Premier SFC: Clonakilty looking to reverse recent history against Carbery Rangers

In the 17 years since Clonakilty and Carbery Rangers have been together in the top grade of Cork football, the headline achievements are identical.

The clubs meet in Enniskeane at 3pm on Sunday, with things currently delicate in Group B of the Bon Secours Hospital Cork Premier SFC. Clon overcame Valley Rovers in their opening game three weeks ago while Ross earned a good draw against Castlehaven.

Having been junior up to 2003, Carbery Rangers followed that up with the intermediate title in 2005 and they have been senior/premier senior ever since. In that time, both they and Clonakilty have each won the title once – Clon in 2009 and their Rosscarbery neighbours claiming the Andy Scannell Cup for the first time in 2016. In addition, each of them has a final defeat in the period, with Clon falling short by a point against St Finbarr’s in 2021 while Ross lost out to Ballincollig in 2014. However, the head-to-head record is rather lopsided.

Six times the West Cork sides have clashed since Rangers made the jump to senior level. The first of those was in June of 2006, the first year up, when Clon gave Ross a tough welcome to the top flight. Since then, though, the boot has been on the other foot.

Buoyant after adding Munster and All-Ireland titles to the county championship won in 2005 with victory against Glanmire, Ross made their senior bow with an 0-11 to 0-9 win over Bantry Blues in April.

Unfortunately for them, a red card for John Murphy meant that he was suspended for the Clon clash while John Hayes was unavailable due to injury. Clon, having got past St Michael’s in their opener, made hay with a 3-15 to 0-8 win in Enniskeane in mid-summer. Colm Callanan, the late Pádraigh Griffin and Martin O’Brien got the goals the men from the Brewery Town with Conrad Murphy and Colin O’Donovan each adding a pair of points.

However, while Clon would go on to win the championship in 2009, that was something of a one-off in terms of contending in the years that followed. Ross slowly began to build, becoming regular visitors to the semi-finals before making their first final in 2014.

Along the way, they scratched the Clon itch. In 2012, Sam Maguire Park in Dunmanway was the venue for a first-round tie and the Hayes brothers led the way in a 1-14 to 1-7 triumph, John scoring seven points while Séamus got the game’s only goal. Conor McManus scored 1-1 for Clon.

That year ended with semi-final defeat to Castlehaven, as 2011 had, while in 2010 Ross had been beaten by St Finbarr’s in the last four. They didn’t make the semis in 2013 but the chance to do so again came in 2014, when they made the quarter-finals, opposed by Clon in Enniskeane.

Having dethroned county champions the Haven the previous week, Ross came in on a high and followed it with a 1-13 to 1-8 triumph over a Clonakilty side that finished with 12 men. After the first ten points had been shared, the crucial period came as half-time approached, with John Hayes kicking two points and then scoring a penalty goal to give his team a five-point half-time advantage. Though a David O’Regan free for Clon went all the way to the net early in the second half, Ross retained command and Hayes finished with 1-7. After beating Bishopstown in the semi-finals, they would go on to the final against Ballincollig, losing out by three points.

That outcome would be avenged in the 2016 decider as Ross finally made it to the summit of Cork football and they carried that momentum into the opening round of the 2017 campaign. The 2-15 to 1-4 win against Clon at the home of Castlehaven was a clear sign of intent. John Hayes’s seventh-minute goal put them into a lead that would never be relinquished while Tipperary footballer Robbie Kiely also netted, with Jonathan Leahy’s green flag for Clon at the death barely a consolation.

The result was a clear sign of the clubs’ contrasting fortunes at the time – while Ross couldn’t retain the title, they again reached the semi-finals while Clon were caught up in the relegation play-offs at the end of the year.

It was unsurprising therefore that Ross should again come out on top when the sides were paired together for the 2018 first round, 0-11 to 0-8 the scoreline in Castlehaven. Clon did bounce back from that setback to reach the quarter-finals, only to find Ross in their way again, 1-18 to 0-11 the score in Dunmanway as John Hayes scored seven points and Mark Hodnett goaled.

That made it five in a row for Ross and remains the most recent championship meeting until Sunday. Clon are slight favourites with the bookmakers but they will know they can’t take their rivals lightly.