Rockchapel 1-18
Macroom 1-13
BRENDAN KENNEALLY REPORTS
MACROOM have yet to win an opening round group game since the new system was introduced in the premier intermediate football championship. The Mid Cork men, again, experienced first-day sorrows when they went under to Rockchapel in their Group 3 opener at Rathcoole on Sunday evening.
Alan Quinn had a Macroom point from the throw-in but they were on the back foot in the second minute when Jack Curtin goaled for Rockchapel. Jason O’Callaghan added a point to give them a perfect start.
Seán Kiely got Macroom’s second point in the sixth minute and Alan Quinn pointed a tenth-minute free but Jimmy McAuliffe put the Rock two points clear again. Points from Seán Kiely and Dylan Twomey had Macroom level at 0-5 to 1-2 in the 16th minute and they almost got in for a goal a minute later when Eolan O’Leary parted inside to Kiely but his shot was smothered by a rapidly advancing defender.
It was Rockchapel who scored next, Jack Curtin restoring their lead in the 19th minute. Eolan O’Leary squeezed over a 20th-minute point to level the scores for Macroom. Seamus Hickey, rampant at midfield for Rockchapel, and Alan Quinn exchanged scores before Pa Lucey pointed a Macroom free in the 28th minute to put his side into the lead for the very first time in the game. Alan Quinn doubled their advantage but a late point from Mickey McAuliffe for the Rock left Macroom only a point in front at the break, 0-9 to 1-5.
Rockchapel had the perfect start to the second half, as points from Ewan Murphy, Jimmy McAuliffe, Ciarán Curtin, goalkeeper Conor Casey (45) and Shane Curtin pushed them 1-10 to 0-9 ahead by the 40th minute. Back came Macroom with an Alan Quinn free and a Seán Kiely point, before Quinn goaled from close range to put Macroom a point clear, 1-11 to 1-10.
With 15 minutes left, Rockchapel outscored Macroom by 0-8 to 0-2 in that period, a matter of concern for Macroom going forward. Points from Cormac and Ciarán Curtin had Rock back in front by the 51st minute. Jimmy McAuliffe and Macroom’s Cillian Donovan exchanged points as did Jason O’Callaghan and Alan Quinn, and it was 1-13 to 1-12 with four minutes left.
Rockchapel were rampant after Seamus Hickey ran through to score and finished with a flourish with points from O’Callaghan and a brace from Mickey McAuliffe.
Next up for Rockchapel is a meeting with Kilshannig while Macroom will square off against Castletownbere in a must-win game for both.
Scorers
Rockchapel: Jack Curtin 1-1; J O’Callaghan 0-4; J McAuliffe, M McAuliffe 0-3 each; Cormac Curtin, Ciarán Curtin, S Hickey 0-2 each; E Murphy, C Casey (45), Shane Curtin 0-1 each.
Macroom: A Quinn 1-6 (2f); S Kiely 0-3; D Twomey, E O’Leary, P Lucey (f), C Donovan 0-1 each.
Rockchapel: Conor Casey; David Carroll, Eamonn Callaghan, Brian Carroll; Shane Curtin, Moss O’Keeffe, Pat Curtin; Seamus Hickey, Ewan Murphy; Jack Curtin, Jimmy McAuliffe, Jason O’Callaghan; Cormac Curtin, Ciarán Curtin, Mikey McAuliffe.
Subs: John Walsh for M O’Keeffe (24, inj), Connor Keppel for B Carroll (36), Nicholas Linehan for Cormac Curtin (47), Eoin Collins for J O’Callaghan (60).
Macroom: Brendan O’Connell; Ciarán Condon, Johnny Murphy, Don Creedon; Conor Buckley, Mark Corrigan, Michael Cronin; Tony Dineen, Patrick Lucey; Fintan Goold, Seán Kiely, Cillian Donovan; Eolan O’Leary, Dylan Twomey, Alan Quinn.
Subs: Mark Hunt for F Goold (27, inj), Caleb Dineen for T Dineen (38), Shane Meaney for P Lucey (38), Jack O’Riordan for C Condon (43), Conor O’Sullivan for S Meaney (58).
Referee: Canice Walsh (Nemo Rangers).
