We made the journey to Glenflesk this afternoon for round 3 of the division 1 county league and succumbed to our first defeat of the campaign as Glenflesk ran out deserving  winners by 4 points, 2-17 to 1-16.

We made two enforced changes to our starting lineup with neither Donagh Buckley nor Daniel Bowler fit to start, both struggling with injury.

On the plus side, we had Jake Foley released from the Kerry U20 panel to allow him recuperate following injury but his playing time was limited to one half.

Though we faced the strong breeze in the first half, we were quicker out of the blocks with early scores from the inside duo of Conor O’Sullivan and Conor Hayes - Glenflesk replied with a point from midfielder Tommy Bowler but Conor O’Sullivan replied immediately when he slipped his marker and raised a green flag with a neat finish to the left corner. 

Padraig Griffin and then Gearóid Dillane got in on the act and by the first quarter we led by 5 points, 1-05 to 0-03.

Glenflesk however, began to find their feet and with Killian O’Sullivan and Tommy Bowler now more prominent they tacked on 3 points, a Jeff O’Donoghue two pointer being the highlight.

Their next score was a goal, following a ball into space which caught us unawares and suddenly we were a point adrift - we regained parity shortly afterwards as Jack found his range from play but a further 5 points, two 2 pointers courtesy of Dylan Roche from play and Tommy Bowler from a free saw the homesters extend their advantage to 3 points at the break, 1-11 to 1-08, with Jack, from frees,keeping us in touch.

The halftime deficit did not seem insurmountable however, but hopes of a comeback were dashed after the restart as Glenflesk mined 1-02 to our sole point ( Darragh O’Connor) leaving us 6 points adrift , 2-12 to 1-09 after just 5 minutes.

The following 10 minutes saw us trade scores and we remained 6 in arrears as we entered the final quarter; by this stage, we had introduced Ben O’Brien, Daniel Bowler, and Breandán Meehan in an attempt to raise our hopes but Glenflesk stuck to their task admirably with the likes of Cian Lynch, Killian O’Sullivan, Tommy Bowler, Ian & Dylan Roche to the fore.

To their credit, the lads stuck resolutely  to the task and continued to work hard off the ball. There was no lack of effort, but at times, passes went astray, promising moves broke down, and those moments where pressure could have been applied slipped away — allowing the opposition off the hook more often than not.

There was only four points between the sides entering the final few minutes and when Darragh O’Connor raised a white flag we were down to 3 - however, following some consultation between the referee and his umpires the score was chalked off and though Conor Hayes, elusive as ever, slipped his marker, the goal keeper was equal to his effort and the ball was cleared to safety. 

However, Glenflesk remained resolute at the back, absorbing the pressure calmly before launching swift, direct balls into an energetic forward line. Their pace and intent in transition kept us on the back foot, the momentum firmly in their grasp. 

The final few minutes saw us continue to take the fight to the opposition with Barry John having the final say with a point deep into stoppage time.

In the final analysis, Glenflesk were good value for their win while we will now focus on our next fixture, Beaufort on Easter Sunday at home  where we will hope to resume winning ways and the return of some of our injured personnel. 

Team: Rob O’Connor, Ben Hanafin ( 0-01), Darragh McElligott, Sam Pituch, Gearóid Dillane ( 0-01), Ryan Carroll, Jake Foley, Tom Hoare, Barry John Keane ( 0-01), Gearóid Savage ( 0-01), Jack Savage ( 0-06), Padraig Griffin ( 0-01), Conor Hayes ( 0-02), Conor O’Sullivan ( 1-02), Darragh O’Connor (0-01).

Subs Used: TJ Heaphy, Daniel Bowler, Ben O’Brien, Breandán Meehan, Con Barrett ( blood sub).