Killeagh 5-25 

St Ita’s 2-17 

Killeagh detonated their East Cork Oil JAHC campaign with a five-goal rampage, blitzing St Ita’s 5-25 to 2-17 on Sunday afternoon. 

They roared out of the traps, ripping their Pilmore rivals to shreds in a savage, scoreboard-shredding statement of intent.

At half-time they clung to a slender four-point lead, but after the restart they went nuclear, outgunning Ita’s 5-12 to 1-6. 

On a day drenched in individual brilliance, Seamus Harnedy was a one-man firestorm for the losers with 1-14, and also carved open the Killeagh defence to set up 1-1.

Killeagh’s David Buckley was simply unplayable, a ghost in the full-forward line who torched the net for 3-2, all from play. Ben Geary was electric too, chipping in with a dazzling 2-7.

The tone was set inside 30 seconds. Geary fizzed over the opening white flag. Ita’s answered immediately, Harnedy landing two quick-fire points and Andrew Leahy leveling. It became a shootout, blow for blow, with Harnedy nudging his side ahead again.

Then came the first explosion. Geary embarked on a mazy solo, carved through traffic and buried the green flag. Harnedy, ice in his veins, replied and then threaded Hickey for the equalizer. 0-6 to 1-3 after 11 minutes and the game was already crackling.

For the next five minutes it was point for point. 

Then Buckley struck. Played clean through, he showed ice-cold composure to bury Killeagh’s second. 

Ita’s didn’t flinch. Harnedy orchestrated, picking out Hickey who smashed home, before adding another point himself.

The closing stages of the half belonged to Killeagh. They edged it 0-6 to 0-2 to take a 2-12 to 1-11 lead into the sheds, but this was far from over.

Two minutes into the second half Harnedy pounced on a loose ball and drilled it over to cut the gap to three. 

Buckley answered with menace. A defensive slip and he was gone, ghosting in for his second goal. Harnedy hit back again, refusing to let Ita’s die.

Then Killeagh ignited. 1-3 without reply blew the game open. Leahy, Geary with 1-1, and Andrew Brenner all found the target and suddenly it was 4-15 to 1-13 with 20 to go.

Harnedy tried to stem the tide with a free, but Killeagh responded with three unanswered points, stretching their lead until it screamed. 

Harnedy produced one last flash of genius, 1-2 in a blur, the goal a solo storm where he plucked the puckout and scorched through for a rocket to the net.

It wasn’t enough. Killeagh finished with cruel efficiency, 1-6 to 0-1 in the final ten minutes. 

Buckley completed his hat-trick, Geary added gloss, and the Killeagh boys marched off with a statement win.

Scorers for Killeagh: B Geary 2-7(0-4f) D Buckley 3-2, A Leahy 0-5, S Walsh 0-4, R Long, C Leahy, C Deane 0-2 each, A Brenner 0-1.

St Ita’s: S Harnedy 1-14 (0-7f) (0-1 65), D Hickey 1-2, C Deane 0-1.

Killeagh: P O’Neill; R Treacy, C O’Riordan, C Leahy; G Wallace, A Leahy, M Murphy; A Brenner, C Deane; J Ogbebor, R Long, S Walsh; D Buckley, C Leahy, B Geary.

Subs: D Hogan for G Wallace (blood sub) C Brennan for B Geary, D Hogan for M Murphy (inj), O Cunnighem for J Ogbebor.

St Ita’s: P O’Brien; M Doherty, B McCarthy, G Griffin; M Lillis, H Cannon, C O’Brien; J McCarthy, M Coleman; S Harnedy, D Hickey, D O’Brien; C Deane, G Coleman, D Collins.

Subs: Ed Coleman for D Hickey, B Bulman for G Griffin.

Referee: (Cathal Mc Allister Aghada)