De La Salle - Player Ratings V Clarinbridge

Steven Brenner – 6 He possibly could have stopped Mark Kerins penalty as it was at an ideal height for a goalkeeper. He had no chance with any of the other two goals and his puck-out was long and accurate throughout.

Darren Russell – 7 Another good game from Russell who has had to change his style slightly after playing most of his career to date out the field. He has adapted well to playing at corner-back and uses his pace and hurling ability to full effect.

Ian Flynn – 6 He struggled to deal with the mobility of Alan Kerins in the opening stages and would have been relieved to see him moved out the field. He coped a lot better with Mark Kerins when he came in on him and cleared a lot of balls in general play

Michael Doherty – 8 De La Salle are in the luxurious position of being able to play Doherty in his best position of corner-back. He didn’t give Paul Coen a sniff for long periods and was probably out on his feet with tiredness when Coen got his two late points.

Brian Phelan – 7 He was a lot quieter than on other days but he really came into the game when it really mattered. He has a remarkable ability to do the right thing all the time, hitting it long when needed and off-loading hand-passes to Moran on occasion. He kept his head to score the point which forced extra-time.

Kevin Moran – 9 Once again Moran was immense. Since moving to centre-back in August, he has got better and better with every game. It will be interesting to see if Davy Fitzgerald sees him as a runner at centre-back. In my opinion, it’s worth a shot. Strong in the air, a brilliant point and wreaks havoc when he drives forward. Man of the Match.

Stephen Daniels – 8 Once again, Daniels did his bit for the cause. He has a fantastic ability under the dropping ball and almost always gets a good clearance in. He is bound to get a run with the county team in the remainder of the league and after that, it’s up to himself.

Conan Watt – 5 He was struggling with a back injury in the days leading up to the game and never really got going. He tried hard and battled all day but he simply wasn’t fit enough to make an impact.

Dean Twomey – 8 He did his burgeoning reputation no harm at all with another good display at midfield. He showed his ability to pick off scores from out the field but needs to stop drifting out of games. Sources tell me he may get a run on the county team which may do his confidence the world of good.

Paudie Nevin – 6 It wasn’t his best game and he only managed a point from play over the course of the game. He was up against a very good player in Micheal Donoghue and never got the opportunity to run at the Clarinbridge defence.

David Greene – 6 He battled hard over the game but didn’t get a lot of freedom off David Forde who was immense at centre-back for Clarinbridge.

John Mullane – 8 Once again, the De La Salle talisman stood up to the plate. Five points from play is more than pulling your weight and he was the go-to man yet again. He will be haunted by the missed free in the first half which proved critical.

Jake Dillon – 8 This guy is going to be a star. He was absolutely brilliant yesterday, grabbing three super points from play. The thing I like most about him is his ability to win his own ball which is a rarity amongst forwards but so important nonetheless

Eddie Barrett – 6 Barrett failed to make an impact throughout bar a superb early pass which picked out Mullane for his first score of the game. He looked very promising at underage level and needs to impose himself on games and take more responsibility.

John Keane – 7 Keane has been a useful acquisition for De La Salle as he has a great ability to pick off a score. He may not seem to be in the game for long stages but he only needs a sighting of the posts and the ball is over.

Subs:

Eoin Madigan – 9 Another excellent performance off the bench from Madigan and one may well wonder what might have been if he had been started. He is a huge man who can win ball but he complements that with a graceful touch as epitomised by his score-taking.

Lee Hayes – 7 He wasn’t on long enough to make much of an impression but he did score an excellent point which looked as if it had won the game for De La Salle