Canovee defeat Inniscarra to secure first Muskerry JAFC since 2007

Canovee 1-15 Inniscarra 2-6 

CANOVEE won the Ross Oil Muskerry Junior A Football Championship in a gripping final played in Ovens on Saturday evening.

Securing their first Mid Cork crown since 2007, this was overall a deserved victory for Canovee against a determined and focused Inniscarra side, which contained Cork hurling captain Sean O’Donoghue.

Canovee opened the scoring courtesy of a Jack Kelleher point.

However, Inniscarra, who were seeking to win their first Mid Cork title since 1989, struck two goals by the seventh minute. First off Liam O’Connor raced through on an impressive 40-yard run before slotting home clinically. This was followed by a goal by Dylan O’Sullivan after being teed up by Dan O’Connell.

Canovee responded well and they were to get seven of the next eight scores in the contest. Evan Dodd was showing clinical accuracy from placed balls while Conor Dodd, Jack Kelleher and Conor O’Neill also slotted over.

Darragh McMahon got the levelling point for Canovee on the stroke of halftime, as they had the momentum by the closing stages of the first half: 0-8 to 2-2.

Given the events of the opening few minutes, Canovee would have been overall pleased and had everything still to play for.

In what was a closely contested second half, Canovee went two points ahead including via another point by Conor O’Neill.

Inniscarra found a second win and they led by a point on 50 mins at 2-6 to 0-11, with further points from the threatening O’Connor and O’Sullivan.

The game then took a strong twist in the direction of Canovee on 55 minutes, after Jack Kelleher found the top corner of the net with a brilliantly taken finish. This arrived moments after Evan Dodd had slotted over another score.

A well-taken point by James Moynihan, which was added to by a score from McMahon, had Canovee well on their way and their supporters Inniscarra kept on going right until the very end in search of a late further twist in the tale. But the Canovee defence held firm.

Ultimately in the end it was Canovee that were celebrating an eagerly-anticipated Muskerry title.

Canovee are set to face Lisgoold in the county quarter-final on November 4/5.

Scorers for Canovee: J Kelleher 1-3 (0-2 f), E Dodd (0-1 f, 0-1 45), D McMahon 0-3 each, J Moynihan, C O’Neill 0-2 each, D Cronin, C Dodd 0-1 each. Inniscarra: D O’Sullivan 1-4 (0-2 f) L O’Connor 1-2 (0-1 f).

CANOVEE: C O’Driscoll; C Cronin, E McNabola, D Moynihan: E Dodd, O O’Driscoll, E Lehane: C Dodd, A Murphy: J Moynihan, D Cronin, C O’Neill: D McMahon, B McNabola, J Kelleher.

Subs: M Dunne for E McNabola (24), W Ahern for Cronin (37), M Healy for B McNabola (40), P Healy for Cronin (59), D O’Sullivan for McMahon (62).

INNISCARRA: D Kelleher; D O’Herlihy, J O’Callaghan, J O’Sullivan: F Horgan, D Coughlan, J O’Dwyer: S O’Donoghue, T Murphy: M McLoughlin, L O’Connor, L Collins: D O’Connell, D O’Sullivan, T Lyons.

Subs: C Lynch for Murphy (h-t), M Linehan for Collins (40), S Dineen for Coughlan (48), D O’Keeffe for O’Connell (53).

Referee: David Murnane (Macroom).