JHC Final
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Cushendun lost the JHC final against Rasharkin on Friday night at Casement Park on a scoreline of 1-14 to 2-6.
Cushendun got off to a good start but were unable to capitalise on their early possession. Rasharkin made it very hard in defence and their forwards movement made it difficult to close them down. Cushendun's cause was not helped when Gerard Magee was sent off midway through the first half for a fairly harsh second yellow card.
Rasharkin kept taking their points and went in at half time with their tails up. Cushendun were glad half time came to give them a chance to re-group. The second half was evenly balanced and Cushendun managed to close the gap to 1 point with only three minutes on the clock, however Rasharkin pushed up the field and a scrappy goal was their reward, a further point in injury time helped seal the win for Rasharkin, who were not to be outdone for a Fourth time in a row.
On the night Cushendun did not perform to their potential, several players played in patches with only a few giving their all for 60 minutes. The loss of Eamon Graham early in the second half after shifting a heavy challenge to the head didn't help.
Cushendun must now look to secure their status in Division 3 next year, 3 league matches await them and nothing but the correct result in at least two of them will do. Lessons will be learnt from Friday night for next year and there is no doubt the team will come back stronger and better prepared.