Muskerry 3-15
Carbery 2-9
TOM LYONS REPORTS
IT had all looked promising for Carbery for 25 minutes of this round one game in the unseeded divisions/colleges county senior hurling championship in Macroom on Tuesday evening.
They led by 1-6 to 1-4 despite playing second fiddle to a strong Muskerry side that hit ten wides and dropped a number of shots short into the goalkeeper’s hand during the first half.
Carbery's Gearoid O'Donovan rises highest to win possession against Muskerry's Conor McGoldrick during the Cork Division/Colleges Unseeded HC at Macroom on Tuesday evening.
However, a strong finish to the half saw the mid-Cork side hitting four unanswered points to lead by 1-8 to 1-6 at the break. The wheels began to come off the Carbery wagon in the second half as Muskerry adjusted their sights to rifle over five points to Carbery’s two. When Tadhg O’Connell found the net in the 53rd minute for the winners to open up an eight-point gap, there was just no way back for the West Cork side.
Carbery died with their boots on, Conal Cullinane finding the Muskerry net in the 58th minute, only for Muskerry’s top man on the night Eoin O’Shea to reply with Muskerry’s third goal in the 62nd minute.
‘We’d be happy with that performance even though we did fade in the second half,’ said Carbery manager David Whyte. ‘We were missing a few strong players who would have made a big difference and, unfortunately, we weren’t able to get in all the preparation we would have liked, especially challenge games.
‘The lads tried very hard all through and might have got a few more goals that would have really put it up to them. This is a great experience for our lads, playing senior hurling. Hopefully, if we get a few players on board, we will put it up to Duhallow next time out. We had a big panel out tonight and these lads want to play for Carbery. It’s just the difficulties in preparing a divisional side that are the worry. We’re not out of it yet but we need to beat Duhallow next week.’
There was little between the sides in the opening quarter. Muskerry’s ace forward Eoin O’Shea hit a brace of points while Mark Hickey answered with two frees for Carbery and Brian O’Donovan had them in front, 0-3 to 0-2, as the second quarter began.
While Muskerry looked the better side, their inaccuracy was causing them problems but they struck for the first goal of the game when Cian O’Driscoll finished to the net in the 18th minute, despite a superb block by Ryan Scannell. Carbery responded well with points from Josh O’Donovan and Brian O’Donovan. When Mark Hickey availed of a mistake by the Muskerry goalkeeper to billow the net, they were back in front by 1-5 to 1-3. Eoin O’Shea (free) and Jamie Lucey swapped points but Muskerry finished the half stronger with four unanswered points from Adam Dinan (2), O’Shea and Tadhg O’Connell to lead by two at the break, 1-8 to 1-6.
Carbery's Cian Murphy offloads the ball under pressure from Muskerry's Matthew Bradley.
Driven on by James Dwyer, Conor McGoldrick, Odhran O’Driscoll, Padraig O’Sullivan, Tadhg O’Connell, Matthew Bradley, Adam Dinan and, especially, Cian O’Driscoll and the speedy Eoin O’Shea, Muskerry began to control the second half. Points from O’Driscoll (3), O’Shea and Seán Joyce had them five in front as Carbery could only muster two points from Hickey, free and 65.
It was all over as a contest in the 53rd minute when Tadhg O’Connell rattled the Carbery net and Padraig O’Sullivan added a long-range point.
To their credit, Carbery kept battling with Bertie Butler, Ryan Scannell, Brian Deasy, Josh O’Donovan, Gearóid O’Donovan, Conal Cullinane and Brian O’Donovan all to the fore. Cullinane raised a green flag to cut the lead to six in the dying minutes before Seán Joyce and Brian Deasy swapped points. It was fitting that the stand-out player on the night, Eoin O’Shea, had the last say when he cut through for a Muskerry goal in the 62nd minute.
Scorers
Muskerry: Eoin O’Shea 1-6 (2f, 1 65); Cian O’Driscoll 1-3; Tadhg O’Connell 1-1; Adam Dinan, Sean Joyce 0-2 each; Padraig O’Sullivan 0-1.
Carbery: Mark Hickey 1-4 (3f, 1-65); Conal Cullinane 1-0; Brian O’Donovan 0-2; Josh O’Donovan, Brian Deasy and Jamie Lucey 0-1 each.
Muskerry: James Linehan (Ballincollig); Brian Corcoran (Éire Óg), Matt Brady (do), Fenton Denny (Ballincollig); Padraig O’Sullivan (Aghabullogue), Conor McGoldrick (Éire Óg), David O’Sullivan (Ballincollig); Odhran O’Driscoll (Cloughduv), Seán Joyce (Grenagh); Matthew Bradley (Aghabullogue), Eoin O’Shea (Éire Óg), Cian O’Driscoll (Ballincollig); Adam Dinan (Donoughmore), James Dwyer (Ballincollig), Tadhg O’Connell (do.).
Subs: Peter Kelly (Ballincollig) for M Bradley (51), Diarmuid Dineen (Éire Óg) for O O’Driscoll (55), Oisín O’Shea (Éire Óg) for A Dinan (59), Ronan Murphy (Kilmichael) for S Joyce (60), Jack Devine (Cloughduv) for C O’Driscoll (62).
Carbery: Michael Whelton (Barryroe); Ryan Scannell (St Mary’s), Seán O’Riordan (Barryroe), Cian Murphy (Kilbree); Brian Deasy (do.), Peter Collins (Randal Óg), Bertie Butler (Kilbrittain); Eoin Ryan (Clonakilty), Josh O’Donovan (Kilbrittain); Mark Hickey (Kilbrittain), Gearóid O’Donovan (Diarmuid Ó Mathúna), Donncha Collins (Randal Óg); Brian O’Donovan (Ballinascarthy), Conal Cullinane (Ballinascarthy), Jamie Lucey (Diarmuid Ó Mathúna).
Subs: Padraig O’Sullivan (Randal Óg) for J Lucey (40), Robbie Lucey (Diarmuid Ó Mathúna) for D Collins (53), Conor O’Neill (Randal Óg) for C Murphy (54), Nick Hilliard (Diarmuid Ó Mathúna) for R Scannell (60).
Referee: Aidan Hyland.
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