The unstoppable Austin Gleeson Show comes to Carrickbeg!
Mount Sion's Austin Gleeson scores one of his brilliant six points against Fourmilewater.
Six astounding Austin Gleeson points (five from play) illuminated a Sunday afternoon of sunshine and showers as Mount Sion flattened Fourmilewater and made it five wins from five.
This magnificent display of long-distance shooting was a timely reminder of Aussie’s ridiculous talent. Five of those six white flags came from inside his own half of the field! The free-scoring centre back struck two first-half screamers from the Sion 45. A joy to watch.
A collision with Michael Morrissey saw the number six require treatment early in the second half, but he shook off that knock and sprayed around a couple of bullet passes to his teammates. He was clapped off the field six minutes from time.
Sion were already through to the quarter finals, as Group A winners, prior to the throw-in in but didn’t ease up. They hunted Fourmile all over the pitch and went after their short puckouts. In-form corner forward Adam Regan fired 1-5 (1-3 from play), including a goal two minutes into the second half, which burst the bottom corner of the net. That three-pointer came off an opposition puckout that Alan Kirwan won back. Luke O’Brien switched from wing-back to full-back and stood up to Sean Walsh in a ding-dong battle. PJ Fanning put in another big shift at midfield.
Evan Spelman (0-7) and Jamie Barron (0-3) were best for a flat Fourmile outfit. A worrying performance ahead of the preliminary quarter final against Abbeyside/Ballinacourty. Defender Conor Gleeson still hasn’t started a game in this year’s championship but did make an appearance in the second half. They will need him on Saturday night.
The St Molleran’s pitch must be one of the best in the county at present. There were plenty of stewards on duty to help with parking outside the ground. The one thing they couldn’t control was the weather as the rain arrived in the first half!
Sion left Martin F O’Neill, Evan Curran, and Stephen Roche off their starting fifteen, but five Austin Gleeson singles (four from play) in the drizzly conditions helped them into a 17-9 halftime lead. After just 20 seconds, Gleeson drilled the sliotar over the maroon spot from his own 65. His next came on six minutes from the opposition's 65. Goalkeeper Ian O’Regan then played a short free to the unmarked number six, and he let fly from the Sion 45. The ball hung in the air for an eternity before it landed on top of the net. A wow moment.
Fourmile couldn’t cope with the pressure that Sion applied. A PJ Fanning block followed by a PJ Fanning tackle saw the ball worked back once again to Gleeson, sitting in the pocket like Jonny Wilkinson. The white flag went up again. Four from play inside sixteen minutes!
Younger brother Jamie produced two first-half points, and Adam Regan got three as the gap grew to nine. Shane Ryan, back from Australia, shot two in reply from wing back for Fourmile, with Evan Spelman on target three times. The half belonged to Aussie, however, as a monster free brought his tally to five.
The game was well and truly over two minutes into the second half. Alan Kirwan turned over a Fourmile short puckout and a ferocious Regan shot flew through the far corner of the cobwebs (1-18 to 0-10). Ben Frisby put over a point and then turned provider for you know who. Gleeson worked a short free, opened the shoulders from his own 65 and split the posts again. Six of the best! Martin ‘Blondie’ O’Neill also left the action with six to his credit.
Fourmile failed to trouble Sion number one Ian O’Regan despite creating a couple of promising openings. Twelve shots flew off target in another wasteful showing. Jamie Barron hammered his hurley off the ground in frustration when a late effort fell short.
Adam Regan 1-5 (1 65, 1f), Martin O’Neill (4fs, 1 65), Austin Gleeson (1f) 0-6 each, Mikey Daykin, Jamie Gleeson 0-2 each, PJ Fanning, Ben Frisby, John Kennedy, Donal Power 0-1 each.
Evan Spelman 0-7 (3fs), Jamie Barron 0-3, Pat Walsh, Shane Ryan 0-2 each, Sean Walsh, Dylan Guiry, Oisin Walsh (65), Michael Morrissey, Tom Barron 0-1 each.
Ian O'Regan; Gavin Power, Luke O'Brien, Stephen O'Neill; Emmanuel Adebayo, Austin Gleeson, Ben Frisby; PJ Fanning, Donal Power; Martin O'Neill, Jamie Gleeson, John Kennedy; Adam Regan, Mikey Daykin, Alan Kirwan.
Stephen Roche for Martin O’Neill (46), Ben Flanagan for Adebayo (51), Martin F O’Neill for Austin Gleeson (54), Jack Kirwan for Alan Kirwan (58).
Stephen Ryan; James McGrath, Tadhg Walsh, Paddy Spelman; Shane Ryan, Oisin Walsh, Jake Mulcahy; Tom Barron, Pat Walsh; Aaron Ryan, Jamie Barron, Evan Spelman; Dylan Guiry, Sean Walsh, Michael Morrissey.
Conor Gleeson for McGrath (43), Tholom Guiry for Mulcahy (47).
Anthony Fitzgerald
Austin Gleeson’s awesome display of shooting was worth the admission fee alone.
Adam Regan’s net buster killed the game two minutes into the second half.
Those six Aussie points!
Fourmilewater must lift themselves for Abbeyside/Ballinacourty in a preliminary quarter-final on Saturday night. Sion enjoy a week off ahead of the quarters.
