St Oliver Plunkett’s 1-10
Ballyphehane 1-9
NOEL HORGAN REPORTS
NO shortage of drama in Páirc Uí Rinn where St Oliver Plunkett’s finished a point to the good against Ballyphehane in a gripping Bon Secours confined county junior B football championship final.
The decisive score came from a converted free by goalkeeper Brian Walsh in the final minute of regulation time, but there was to be one more twist in the tale before the Ahiohill men had their third success at this level in the bag.
With virtually the last kick of the match, Ballyphehane substitute Sean Phelan was off-target with an equalising chance from a tricky, but scoreable, placed ball which meant extra-time wouldn’t be needed to resolve the issue.
Considering they were put to the pin of their collar to prevail, it’s probably fair to say Plunketts’ triumph tasted as sweet, if not sweeter, than their previous title wins achieved in 1990 and 2007.
The St Oliver Plunkett's team celebrates after defeating Ballyphehane in the Bon Secours JBFC final at Páirc Uí Rinn.(Photo: Paddy Feen)
Manager Margaret Keohane agreed the fact it was so hard-earned made the victory all the more satisfying, stressing it was a tremendous team effort that carried the day for the Carbery standard-bearers.
‘In fairness, the lads who were on from the start and the subs that came in all made an impact, nobody left anything out there on the field, which is what we had asked of them,’ she said.
Although Plunkett’s got off to a dream start, courtesy of a goal from Padraig Healy within seconds of the throw-in, they were flattered on the general run of the play to be just a point adrift, 1-5 to 1-4, at the interval.
Gaining control at midfield and in the half-back line, Ballyphehane applied the bulk of the pressure in the second quarter, moving with greater cohesion and purpose than Plunkett’s when in possession.
‘We definitely had a patch when things weren’t going right for us in the first half, but the lads didn’t panic, although we (the management) had a few strong words to say to them at half-time,’ team boss Keohane revealed.
‘We knew there was a lot more in them, and, thankfully, they showed it in the second half to get their just rewards for all the hard work put in over the past few months.’
St Oliver Plunkett's Sean White breezes past Ballyphehane's Danny Moore during the county final.
Following the boost of the early goal from Padraig Healy, who began a slick raid he completed after being put clean through by Sean O’Donovan, Plunkett’s remained in front for much of the first half, with points from unerring free-taker Michael Keohane, O’Donovan and Roy O’Driscoll allowing them to lead by 1-3 to 0-2 with 17 minutes gone. O’Donovan’s score was a superb individual effort, but he was forced to exist on scraps at full-forward in the second quarter as Ballyphehane enjoyed a distinct territorial edge.
Ian Dorney and Aaron West showed considerable promise in the corner-forward berths for the Seandun side, with the latter doing the spadework for a goal from midfielder Cian O’Brien that made it 1-3 apiece in the 21st minute. O’Brien had been out of luck with a goal chance earlier, his effort going wide via the upright, and, all things considered, it was no more than Ballyphehane deserved when they bagged a brace of points nearing half-time to turn over leading by the minimum. After lining up at midfield for the second half, Padraig Healy was quickly redeployed in a defensive role for Plunkett’s, a decision that produced the desired result.
‘Padraig wasn’t involved as much as we’d have liked around the middle in the first half, so we felt he’d be more influential if we got him behind the ball,’ Margaret Keohane explained.
It certainly worked out well, as Healy quickly made his presence felt, powering upfield from deep to instigate a move that also involved wing-back Niall O’Driscoll and Michael Keohane before yielding a fisted point from Sean O’Donovan in the 34th minute.
Ballyphehane's Cian O'Brien tries to hold on to St Oliver Plunkett's Darragh McCarthy during the final.
That was the signal for a vastly improved second-half display from Plunkett’s, with Eddie O’Driscoll, Ciaran Dullea and Ronan McCarthy particularly impressive at the back. Conor McCarthy had his moments at midfield, while Michael Keohane, Roy O’Driscoll and Sean O’Donovan worked tirelessly up front where substitute Sean White also contributed positively.
Plunkett’s weren’t to fall behind after Roy O’Driscoll made a lung-bursting run from way out on the right wing to earn a close-in free, allowing Michael Keohane to push them 1-7 to 1-6 in the 44th minute.
It was tit for tat all the way after that when Plunkett’s tally was completed by the dead-ball expertise of Brian Walsh, who, after twice hitting the target from distance, capped a commendable input by converting a pressure free at the death.
Scorers - St Oliver Plunkett’s: M Keohane 0-4 (3f); P Healy 1-0; B Walsh 0-3 (2f, 1 45); S O’Donovan 0-2; R O’Driscoll 0-1. Ballyphehane: C O’Brien 1-1; I Dorney 0-3; C Murphy, J Geasley, R Wyse, T O’Sullivan, A West 0-1 each.
St Oliver Plunkett’s: B Walsh; C Dullea, E O’Driscoll, M Kelly; G McCarthy, R McCarthy, N O’Driscoll; C McCarthy, P Healy; O McCarthy, D White, M Keohane; R O’Driscoll, S O’Donovan, M Collins. Subs: D McCarthy for O McCarthy (28), S White for Collins (36), C Lyons for White (56).
Ballyphehane: D Sweeney; T Walsh, O Sweeney, J O’Brien; R Wyse, J Geasley, D Moore; T O’Sullivan, C O’Brien; J Thompson, C Noonan, M Barry; I Dorney, C Murphy, A West. Subs: E Hill for Barry (42), B O’Leary for Noonan (45), S Fielding for Murphy (50), B for Thompson (56).
Referee: J Kelleher (St John’s).
