AS the club championship season kicked off last Friday evening, I was stationed atop scaffolding in Carrigaline slightly regretting my choice of shorts as the sun weakened and a cool sea breeze whipped up.
2021 champions and ante-post favourites St Finbarr’s clashed with their city rivals and serial underachievers Douglas. The Barrs suffered two major blows before a ball was kicked with injuries to defensive lynch-pins Sam Ryan and Billy Hennessy weakening their usually resolute defence somewhat. Youngsters Bill O’Connell and Fionn Crowley took their places in the backline, and with Brian Hayes and Ethan Twomey resting their weary bodies on the subs bench, the opportunity was there for Douglas to claim a big scalp if they were good enough. As you will know by now, they weren’t.
Douglas matched the Blues in most every department but their failure to convert a number of relatively easy chances, with the off-form Alan O’Hare having one of those nights, combined with Steven Sherlock’s ability to conjure a goal from an off-target point effort from Johnathan Wigginton Barrett, allowed The Barrs to claim a three-point win, 1-10 to 0-10, while holding plenty in reserve. Hayes and Twomey both made brief, late cameos to help see out the win while also making sure any over-exuberant intermediate management didn’t start enquiring about their availability for Saturday’s intermediate contest with Glanmire.
The Barrs can and will improve on this performance, but we saw little new from them either. Solid in defence even without the injured duo, a strong midfield and running game with Sherlock providing the firepower, twas ever thus. Hayes and Twomey will add to their attacking options, and they will need to, or the predictability may hinder their chances in the latter stages of the championships.
On Saturday afternoon, a large crowd gathered in Rosscarbery for the big senior clash of the weekend between reigning champions Castlehaven and Clonakilty. The Haven provided by far the most complete performance of the weekend and would make the 3/1 available before the weekend look quite the generous price as they cut through Clon virtually at will.
Brian Hurley set up Jack Cahalane for an early goal before Clon drew level when another effort at a point dropped into the Haven square and was eventually scrambled into the net. From then until half-time Castlehaven took control and played superb football, mixing long kicking with direct running and converting their chances with impressive efficiency. All their big stars took their turns to show their abilities and the supporting cast more than played their part as they turned a level game into an eight-point lead in less than 20 minutes. For Clon, Conor Daly’s long range free-taking was their main source of scores as they struggled to break down the packed Haven rearguard.
Castlehaven's Brian Hurley is dispossessed by Clonakilty's Sean White and Thomas Clancy during the McCarthy Insurance PSFC round one game at Rosscarbery on Saturday. (Photo: Paddy Feen)
The handbrake was applied by the boys in blue and white in the opening stages of the second half and Clon started to take the game to the champions, reducing the deficit to four points with around ten minutes to go. A combination of Haven upping their gears and Clon indiscipline ensured there was to be no famous comeback, Clon finishing with 13 players due to late black and red cards for some off-the-ball messing. The Haven could afford to pop over easy points when goals were on offer and the final score read 1-18 to 1-12. Interestingly, Jerome Stack has been added to the Haven backroom squad. The Kerryman led Roscommon side St Brigid’s to the All-Ireland at the Haven’s expense earlier this year and is another experienced head to help guide rookie manager Seanie Cahalane. They are the team to beat this year again.
From there I had a quick dinner and joined the rest of the Ross ranks heading for Brinny hoping to see some good football and a Carbery Rangers win against St Michael’s. Unfortunately, we saw neither. The last premier senior game of the weekend – elsewhere there were wins for Nemo, Newcestown and a draw between Valley Rovers and Mallow – was an exceptionally poor encounter. The quality left a lot to be desired, as both teams played as if nervous of the prospect of losing and bringing the dreaded relegation final into view. A brief Ross flurry after a St Michael’s black card before half-time gave Ross a 0-5 to 0-4 lead at half-time. If the first half could be classed as below average, the second half was worse as both teams struggled to work the scoreboard operators.
Ross claimed two of the three points in the first 20 minutes of the second half before the city men broke down the right wing and cornerback Finnán Leahy ran through the middle untouched to bury a goal. With confidence now suddenly in their veins, a team that scored one point in the 37 minutes prior to the goal now kicked three good points in a row, with only a late Mark Hodnett consolation free in response from Ross. St Michael’s claimed the two points on offer and Ross will now head for a do-or-die battle with neighbours Clon. That one may prove even uglier and more tense than last year’s 0-6 all draw.
Carbery Rangers' Barry Kerr gets his pass away under pressure from St Michael's Emmett Sheehan during the McCarthy Insurance PSFC round one at Brinny on Saturday evening. (Photo: Paddy Feen)
On Sunday, the morning provided some respite from the football before sitting down to watch the big one: the All-Ireland final between Armagh and Galway. What followed was a game that seems to have divided opinion somewhat, with many deriding the slow, methodical nature of proceedings while others, including myself, were engaged by the tactical battle and the high quality of many of the scores from Paul Conroy, Oisin Conaty and others of a very high calibre. Granted, the passages of Galway ‘keep ball’ when Armagh packed their numbers back would be no one’s idea of exhilaration, but the closeness of the contest and the physical endeavours kept me absorbed, nonetheless.
The biggest disappointment from a neutral perspective was the failure of the key forwards, mostly on the Galway side, to perform to their potential. Damien Comer was anonymous while Shane Walsh was noticeable mostly for the wrong reasons, as the unnecessary decision to kick a central free off his left foot unsettled the man who carried the fight to Kerry at the same stage two years ago.
Armagh could afford to have only two forwards to score, Conaty with three and Rian O’Neill with one, but that is indicative as much of the 15-man style they play than any major malfunction of the forward line. All the Armagh scores came from play, but ultimately Walsh’s poor shooting and Comer’s anonymity led to Galway’s second All-Ireland defeat in three seasons.
Lastly, the weekend would end on a more positive note for us in Ross as the junior team held on for a one-point win over reigning champions, Barryroe. The boots did get out of the press for the evening but seven or eight minutes of blocking up space and kicking a couple of frees was about all I was able for. All the other grades kicked off as well and the game of the weekend was probably Kanturk vs Dohenys with the North Cork men edging a high-scoring affair. Cill na Marta and Carrigaline were others to impress in the same grade. Skibb will be delighted also to have gotten off to a winning start despite the loss of key man Donal Óg Hodnett, while Ilen Rovers were the latest to fall victim to the rise of Uibh Laoire in the premier intermediate championship. Bantry, Rockchapel and Kilshannig also made impressive starts. St James fell by six points to Canovee at premier junior level and I’m reliably informed that I owe them an apology, they didn’t lose all three games last year having claimed a win in their opener. Mea culpa!
