Impressive St Finbarr's drive into PSFC semi-final as top seed
St Finbarr's Colm Scully takes on Carbery Rangers' Barry Kerr in the PSFC game at Ballinascarthy. Picture: Denis Boyle
St Finbarr’s 2-13 Carbery Rangers 0-10
ST Finbarr’s qualified for the Bon Secours premier senior football championship semi-finals following a straightforward victory over Carbery Rangers at a windswept Ballinascarthy.
Both clubs were on maximum points and already through to the business end of the Cork PSFC ahead of throw-in. The tantalising prospect of a possible county semi-final berth for the winner, depending on other results, helped deliver an attacking game.
Carbery Rangers were without Cork senior John O’Rourke and Jack O’Regan while the Barrs made two changes, Steven Sherlock and Colin Lyons replacing Dylan Quinn and Conor Dennehy, on the matchday programme.
In the end, St Finbarr’s coped better with the elements and used a strong wind to build a 2-8 to 0-3 interval advantage. Cillian Myers-Murray and Ethan Twomey’s goals were as clinically dispatched as they were created.
Time and again, the reigning county champions created overlaps and built on Carbery Rangers’ struggles to get out of their own half in the face of the wind. Alan Jennings and James Fitzpatrick toiled hard in the middle of the field for Rangers but in Ian Maguire, Billy Hennessy, Jamie Burns and Sam Ryan, the county champions had a solid foundation to build their victory on.
Add in Myers-Murray, Twomey and Steven Sherlock’s combined finishing ability and St Finbarr’s were full value for their eventual victory.
A strong wind was a big factor throughout and favoured the Barrs in the opening half. The reigning champions got off the mark courtesy of an early Ethan Twomey free.
Cillian Myers-Murray made his presence felt with two quick-fire scores immediately after as their opponents struggled playing into the teeth of a strengthening wind.
Sam Ryan executed a marvellous block prior to a flowing move ending with Cillian Myers-Murray finding the bottom corner of the net after nine minutes.
Peadar O’Rourke got Carbery’s first score but Steven Sherlock replied instantly. Rangers’ second point came via a Darragh Hayes free before Barry Kerr further reduced the deficit to 1-4 to 0-3.
Unfortunately for the west Cork side, that’s as good as it got for the remainder of a half dominated by their opponents.
A diving Paul Shanahan denied Steven Sherlock a certain goal but Ethan Twomey, Sherlock (two) and Brian Hayes points saw St Finbarr’s surge clear. Ian Maguire setup Ethan Twomey for a 26th-minute goal to hand the champions a 2-8 to 0-3 interval lead.
The second half proved a more pedestrian affair as St Finbarr’s coped better with the elements. Cillian Myers-Murray split the posts after 31 minutes but Carbery responded with Mark Hodnett and Darragh Hayes finding their range.
Steven Sherlock converted a cracking free into the wind to make it 2-10 to 0-5 at the 40-minute mark and the Barrs were content to get numbers behind the ball and force a series of turnovers.
A scrappy second period never matched the fluidity of the first and a poor closing 15 minutes only came to life with a late flurry of scores.
Darragh Hayes (two), Peadar O’Rourke, substitute John Hayes and Mark Hodnett (free) brought Rangers’ total up to ten points in a half the west Cork club never seriously threatened their opponents.
Myers-Murray and Sherlock rounded off a productive afternoon for Paul O’Keefe’s side who have the advantage of a bye into the county semi-finals. As for Carbery Rangers, Nemo Rangers await in the quarter-finals of a Cork PSFC slowly coming to the boil.
C Myers-Murray 1-4, S Sherlock 0-6 (0-3 f), E Twomey 1-2 (0-1 f), B Hayes 0-1.
D Hayes 0-4 (0-1 f), P O’Rourke and M Hodnett 0-2 each, B Kerr, J Hayes 0-1 each.
J Kerins; C Scully, J Burns, S Ryan; C Lyons, B Hennessy, A O’Connor; I Maguire (c), E Comyns; S Sherlock, E Dennehy, E Twomey; E McGreevey, B Hayes, C Myers-Murray.
D Quinn for C Lyons (37), D O’Brien for E Twomey (45), C Dennehy for B Hennessy (45), B O’Connell for B Hayes (48), C Doolin for J Burns (54).
P Shanahan; James O’Riordan, T O’Rourke (c), K Scannell; Jerry O’Riordan, J Kevane, B Shanahan; M Hodnett, J Fitzpatrick; A Jennings, P O’Rourke, J Hodnett; B Kerr, D Hayes, C Hayes.
J O’Regan for B Kerr (39), P Hurley for C Hayes (39), J Hayes for J Keane (49), S Linehan for B Shanahan (52).
James Regan (Lough Rovers).
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