Wolfe Tones in good shape after sinking Blacks

Wolfe Tones issued a notice of intent to the remaining SFC contenders when they demolished Walterstown in the early quarter-final at Pairc Tailteann on Sunday. There was plenty to admire about the manner in which Wolfe Tones took control when they struck a rich vein midway through the opening half and laid the foundations for success. Cian Ward was a central figure, but there were others who stood up to the plate also. There's another Ward on the scene, a younger version in Fiachra, there's also Christopher Blaney who has eased off his boxing commitments to help his local team in their quest for Keegan Cup glory. Then there are the other usual suspects, Alan Fox, Stephen Sheppard, Darren McGrath and Niall McLoughlin, who was lucky to avoid an early departure for an off-the-ball exchange with Donal Kennedy. Referee Colm McManus may not have seen the incident, but he saw a couple of other incidents and brandished yellow cards frequently. He also disallowed a late Charles McCarthy goal when Wolfe Tones goalie David Nolan brought it to his attention that the ball had been fisted to the net from 20 metres. "We have had a lot of injuries and that is giving players like Christopher Blaney a chance, he is a very good player and he showed it today," Wolfe Tones manager Paddy Martin told the Meath Chronicle. "The last day against Summerhill we kicked 18 wides, but it was all about winning that game as far as we were concerned and we will just have to see how we get on now in the semi-final. "A lot of people are inclined to write us off, but we will keep playing and hopefully we will keep winning," added the Monaghan native. Fox had Wolfe Tones on the scoreboard with a fisted point after only 20 seconds, but Walterstown countered with a brace. Alban Crosbie converted a free and McCarthy sent over from play in the fourth minute. That was Walterstown's last score for almost 15 minutes and during that period Cian Ward turned on the style. The county star scored two points and made two goals as the Tones dominated in all sectors. Cian Ward showed remarkable skill to make the opening for the first goal when he beat two defenders in the left corner on the end line and centred for Sheppard who finished to the net. A minute later he repeated the feat on the other side of the pitch and this time kept it in the family when he found his brother, Fiachra, who bulged the net. Eanna Harrington also pointed from play and the outlook was poor for Walterstown at that stage as they trailed by eight points, 0-2 to 2-4. By the time the interval came around they were adrift by 0-5 to 2-6 and still facing an uphill task despite well taken points from Michael Clarke (two) and Mark McCormack. Tones almost had a third goal when Gordon Beggy's shot was turned out for a '45' at the near post, however, Fox and Blaney split the posts close to the break. The Blacks made some positional changes and resumed smartly at a faster tempo. Thomas Walsh joined Joe Farrelly at midfield, David Reynolds moved into a wing-back position with Alan Reynolds moving to the half-forward line. Tones also made some changes. Blaney and Harrington changed positions in attack. The sides traded a brace of points before Cian Ward, who gave John Geoghegan a torrid afternoon, finished to the net for his first goal. That gave the Tones a substantial 3-8 to 0-7 lead 10 minutes into that second-half and the remainder was completely irrelevant. Walterstown managed two late points as the Tones eased down and just toyed with their opponents. The remaining points were scored by Niall McLoughlin and Cian Ward (two each), McGrath and Sheppard. Tones could also have had a penalty, but it was wasn't awarded although a free was after the goalkeeper hauled down a Tones man. That wasn't a technical foul and would have qualified as an aggressive foul? Wolfe Tones - D Nolan; S Glynn, C McLoughlin, P Caffery; G Beggy, S Sheppard (1-1), N McLoughlin (0-2); S Corrrigan, A Callaghan; C Blaney (0-2), D McGrath (0-2), A Fox (0-2); E Harrington (0-1), F Ward (1-0), C Ward (1-3 two frees). Subs - R Brady for Glynn 45 mins, M McNally for F Ward 50m D Fogarty for Caffrey 56m, D Coleman for Blaney 58m. Walterstown - R Barry; J Geoghegan, D Kennedy, R Raynolds; P Reynolds, T Walsh, C O'Sullivan; A Reynolds, J Farrelly; M McCormack (0-1), C McCarthy (0-2), D Reynolds; D Donnellan, A Crosbie (0-2 frees), M Clarke (0-2). Referee - Colm McManus (Gaeil Colmcille).