Bantry Blues 3-13
Uibh Laoire 1-16
TOM LYONS REPORTS
RUAIRI Deane inspired a marvellous Bantry victory in the semi-final of the Bons Secour premier intermediate football championship in perfect conditions in Dunmanway.
In the first half the former Cork footballer kicked six points from play to keep Bantry in the game as they played with the wind. In the second half, when the game seemed to be sliding away from the Blues, he provided the inspiration that drove the Blues to a courageous win.
Goals win games and all season Bantry have shown their ability to raise green flags. It was no different here as they produced three cracking goals, two in the space of a minute, in the second half to procure victory.
Bantry Blues' Shane Keevers is tackled by Iveleary's Timmy Roberts and Ciaran O'Riordan during the Bon Secours Cork PIFC semi-final at Dunmanway.
But it takes two to tango and full marks to an Uibh Laoire side that had to line out without the injured ace forward Cathal Vaughan, and were seeking to qualify for their third successive county final. Bantry, for their part, on the back of relegation last season, entered this game as underdogs but refused to accept that position.
‘That was a good win alright, it’s a bit surreal at the moment,’ said man-of-the-match Ruairi Deane.
‘Uibh Laoire are a savage opposition, I played with a lot of those guys and we were glad to get a good game of quality football. It’s good for Cork football as well, good for the club scene.
‘Playing with or against the breeze hasn’t troubled us all year, we went in at the break and re-grouped. Were we worried? No. I said to the lads that it was just the same as starting the first half. We didn’t know then that we would have the wind and it didn’t trouble us. We just drove on and, thankfully, we got the goals which made the vital difference. We didn’t get too many chances in that second half but we took them all.
‘We were in a bad place last year as a town and today we put some pride back in the jersey.’
It was Bantry who opened with the breeze but after an early Ruairi Deane point, they were hit with the first goal of the game when impressive centre back Ciarán Galvin set up midfielder Sean O’Riordan for a piledriver, one of the best goals we have seen this season. It was the Uibh Laoire side that looked sharper in the opening stages with Conor O’Leary and Chris Óg Jones kicking points. Inspired by Deane, Bantry came battling back to level, 1-2 to 0-5, by the end of a hectic first quarter with three points from Deane and another from supreme poacher, Arthur Coakley.
The scoring slowed in the second quarter as the sides exchanged points on four occasions, Paddy Cronin, Ruairi Deane (2) and Arthur Coakley (free) for the Blues, and Ógie Jones, Conor O’Leary (2) and Liam Kearney, who might have goaled, for the Inchigeela men. It was still all square at the interval, 1-6 to 0-9.
What a second half we had as both sides upped the pace even further. It was end-to-end stuff. The opening ten minutes were evenly balanced, Uibh Laoire a point to the good, 1-9 to 0-11, and then, in the space of a minute, the game was turned on its head when Bantry struck for two superb goals, somewhat against the run of play.
A superb pass from the skilful Paddy Cronin set up the first for midfielder Dara McCarthy in the 41st minute. One minute later Deane was twice involved in a move that ended with Arthur Coakley sliding the ball to the net.
Bantry Blues' Cillian O'Brien tries to hold back Iveleary's Chris Óg Jones during the Bon Secours Cork PIFC semi-final at Dunmanway.
Five points to the good, the ball was in Bantry’s court as the third quarter ended, but what a comeback we had from Uibh Laoire. Grabbing control around the centre, they poured forward in waves and four points from Chris Óg Jones, Timmy Roberts, Barry O’Leary and Daniel O’Donovan had the deficit down to a single point by the 48th minute.
To their credit, just when it seemed they were slipping to defeat, Bantry rallied. It was a point from the outstanding Paddy Cronin that halted the slide in the 54th minute. It was far from over yet as Chris Óg Jones narrowed the gap to one again but the crucial score arrived a minute later when a lovely sidestep from Cronin set up Coakley for his second goal, which he followed with a pointed free.
Uibh Laoire gave their all in the closing minutes, as the game threatened to overheat, but they were limited to two points by a staunch Blues’ defence in which corner back Seth Thornton was heroic. There was great rejoicing in the Bantry camp at the final result, defying the odds, and a place in their first county final in 21 long years.
‘We were underdogs going into this game and we were level with 30 minutes remaining; it was a good position to be in,’ stated Bantry mentor Arthur Coakley.
‘They were talking about Uibh Laoire’s ability to score goals but we’re good at scoring goals, too, and today it was our turn. We held our nerve. We were hiding in the long grass all along but now we’re like a bull elephant charging out and we’ll have a good cut off the final.’
Scorers - Bantry Blues: Arthur Coakley 2-3 (2f); Ruairi Deane 0-6; Dara McCarthy 1-1; Paddy Cronin 0-3. Uibh Laoire: Chris Óg Jones 0-4 (1f); Sean O’Riordan 1-0; Conor O’Leary 0-3 (1f); Barry O’Leary, Liam Kearney 0-2 each; Daniel O’Donovan, Timmy Roberts, Ciarán Galvin, Brian Cronin, Ian Jones 0-1 each.
Bantry Blues: Shane Murray; Seth Thornton, Tim Cronin, Cillian O’Brien; Eoghan Minihane, Billy Foley, Eoghan O’Shea; Sean O’Leary, Dara McCarthy; Shane Keevers, Kevin Coakley, Daniel Murray; Paddy Cronin, Ruairi Deane, Arthur Coakley. Subs: Cathal Power for E O’Shea (7), Kevin Casey for D Murray (ht), David Daly for K Coakley (50).
Uibh Laoire: Joe Creedon; Daniel O’Donovan, Ciarán O’Riordan, Daniel O’Riordan; Kevin Manning, Ciarán Galvin, Timmy Roberts; Sean O’Leary, Sean O’Riordan; Brian Cronin, Chris Óg Jones, Barry O’Leary; Conor O’Leary, Liam Kearney, Ian Jones. Subs: James O’Donovan for I Jones (50), Aaron O’Donovan for L Kearney (55), Sean Lehane for D O’Donovan (55), Lar O’Sullivan for T Roberts (60), Donal O’Sullivan for B O’Leary (63).
Referee: A O’Connor (Ballygarvan).
