After a raucous victory against the Cadets last week, Trinity’s footballers made it two wins on the bounce on Tuesday night in Santry, comfortably seeing off Marino 4-23 to 1-11. The victory marked the first time in over four years that the side had won two consecutive games.
The game started at a savage pace, as Trinity won the throw-in before linking up through intricate runs, tearing asunder a dazed Marino defence. The move ended with a coolly delivered ball from James Guinness flying through the Marino rearguard to find Aodhan McEvoy who fisted over for the first score of the night.
Marino did manage to steady the ship, building on the solid kickouts provided by keeper Conor Heraghty. They duly sent in a number of testing balls early on, but these were snuffed out by Trinity’s Mike Joyce at fullback.
As the game rolled into the second quarter, Marino began to pull back the widening gap through a number of smart shots. Their first point came from a long ball from the 45. This was followed by another point from a low ball, skidded down the line to Marino corner-forward Shane Sheridan, who won a free under pressure from Trinity corner-back Liam Lundon. For Marino, Cian O’Brien made no mistake, tapping over from a tricky angle.
Trinity broke at pace down the pitch from the subsequent kickout. Liam Brady in the Trinity net found a willing runner in Keelin Beirne who carried the ball into the opposition 45 before moving it quickly through to Paul Lambert. On the turn, Lambert found Guinness, who gathered and rifled across the goal into the bottom corner for Trinity’s first goal of the night.
Trinity were ruthless, a trait that may have been absent at times from the side’s attack in previous seasons. As the half wore on Laverty demanded his players push forward. This desire to attack and finish off the game in the first half was exemplified by Dara O’Shea’s point from Marino’s 21 after a strong surge from defence.
Marino, however, didn’t let their heads drop and as the half came to a close they strung together a number of fine scores. The bulk of their attacks went through former Galway minor captain Desmond Conneely. His shot selection throughout the night was meticulous, as was his ability to draw multiple Trinity defenders through smart runs, opening up in the process pockets of space on the wings into which he happily played balls for his fellow forwards.
Regardless, at half-time Trinity were in control of the game despite not having hit top gear, up 1-11 to 0-08. Notably, Marino did not register a wide for the entirety of the first period, perhaps making the scoreline less reflective of the control Trinity exerted over the game.
Trinity burst from the traps in the second half as Matthew Shorthall in defence bombed forward at pace to set Guinness up for an early score. The pace didn’t let up as Trinity scored another two points in quick succession before another goal put the game well and truly to rest: Bryan Magee latched onto a misdirected kickout before playing a quick one-two and, on receiving the ball back, smashed it into the roof of the net.
Trinity’s high press in the full forward line helped them ease into a comfortable lead in the second half, but it also began to leave patches of space in defence. Marino would eventually win one of their own kickouts and storm into this space to score a well-taken goal against the run of play.
As Marino pushed on in search of consolation scores, Trinity emptied the bench. The fresh legs allowed Trinity to continue a hard-running game that had worked so effectively in the first half, and let to Guinness’s second of the night, as he waited his moment during a scramble in the Marino box, before rolling it serenely into the near corner.
Perhaps the highlight of the night from Trinity’s perspective was fresher Luca O’Riain getting on the scoreboard. If a lack of clinicality has for years now been something of a thorn in the side of the team, this game was a sign these woes may be ending. The game finished 4-23 to 1-11, with Beirne kicking over a free to end the game.
