Comer shows his class as Annaghdown shock Tuam

Seven-point interval lead for winners

At Kenny Park

ANNAGHDOWN pulled off the surprise result of the weekend’s Senior Championship.

Norman O’Brien’s young side played with no fear and were fast out of the blocks against Tuam Stars in Kenny Park on Sunday evening. They were fully deserving of their 1-11 to 1-4 half-time lead, after a first half in which Damien Comer caused havoc from full-forward scoring 1-3.

A run of 10 unanswered points in the second period saw Tuam regain the lead, but it was Comer who produced the game’s winning moment, fisting the ball to the net in minute 56 to help guide Annaghdown to a stirring win.

With respect to Tuam Stars, the Senior Championship has gone stale in recent years and needed one of the ‘big four’ teams to be beaten.

Football is a simple enough game when a team is playing with the wind and has a dynamic inside forward who can cover a few yards in a flash – kick the ball into him early. Annaghdown had breeze advantage facing into the scoreboard end in the first half and they went long to Comer, who could have had a first half hat-trick.

Diarmuid Kilcommins signalled Annaghdown’s intent with a two-pointer from long-range on 50 seconds. Jack Grugan finished with 0-5 and responded for Tuam, but Comer had the ball in the net in minute five when Cathal Heavey played a pass into him.

Less than a minute later, Tuam grabbed a goal of their own, Brian Mannion finishing low beyond Annaghdown goalkeeper and joint-captain James Healy.

Annaghdown took control of the tie thereafter shooting six of the next seven points. Eoin Newell and Stephen Curley (free) pointed before their other joint-captain Comer pounced for a two-pointer and a single point. John McDonnell and Galway U-20 defender Olan Kelly, who had a fine game, extended the advantage to 1-10 to 1-4 by minute 20.

Rory O’Connor got up the field to score for Tuam and Grugan soon added his third. Tuam lost midfielder Paul Collins to injury in the first half and wing-back Cian Mitchell went off at half-time.

The final score of the half was left to Healy via a ‘45. Healy was called upon to take a free from outside the arc after the restart and against the wind he put Annaghdown into a 1-13 to 1-4 lead.

Tuam Stars didn’t panic. Luke Davin, Shay McGlinchey and sub Conor Doherty were to the fore as they turned their deficit into a one-point lead by minute 48.

Davin and Mannion raised white flags before a trio of twos arrived from Mannion (free), McGinchey and Davin. Doherty and McGlinchey rounded out the scoring sequence of 10 with a pair of single points.

Tuam would fail to score again for 15 minutes. They finished the game with 10 wides compared to Annaghdown’s five and a Mannion wide from the edge of the arc, in a central position, would have put them three ahead with 11 minutes of normal time to play.

Conor Quinn ended a 20-minute scoring drought for Annaghdown in minute 54 to level it. The wind held up an effort from Kilcommins two minutes later to allow Comer beat Tuam goalkeeper Darragh Creavan to the punch and Annaghdown held out for the win despite a two-pointer in added time from Jack Grugan.

ANNAGHDOWN: J. Healy (0-3, one 0-2 free, 0-1 ‘45); J. Creaven, D. Meehan, R. Duggan; O. Kelly (0-2, 0-2 score), D. Hegarty, M. Naughton; J. McDonnell (0-1), Diarmuid Kilcommins (0-2, 0-2 score); C. Heavey, J. O’Neill, M. Duggan; E. Newell (0-1), D. Comer (2-3, one 0-2 score), S. Curley (0-1, free). Subs: C. Quinn (0-1), for Duggan, 24 mins; E. Reddington, for O’Neill, 43 mins; R. Sheridan, for Creaven, 51 mins; J. Lynn, for Heavey, 56 mins.

TUAM STARS: D. Creavan; S. Rattigan, D. O’Ruairc, D. Cunningham; D. Heneghan, R. O’Connor (0-1), C. Mitchell; S. McGlinchey (0-3, one 0-2 score), P. Collins; M. Colleran, J. Murphy, R. Colleran; B. Mannion (1-3, one 0-2 free), J. Grugan (0-5, one 0-2 score), L. Davin (0-3, one 0-2 score). Subs: J. Cryan, for Collins inj., 19 mins; C. Doherty (0-1), for Mitchell, half-time; C. Rhatigan, for O’Ruairc, 38 mins; J. Heneghan, for R. Colleran, 41 mins; C. Bodkin, for M. Colleran, 57 mins.

REFEREE: Patrick Holohan.

HERALD SPORT MAN OF THE MATCH: Damien Comer (Annaghdown).