3 games into the season and Western Shamrocks were still to record a win. The team has come close recently but have seemed to fade in the second half in every game. The lads took to the field on Sunday against St. Finbarrs who they went down to by 8 points in the first game of the year.

Shamrocks were determined to set the story straight with a win in this round. St. Finbarrs had a different idea though and started the game well. Mistakes throughout the Shamrocks team led to serious pressure all over the field. St. Finbarrs capitalized on this and with some fine scores raced into an early lead. Shamrocks tried to turn the game around up front but were coming up short. A tough first half for the Shamrocks saw them going in at the break 1-09 to 0-01 down. The single Shamrocks score coming from a free from Adrian Byrne.

It’s a tough job trying to lift a team at half time when trailing by 11 points but some wise words from Ciaran Gallagher saw Shamrocks start the second half rejuvenated. Shamrocks were a lot more solid across the field and starting tapping over scores for fun. The boys in green kept chipping away at the deficit and eventually got the break they deserved with a great goal from play. It was Shamrocks turn to apply the pressure and that they did with another 2 goals, most notably the 3rd from Stephen Cusack tapping past the keeper from a tight angle. The Shamrocks defence held the Barrs to a single point in the second half. A last minute scare and near penalty gave the Shamrocks a scare but the resulting 14 yard free was deflected by a line of Shams and the final whistle was blown.

Shamrocks ran out winners on a scoreline of 3-09 to 1-10 to record they’re first victory of the year. A strong second half performance from Shamrocks has lifted the heart of the team and with no game next weekend they will have a good break to get the fitness up to scratch and push on for the rest of the season.

Final Score

Western Shamrocks 3-09
St. Finbarrs 1-10