WHAT a contrast in weather conditions over the last two rounds of the football championships. All over the county two weeks ago we basked in the sunshine as we watched backroom teams invade the pitch at every break in play in an effort to keep their players hydrated. Last weekend was the direct opposite.
Players' fundamental skills were tested to the max in atrocious conditions. The ball had to go to hand. The kickpass had to hit its target. Soft hands were required to collect if the ball was put either side of you. If not, it was a turnover. Power counts in bad conditions but ally that to skill and you will see the best players surface in the worst conditions.
In borderline unplayable conditions in Bandon on Saturday Nemo Rangers edged Clonakilty by the narrowest of margins, 0-5 to 0-4, in a Premier SFC quarter-final. As the rain suits were tested to the max among the supporters who braved it, surface water on the pitch threatened the longevity of this game. The most common free awarded was for off-the-ground pick-ups as passes fell short of their target and settled in the ever-building ponds. The two best players on view were marking each other. Mark Cronin gave a match-winning display, kicking three of Nemo’s five with two coming from play. Liam O’Donovan opened the scoring with a beauty for Clon as he drove his team forward at every opportunity. These two were closely followed by Paul Kerrigan and Thomas Clancy who went toe to toe at 11 and six respectively.
Clon played with the wind – sometimes gale-force – into the town goal in the first half but didn’t get enough on the scoreboard as they led by the minimum at the break, 0-3 to 0-2. The question before the game was would Clon have the scoring power to get over the line? The answer: no, not yet. Nemo had 16 shots from play, Clon had seven. Of Nemo’s five scores four came from play. Clon’s first score was their only score from play. On one end, Kevin O’Donovan and Kevin Fulignati limited Darragh Gough and Conor Daly's influence while at the other David Lowney had the better of Nemo’s normal chief score-getter Luke Connolly. Nemo seemed happy to stay in the game in that opening half, conceding the Clon kick-out short, pressurising in the middle third and sometimes filtering all 15 players back into their own half.
When Paul Kerrigan put them ahead mid-way through the second half you could see that they knew if they didn’t concede a goal, they would see this one out as Clon didn’t register their first score of the second period until the 29th minute, and that was from a Gough free. The score stood at 0-5 to 0-4 to Nemo when young Niall Barrett did really well to identify space and win a mark outside the top of the D but his contact wasn’t clean from the resulting effort and it fell short. Nemo will now play Douglas or Duhallow in the semi-final and they look set for another county final appearance.
Clonakilty's Darragh Gough and Nemo Rangers' Kevin O'Donovan in a race for the ball during the Bon Secours PSFC quarter-final at Bandon on Saturday evening.
In Enniskeane on Sunday, for the first half of the weekend’s second Premier SFC quarter-final the bad weather continued. Castlehaven clicked into top gear against Ballincollig in the opening period, playing into the wind and rain to lead at half time by 0-8 to 0-2. Ballincollig just didn’t bring the necessary fight and levels of aggression in the opening half as the Union Hall/Castletownshend outfit just ran riot.
Castlehaven boss James McCarthy got his match-ups bang on and on the other side, because Ballincollig didn’t get out of the blocks, they struggled all over the park. Jack O’Neill tracked Cian Kiely all over the field and didn’t give him a sniff while going on to kick a wonderful point himself in the second half. Brian Hurley led Harry Ahern on a merry dance on the 40 while Mark Collins was let have a free role to create overlap after overlap coming out of defence while kicking two beauties of his own in that first half also. Cian Dorgan didn’t bring his kicking boots and was well marshalled by Ronan Walsh throughout. The pace and precision of Castlehaven’s football in that opening half was the best they have produced this year.
At half time the rain stopped, the wind dropped, the sun came out and Ballincollig showed up for the second half. Liam Jennings was switched onto Brian Hurley to great effect, with the help of a sweeper. Mark Collins was tracked. Michael Hurley got a questionable black card and the Haven's overall intent seemed to drop a notch or two. Ballincollig ran with more aggression and cohesion at the Haven defence and had three goal chances before their much-needed green flag finally arrived courtesy of Dara Dorgan. Only one point between them now with a few minutes plus injury time to go.
Castlehaven’s big guns steadied the ship. Ballincollig were pushing on and, as a result, were open to being caught on the break. Michael Hurley kicked a beauty, then Damien Cahalane rampaged through to fist over as did Cathal Maguire. Both could have goaled, but no chances were being taken at this late stage. Castlehaven led by three again. A final goal-mouth skirmish following a high ball in Sean Kiely’s direction was soon followed by the final whistle and another joust with the Barrs in a semi-final. There was a tinge of Jekyll and Hyde to this Castlehaven performance but they won’t care; they are back in a county semi-final for the fourth season in a row.
