CASTLEHAVEN’S defence of their Munster senior club title perished at the first hurdle in Killarney last weekend, as a slick and confident Dr Crokes team used their home advantage to good effect in front of a fine crowd on a worryingly warm November Sunday afternoon.
Note to all the detractors, including Pat Spillane, who used the bad weather in October as a stick to beat the split-season, weather in this country is pot luck for most of the year. Poor weather cannot and has never been avoided. Don’t worry, I’m not going to go down that tangent again this week, but the point remains, we must resist tearing up the first thing that has been done to help clubs in decades! Thankfully, the improvement in pitch conditions means the games at this time of year are generally not the mud-baths of yesteryear.
There was a double blow to Castlehaven’s aspirations before throw-in as Cork senior Rory Maguire was ruled out completely with a foot issue that worsened overnight on Saturday, and Damien Cahalane was fit enough only for a place on the bench. Two big players and two big presences in the middle sector for the defending champions ruled out and the expected 50/50 contest was now firmly tilted in favour of the home side.
The first half of the contest was very even, although what breeze there was aided Castlehaven in the opening 30 minutes. Crokes were happy to sit in a low block, with Gavin White detailed to mark Brian Hurley and Fionn Fitzgerald given the task of following his brother Michael. Brian won one early duel with White in front of the stand, outmuscling his marker before winning and converting a free, yet that would be as good as it got for either of the brothers in the first half, as the Kerry senior defenders stuck like glue to the Haven’s danger-men.
Mark Collins, again, took the sweeper role for Castlehaven, however Crokes were prepared for his late arrivals into their territory, and without the help of Maguire and the eldest Cahalane, Collins was unable to exert his usual influence. On the one occasion that he did escape the clutches of the Crokes rearguard, he was uncharacteristically inaccurate from 35 yards in front of the posts. Jack Cahalane didn’t bring his form from the Cork championship across the border either, and of the usual leaders for the men in blue and white, only Cathal Maguire performed at or near his usual standard in the first half at least.
With the big guns either missing or misfiring for the Cork champions, it took some of the lesser heralded members of the team to carry the game to their Kerry counter-parts. Andrew Whelton and Jack O’Neill scored fine points, while Sean Browne worked tirelessly and Johnny O’Regan produced one superb block to deny Tony Brosnan a sure point. O’Regan, as usual, fought tooth and nail for the West Cork team, however Brosnan was a constant threat and would cut loose in the second half when Crokes got the upper hand; he finished with 1-7.
Another area where Castlehaven struggled in the first half was on their own kick-out, where again the absence of Maguire and Cahalane was keenly felt. Crokes pressed well on Darragh Cahalane in goal, forcing him to go long more often than not where they won the majority of the breaks and a number of kick-outs went out over the sideline. The highlight of the first half was an outstanding one-handed grab from Charlie Keating from a long Haven kick-out. Half-time came and Crokes led by a single point, 0-6 to 0-5.
The key moment of the game came just after the restart when Gavin White made a searing cut from centre-back to set up Cian McMahon for a goal chance. McMahon cut inside and was dragged by the arm by Mark Collins as he tried to finish the chance. Correctly, a penalty was called by referee Sean Lonergan. Tony Brosnan made no mistake from the spot to make it an uphill battle for the Haven. The sides traded points as the Cork men finally found an extra gear to start to make some inroads into the Crokes defence.
Castlwhaven's Andrew Whelton gets away from Dr Crokes' Mark O'Shea during the AIB Munster Club SFC quarter-final in Killarney.(Photo: Michael P Ryan/Sportsfile)
Damien Cahalane came into the fray and had a positive influence from wing-back, while brother Jack began to get some joy from running at the Crokes defence. Michael Hurley placed Conor Cahalane for a great goal chance not long after the Crokes penalty, however Conor’s shot went left and wide. Mark Collins had a shot saved after a slick hand-passing move, while Conor O’Driscoll dragged a good chance badly wide after a long pass from Damien Cahalane put Jamie O’Driscoll in behind the Crokes rearguard. Haven could have had another goal chance but Robbie Minihane was blocked down when Cathal Maguire had made a good off-the-shoulder run and could have been through on goal.
Kieran O’Leary came off the bench for Crokes to claim two of the easiest points he’ll ever kick as the Haven defence became stretched. This problem was exacerbated when Brian Hurley received a straight red card for a high challenge on Cian McMahon. Brosnan also had the freedom of the park to kick scores as Crokes led by six with normal time almost up. Once more the Haven showed that Crokes could be vulnerable when they were run at, and were awarded a penalty for over-carrying by Shane Murphy in the Crokes goal after another goal chance was thwarted. Damien Cahalane hammered the penalty high into the net.
It was now a three-point game and Haven set up to press on the kick-out, yet somehow Murphy was able to get a short kick-out away and Crokes broke away to set up Brosnan for the insurance point. Brosnan and O’Leary tacked on further scores and Crokes ended up winning by a comfortable seven-point margin.
Castlehaven will have regrets about their injuries, however the performance on the day wasn’t close to good enough and Crokes were deserving winners. I would like to see the teams go toe to toe somewhere like the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick on another day, but that’s mere supposition now and the Kerry champions move forward and will be hot favourites to claim another Munster club title.
Castlehaven’s dreams of going one step further and reaching Croke Park for All-Ireland club final day are over for another year, and this will be a big blow to the club. Their form over the last two seasons has improved steadily and they looked primed for a strong tilt at ultimate honours. Killarney is something of a graveyard for Cork teams, though, and Haven couldn’t have picked a worse day to produce their worst performance in recent memory. They will be favourites to claim honours in Cork again next year, however there will be another year in the legs for some of their seasoned campaigners. It is a long road back to Munster glory, and much will depend on how the bodies of Mark Collins, Brian Hurley and Damien Cahalane hold up.
There is nothing they can do now but put their feet up for a few weeks, before they even think of going again. They will all likely be back next year again, but another chance of emulating their neighbours in Skibbereen with an All-Ireland club title has been and gone. Honestly, the All-Ireland club championship is by far the most interesting and exciting competition in the GAA, as evidenced by Padraig Pearses win over Corfin last Sunday and the cracker played out between Cuala and Naas on Saturday evening.
I may have only caught the end of the game, but Clann Eireann and Newbridge was another fine game by all accounts with an exciting finish, and the Ulster championship generally is super competitive. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, long live the club championships and long may they be given the chance to flourish as they currently are. Ignore the Dublin media mafia who want to go back to the days of total fixture uncertainty, club members all over the country deserve better than that.
