SFC champions Navan O'Mahonys opened their A FL Division 1 campaign with an easy home win over understrength Ballinlough on Friday night.
Navan O'Mahonys 3-14 Ballinlough 1-4
O'Mahony's Shane Gillespie with Robbie Farrell Ballinlough during the opening round of the Division 1 FL in Brews Hill
David Nelson's men made sure of the points when posting 2-5 without reply from the IFC holders in the opening quarter with Stephen MacGabhann and Ross Geraghty getting the goals.
O'Mahonys tagged on another brace of points before Kevin Devine got Ballinlough - who lined out with manager Thomas Shine in goals - off the mark from a 20th minute free.
Jack Tunney became Ballinlough's sole other scorer - and only scorer from play - when pointing in the 26th minute. Shortly after Darragh Maguire wound up the scoring for the first half and it was 2-10 to 0-2 at the break.
Playing into the Brews Hill goal from the resumption, Ballinlough enjoyed their best spell in the third quarter. A Devine goal from a close range free in the 38th minute was the highlight of this phase.
At the other end some good defensive work allied to a fine save by Lorcan Gibney from James O'Reilly denied O'Mahonys another goal. In the final quarter Ballinlough lost Mark McCullen to a second yellow card.
In this phase of the game O'Mahonys outscored last year's A FL Division 2 runners-up by 1-3 to 0-1 with Alan Forde's 59th minute goal completing the scoring.
Navan O'Mahonys - David Quirke; Darragh Smyth, Niall McKeigue, Brian Dillon; James O'Reilly, Shane Crosby, Gary O'Brien (0-2); Cormac McGuinness, Stephen MacGabhann (1-0); Ruairi O Coileain (0-1), Alan Forde (1-3), Darragh Maguire (0-1); Shane Gillespie (0-3), Jake Regan (0-2 fs), Ross Geraghty (1-2). Subs - James O'Malley for O'Reilly (46), Rory Maguire for MacGabhann (49), Andy Leech for O'Malley (bc 52), Conor Finnegan for McGuinness (52), David Dillon for Regan (56).
Ballinlough - Thomas Shine; Niall Farrelly, Pauric Muldoon, Robbie Farrell; James Baugh, Des O'Reilly, Michael Geraghty; Cian Mallen, Kevin Devine (1-3 fs); Colm Mallen, Mark McCullen, Sean Geraghty; Jack Tunney (0-1), Tommy McCullen, Peader Byrne. Subs - Lorcan Gibney for Shine (3), Kevin Byrne for Colm Mallen (4), Emmet Smith for N Farrelly (5), James O'Keeffe for Smith (bc 14), Ken Rothwell for K Byrne (46), James O'Higgins for Baugh (47).