Premier SFC: Castlehaven see off St Finbarr's in a thriller
Castlehaven's Conor Cahalane celebrates his brother Jack's goal against St Finbarr's during the Bon Secours Hospital Cork Premier SFC semi-final at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
THIRD time lucky for Castlehaven as they defeated St Finbarr’s to advance to the Bon Secours Hospital Premier SFC decider following a gripping semi-final encounter at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Sunday evening.
The Haven were beaten by St Finbarr’s in the last four in 2021 and 2022 as they return to the final for the first time since the 2020 season when they lost to Nemo Rangers.
The West Cork side will meet the Trabeg outfit in the showpiece final after Nemo beat Duhallow in the other last four encounter. The decider will take place on Sunday, October 29th in Páirc Uí Chaoimh at 3pm. It will be the fourth time the familiar foes will collide in the final having met in the 2013, 2015 and 2020 deciders.
This was a cracking encounter between two quality sides, but ultimately the difference was the Hurley brothers, Brian and Michael, who were on fire for the winners. Between them, they kicked 0-12.
Castlehaven couldn’t have dreamt of a better start as they rattled the back of the net after just 12 seconds, Conor Cahalane setting up his younger brother Jack and the latter nestled the ball low into the corner of the net, giving St Finbarr’s goalkeeper Darragh Newman no chance.
In a fast paced start, no surprise really, St Finbarr’s replied through a Brian Hayes point but James McCarthy’s side quickly went down the other end as Michael Hurley bisected the posts, 1-1 to 0-1 after four minutes. There was no quarter asked or given in this one as the Barrs cut the deficit to two points courtesy of a Steven Sherlock close-range free.
Michael Hurley saw a lot of the ball and the jinky forward landed a pair of points, 1-3 to 0-2 after nine minutes. St Finbarr’s were close to bagging a goal, but Haven netminder Darragh Cahalane was out quickly to deny Enda Dennehy a green flag after eleven minutes.
Sherlock pointed for the Togher side until Brian Hurley kicked over two quick white flags, one coming from a free, 1-5 to 0-3 after 17 minutes. A Sherlock free left four points in it, but the Barrs shooting was letting them down as they had four wides after 20 minutes of action.
On other hand, the Haven were clinical, and a beauty of a point from Brian Hurley gave them a five-point buffer. A booming effort from Ethan Twomey kept Paul O’Keeffe’s side in touch with seven minutes to the short whistle. The sides traded white flags before Michael Hurley, who was awesome, split the posts, 1-8 to 0-6 after 27 minutes.
The Barrs were given a lifeline a minute to the break when Eoin McGreevy was fouled and a penalty was awarded, Sherlock stepped up and sent Haven netminder Darragh Cahalane the wrong way, game on, 1-8 to 1-6. The sides exchanged points as Castlehaven led 1-9 to 1-7 at half-time and a chance for us all to draw breath.
Twomey pointed for the Barrs at the start of the second-half, before Michael Hurley raised a white flag from a close-range free, which was a mark. The West Cork side opened up a three-point lead when this time Brian Hurley converted a free through a mark, 1-11 to 1-8 after 37 minutes.
The sides swapped points until there was lull in the scoring before Brian Hurley gave the team in blue and white a four point advantage after 48 minutes. The Haven kicked two of the next three points as they led 1-15 to 1-10 after 53 minutes.
A Sherlock free cut the deficit down to four points before Twomey goaled for the Barrs in injury-time, a tidy finish from close-range, to leave a point in it until a Michael Hurley fisted effort pushed the Haven two points clear.
The Haven stood strong in the dying embers as they seal a place in the final.
M Hurley 0-7 (0-1 m), B Hurley 0-5 (0-1 f, 0-1 m), J Cahalane 1-1, R Maguire, M Collins, C Maguire 0-1 each.
S Sherlock 1-7 (0-3 f, 1-0 pen), E Twomey 1-2, B Hayes 0-2.
Darragh Cahalane; J O’Regan, R Maguire, R Walsh; T O’Mahony, Damien Cahalane, M Collins (c); C Cahalane, A Whelton; J O’Neill, J Cahalane, S Browne; C Maguire, B Hurley, M Hurley.
C O’Driscoll for S Browne (43), R Whelton for A Whelton (55), C O’Sullivan for C Maguire (57), J O’Driscoll for T O’Mahony (61).
D Newman; B Hennessy, A O’Connor, S Ryan; C Scully, J Burns, M Donovan; I Maguire (c), B Hayes; E Dennehy, E McGreevy, E Twomey; L Hannigan, W Buckley, S Sherlock.
C Myers Murray for M Donovan, C Lyons for L Hannigan (both h-t), J Wigginton-Barrett for E McGreevy (44), B O’Connell for E Dennehy, C Barrett for S Ryan (both 50).
Pa O’Driscoll (Bride Rovers).
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