Carrigaline lay down marker with league final win over Newcestown
Carrigaline after winning the Cork Credit Unions Division 2 title at Brinny. Picture: Denis Boyle
CARRIGALINE won the Cork Credit Union Football League Division 2 title with a deserving win over Newcestown at Brinny on Saturday evening last, before a large attendance.
This victory showed the progress being made by Carrigaline in recent months and the trophy comes after they landed the Division 3 title in 2018.
This was an even better performance from the Carrigdhoun side than when they had eked out a two-point victory only two weeks ago when the sides met in the league encounter on a scoreline of 1-9 to 0-10 at the West Cork venue.
Carrigaline with more possession were finding it hard to break down a solid Newcestown defence, despite wind advantage in the opening half, but once they got a grip of the game either side of halftime, there was no doubt where the destination of the trophy was going to be for the next 12 months.
The sides were level four times in the opening 30 minutes, but Newcestown’s defensive tactics saw them go 20 minutes without raising a flag, which was to prove costly.
The Carbery side hit the front inside the opening minute with a well-worked point from Luke Meade, but Carrigaline responded instantly with a point from a mark by Kevin O’Reilly.
Newcestown then hit two quick points from Seamus O’Sullivan and David Buckley.
Carrigaline then began to impose themselves on the game. Jack Kelly joined the attack to raise a white flag, Niall Coakley levelled after being played in by brother Niall, and a free from O’Reilly edged them in front for the first time.
Two frees from Buckley saw Newcestown lead 0-5 to 0-4 at the end of the first quarter, but for the next 20 minutes, they were held scoreless, as Carrigaline dominated play that was mostly played in the Newcestown half.
O’Reilly levelled on 23 minutes with a pointed free, but a strong finish to the half by Carrigaline with points from O’Reilly after a slow build-up, a Brian Coakley free and captain Jack McCarthy saw the Carrigdhoun sides lead 0-8 to 0-5 at the interval.
Three minutes into the second half Brian Coakley extended Carrigaline’s advantage.
Cathach Keane who was introduced as a substitute at halftime, made his mark on the game with a point for Newcestown in the 37th minute.
O’Reilly put the game beyond Newcestown’s reach by the 40th minute with a pointed free and an excellent goal after a great build-up that involved Niall Coakley and McCarthy to give Carrigaline a 1-10 to 0-7 advantage.
Buckey kicked two points for Newcestown as efforts from distance by Meade and Tadhg Twomey failed to add to their tally.
In fairness to both sides, they kept battling to the finish with seven points being scored in the final stages.
Brian Coakley kicked three points, two from frees as Carrigaline edged further ahead, but the Carberry side kept plugging away and were rewarded with points from Richard O’Sullivan (45), Buckley, and Carthach Keane.
Eanna Desmond kicked the final score for Carrigaline in added time as the final whistle sounded to the delight of the large Carrigaline following.
Both sides will now turn their attention to the upcoming Bons Secours Football Championship with Carrigaline facing Eire Óg in their opener, and Newcestown will meet Dohenys in a west Cork local derby.
K O’Reilly 1-5 (0-4 f, 0-1 mark), B Coakley 0-5 (0-3 f), J Kelly, N Coakley, J McCarthy, E Desmond 0-1 each.
D Buckley 0-6 (0-3 f), C Keane 0-2, R O’Sullivan (45), L Meade, S O’Sullivan 0-1each.
S Mellet; C Murphy, N Quirke, D King; J Kelly, C Barry, J McCarthy (c); K Kavanagh, D Greene; E Desmond, N Coakley, E Ryle; R McCarthy, B Coakley, K O’Reilly.
O Barry for McCarthy (41), L Boyle for Greene (50), J McGrath for Desmond (59).
C White; C O’Donovan, C Twomey, J Kelleher; E Collins, M McSweeney, R Sweeney; F Keane, L Meade (c); D Buckley, T Twomey, S O’Sullivan; C Dinneen, N Kelly, G O’Donovan.
C Keane for Collins (ht), T Horgan for Kelleher, R O’Sullivan for Kelly (both 40), E Kenneally for Dinneen (53), J Kenneally for S O’Sullivan (56), P Collins for Twomey (60).
J Regan (Lough Rovers).
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