Dunshaughlin 3-13 Seneschalstown 1-10

Another commanding display sees Gourmet Food Parlour sponsored Dunshaughlin close out the first half of the league unbeaten and with plenty of momentum heading into the second half!

The home side opened the scoring with 2 early points from Ronan Connolly and Robbie Finnegan, settling into the contest quickly. However, Dunshaughlin’s response was swift ,Seán O’Neill found his range off the left boot after some clever play from John McDonagh to open their account.

Seneschalstown nudged ahead with a pointed free, but Dunshaughlin weren’t long in hitting back. Jared Rushe was unlucky with an early goal attempt, sending a powerful shot straight into the keeper’s hands. But a foul on a Dunshaughlin attacker allowed Luke Mitchell to slot over a free to level the game.

Mitchell then showed great awareness of the new rules following a 3 v 4 infringement he stepped outside the scoring arc and coolly converted a 2-point score to give Dunshaughlin the lead. He followed up moments later with a '45, bringing his personal tally to five and putting Dunshaughlin in the driving seat.

What followed was a piece of magic a beautiful 2-point strike from wing-back Dáithí (David) Fildes, and then Dunshaughlin then struck a major blow as Seán O’Neill rattled the net after a brilliant hand pass from Niall Byrne. At this stage, the scoreboard read 1-7 to 0-3 in Dunshaughlin’s favour.

Seneschalstown weren’t going down without a fight. Robbie and Eoin Finnegan hit back with two quickfire points from play, before Robbie added a 2-point free after an over-carry, closing the gap to just three.

But Dunshaughlin had the final say of the half. Jared Rushe, from a quick tap and go, surged forward to kick his first point of the game. Then, following a foul on McDonagh, Dunshaughlins corner forward Luke Mitchell converted a close-range free to take a 5-point cushion into the break.

Half-Time Score: Dunshaughlin 1-9 Seneschalstown 0-7

The second half in a sun-drenched Seneschalstown began with Seán O’Neill winning possession from the throw-in, setting the tone once again for Dunshaughlin. However, it was Luke Mitchell who opened the scoring, confidently converting a '45 into the slight breeze to extend the visitors’ lead.

A clever pass from Mitchell soon found Niall Byrne charging forward in trademark “Byrnsie” fashion. As he burst through the defence, he was taken down by the Seneschalstown goalkeeper, resulting in a penalty. With regular taker Aaron Murphy unavailable, Mitchell took responsibility and dispatched it brilliantly to put Dunshaughlin nine points clear.

Seneschalstown responded with a point and a well-taken goal from Eoin Finnegan, cutting the deficit to five.

Eight minutes into the second half, Ciarán Sheridan made way for Adam Kealy. Shortly after, a slick sequence between Adam Hanley and Mitchell nearly resulted in a goal Hanley's effort was blocked, but Mitchell reacted quickly to tap the rebound over the bar for another Dunshaughlin point.

Further changes saw Ben Duggan replaced by last year's minor star, Matthew Gallagher, making his senior debut. Gallagher, who has impressed with strong performances in the club’s second and third teams,

Twenty minutes in, one of Dunshaughlin's hardest-working forwards John McDonagh was finally rewarded netting a superb goal to bring the score to 3-11 to 1-8 in favour of the visitors.

More substitutions followed: Bill Jennings came in for Seán O’Neill, and young Seán Clancy replaced John McDonagh. Niall Byrne capped a tireless display with a well-deserved point, while Tadhg Ó Dushlaine added his name to the scoresheet.

Jared Rushe was replaced late on by Lennon McCormack, who marked his senior league debut. Though Seneschalstown managed two late points, Dunshaughlin’s strong team performance ensured the result was never in doubt.

Dunshaughlin scorers: Luke Mitchell 1-07 (1x2pt, 2f, 1p), Sean O’Neill 1-01, John McDonagh 1-0, David Fildes 0-02 (1x2pt), Jared Rushe 0-01, Tadhg O'Dushlaine 0-01, Niall Byrne 0-01

Next up for this side will be a home game v Wolfe Tones on Saturday May 24th at 6pm

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