THE aptly-titled Caesar’s Superdome in New Orleans may have been the centre of attention for much of the sporting world for Super Bowl Sunday, however the slightly less ostentatious surrounds of Drimoleague was the venue for Carbery Rangers’ clash with Bantry in the Carbery U21A football championship earlier that day.
There was no Donald Trump, no Taylor Swift and no half-time show but to the credit of the young footballers of both clubs, it was a far more gripping contest than the one-sided beating that the Philadelphia Eagles inflicted on the Kansas City Chiefs. Thankfully, a busy Monday led me to decide against staying up this year and I decided to wait for the highlights the day after, the right shout on this occasion.
Getting back to the action in this more humble little corner of the world, Carbery Rangers’ – and, for the record, I’m Ross U21 manager – first championship contest in the ‘enhancement era’ ended, much like Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, in disappointment and defeat (2-9 to 1-11). Credit to the Drimoleague club for making their facilities available when plenty others declined to do so, however the game was played before the groundsmen had the opportunity to get the first cut of 2025 done. The long grass and soft ground made the going heavy, very heavy in places, yet the two teams went at the game with gusto, nonetheless.
There was very little between the two teams, but two Bantry goals inside a minute early in the second half gave the westerners a lead that was just that bit too much for our lads to claw back. There was a more than decent, and it must be said quite boisterous, crowd at the game, and they were very much engaged and invested all through. Credit too to referee Michael O’Leary and his officials who contributed to the flow of the game also, while trying to keep track of every rule in the book, old and new! Some confusion reigned at different times, however there will have to be a share of patience and understanding from all of us.
Seeing up close just how difficult it was for a linesman to keep order during a minor scuffle and also watch the other side of the field for three-up infractions, it merely reinforced my suspicion that, while all the changes have their own merits, it is possibly a case of too much, too quick. More gradual adjustments on a yearly basis would be preferable to wholesale changes every five years or so.
The flip side to that argument, though, is that radical change was needed after so long failing to address the root cause of so many dull football games, and the early indications are that the games are certainly more open and high scoring.
Donegal manager Jim McGuinness spoke after their Division 1 league win over Kerry that it might be too difficult for defenders, however given that the 15-behind-the-ball style of recent seasons which meant defenders had everything stacked in their own favour, you’ll forgive me if I don’t break out the violins just yet. Restricting the goalkeeper’s forays forwards, or even just making sure there are four in the defensive half regardless of who they are, would encourage the one-to-one contests between backs and forwards that so many of us crave.
Bantry, for their part, will now face Castlehaven in the last four with Ibane Gaels and O’Donovan Rossas facing off in the other semi-final. Unfortunately for our lads, that is the end of U21 football for our season and for some their days playing underage football are over for good. Some of those guys are already in with the senior panel, while others might join Carbery Rangers’ junior squad if they want to keep playing. It’s certainly very early in the year for those guys to have no more football at their own age grade. Last week’s column covered that in detail if you want to remind yourself of my opinions on the matter. Regardless, well done to Bantry, deserving winners on the day and good luck to the four teams still involved.
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CORK footballers host winless Westmeath in Division 2 on Saturday evening, and I’m looking forward to attending a Cork game for the first time in the flesh for this year.
The midlanders have been on the wrong end of two high-scoring games against Louth and, particularly, Monaghan in their first two outings, conceding 3-46 in the process. Not unlike Cork, Westmeath have been hit by retirements and withdrawals for this season with key players like John Heslin and Ronan O’Toole no longer available.
Former AFL player Ray Connellean didn’t feature in the Monaghan game either after starting against Louth, so we will wait and see if he is fit enough to take his place in this game. Luke Loughlin is the man in form for Westmeath, with 22 points scored in just two games. Despite their two defeats, the men in maroon were only pipped by a very late goal and we know what our recent record against the Wee County looks like.
Any illusions of a comfortable evening are further shattered by the latest updates from John Cleary. Sean Powter is the latest to be added to the lengthy injury list, and while long-serving Ian Maguire and Brian Hurley are back in training, it is not clear if they will feature this weekend. Conor Cahalane has joined the squad after this omission from the hurling panel, an issue I’ve always had mixed feelings about, however there is little doubt the squad needs the extra bodies. The lack of impact from the bench was a key factor in the failure to bring the points back down the road.
Given the travails of Ange Postecoglu and Spurs, I understand as well as anyone that excuses about injuries start to wear thin relatively quickly, and so Cork must set them aside and get the job done on home soil on Saturday evening. Again, it’s a pivotal game in a short league campaign – win and thoughts turn to a promotion push, lose and it will be the lower end of the league table that preoccupies our thoughts before contests with current promotion favourites Monaghan and Roscommon.
I have confidence that Cork can get back to winning ways in this one, especially if some of the above mentioned are fit enough to play a part.
