whilst Sars were finding open spaces and using the ball well to set up scores with a very efficient output in that department. Borris did suffer a big blow with the injury to Brendan and we wish him well with recovery but Kieran Maher also deserves huge credit for a fantastic effort in the middle of the park with scoring, linking up play and an all round performance. Borris might well look to the first 10 minutes of the second half for some solace when they showed a far clearer intent to pass through the zones with a mixture of high and low ball delivery and will hope to replicate that in other quarters going further into the group stages. With the aforementioned structure of the championship, Borris now face a must win affair with neighbours Templederry Kenyons in two weeks time. Stay tuned to the club’s social media accounts for further details as they emerge.
