Premier SFC: Champions Nemo Rangers off to winning start
Nemo Rangers' Mark Cronin pulls away from Ballincollig's Liam O'Connell during the Bon Secours Hospital Cork Premier SFC clash at Páirc Uí Rinn. Picture: Howard Crowdy
COUNTY champions Nemo Rangers are up and running in the Bons Secours Hospital Cork Premier SFC after an 11-point win over Ballincollig at Páirc Uí Rinn on Friday night.
In terms of an opener, the city side can only be satisfied. A good win over the side they defeated in last year’s semi-final gives them a strong scoring difference as they target top spot in a group consisting of Éire Óg and Carrigaline, while their premier intermediate management will be happy that there was no need for the first team to use any subs.
It was not a classic game but, in a sense, it was classic Nemo – withstand what was thrown at them and patiently find a way to forge victory by making fewer mistakes. They will know that the displays don’t need to be sparkling in July, with the result a means to an end on a five- or six-game journey.
They led from start to finish, set on their way by Mark Cronin’s fourth-minute goal, the game’s opening score. As Ballincollig tried to play their way out from the back, Nemo forced a turnover and the ball fell to Paul Kerrigan. He was able to perfectly pick out Cronin, who took advantage of the fact that goalkeeper Jack Gibbons had been caught out of position and fired home.
At half-time, they led by 1-5 to 0-2, the gravity of Ballincollig’s situation underlined by the fact that they made three substitutions at the interval. The Mid-Cork side were unlucky in that Cork player Luke Fahy was unavailable due to injury and they lost veteran defender Noel Galvin just before the goal, a head injury resulting in a temporary change that became a permanent one.
They will reflect on a goal chance that Seán Kiely had in the second half, denied by a Micheál Martin save at the expense of a point. A green flag would have left them 1-7 to 1-5 behind but instead it was their final score as Nemo pushed on.
Even so, they had a good amount of the ball after the concession of the goal, moving well as a unit with Liam O’Connell driving on from the half-back line. However, they were unable to convert – Cian Dorgan’s early long-range free was their only score in the opening stages while they had registered four wides by the 16th minute. Nemo, who were missing Luke Connolly as he is currently in Australia, were able to augment their advantage when the chances presented themselves.
Mark Cronin, whose brother Stephen impressed in defence, added a free while Barry O’Driscoll made it 1-2 to 0-1 on 18 minutes after a period of ball retention. As half-time approached, Monaghan native Oran McElligott set up Conor Horgan for a wonderful score and, while Dorgan replied for Ballincollig, McElligott and Cronin were on hand to give Nemo a comfortable six-point advantage at half-time.
Dorgan did score three fine points as Ballincollig improved on the resumption, but his fifth point of the evening, a free from the 45 at the three-quarter mark, still only left them five behind, 1-7 to 0-5.
The lead was down to four as Seán Kiely pointed soon after that, a shot that Micheál Aodh Martin had to divert over the crossbar. Had that gone in, Nemo’s supremacy in the game might have come into question but instead they reeled off three points in quick succession, Cronin on target before Kerrigan and O’Driscoll landed superb efforts. What might have been a two-point lead was seven.
Seán Kiely did threaten a Ballincollig goal once more, capitalising on a defensive mix-up to test Martin but the Cork goalkeeper was able to save for a 45. O’Driscoll got his third point before Alan O’Donovan got the second goal at the death, in unusual circumstances.
Having taken a short kick-out, goalkeeper Gibbons found the ball played back to him but was unable to play it and the Nemo captain chased the loose ball to fire it to the net.
Mark Cronin went close to a third goal at the death, his shot coming back off the crossbar, but the job was done before that.
M Cronin 1-3 (0-1 f), A O’Donovan 1-1, B O’Driscoll 0-3, P Kerrigan 0-2 (0-1f), C Horgan, O McElligott 0-1 each.
C Dorgan 0-5 (0-2 f), S Kiely 0-1.
MA Martin; K Histon, B Murphy, C Molloy; K O’Donovan, K Fulignati, S Cronin; B Cripps, A O’Donovan; C Horgan, M Cronin, G Sayers; P Kerrigan, B O’Driscoll, O McElligott.
J Gibbons; C Moore, N Galvin, C Kiely; J O’Connor, L O’Connell, M Oldham; S Dore, P O’Neill; E Cooke, D Murphy, D O’Mahony; D Dorgan, S Kiely, C Dorgan.
F Down for Galvin (3, injured), H Aherne for Cooke, S O’Neill for D Dorgan, R Noonan for Murphy (all half-time).
C Lane (Lyre).
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