Mark Buckley's return bolsters formidable Dohenys attack

Not only are Dohenys through to the McCarthy Insurance Group Cork senior AFC quarter-finals but they have close to a full deck available for selection.

The Dunmanway club beat West Cork rivals O’Donovan Rossa by 2-16 to 1-10 in Rossmore, setting up a clash with Cill na Martra.

“It is exactly where you need to be. You were coming in here as a knockout game. You’re now in the last six, exactly where you want to be. Start of the year, the aim was just to get out of a group because this grade is so tough,” Declan O’Dwyer said.

“We came away disappointed against Kanturk, of course when you lose. We knew that would be a tough game and there was a lot of changes in our team. When you’re in the last six, everyone left is going to be saying they want to win it.” 

One returnee that O’Dwyer was thrilled with was Mark Buckley after he came back from a summer in America. The former Cork underage player was a nuisance for Skibb all afternoon and in the second half particularly, where he hit 0-4, he worked extremely hard for his teammates.

“He’s a huge player. Everyone knows Mark, he is one of the most known players in the county. His potential is just incredible,” the Dohenys manager acknowledged.

“Mark’s all-round game was excellent I thought. We said to him we wanted him assisting more and he did. He was excellent and then Fionn (Herlihy) and Keith (White) on top of it.

Cork senior Fionn Herlihy hit a crucial goal to make it a 1-7 to 0-5 lead at the short whistle. That gave Dohenys a platform to push on and close the game out.

“The old cliché is there’s no better time to get a goal just before half time. A team doesn’t have a chance to respond really. We threatened for one or two just before it as well. We had Fionn, Keith, Gavin (Farr), Bucks. It’s hard to constantly contain if you’re a defence in my opinion,” O’Dwyer said.

Aaron Mannix was struggling with a hamstring injury before the game but that didn’t stop him netting the insurance goal in his four-minute cameo.

He seems to love hitting big scores in Rossmore too.

“What a goal in all fairness. That’s two huge moments for him in two years here. 

He kicked the winner against Newcestown when he came on last year when kicking a last-minute 45 as well. He is an unbelievable young fella.

“We just couldn’t risk it today, but he kept onto me, he wanted time. Hopefully we can do everything we can to get him right again for two weeks,” O’Dwyer added.

TIGHT

It wasn’t just the attack that excelled in a fantastic Dohenys performance, the defence put some serious work in.

They turned over the ball 18 times while forcing Rossa to concede five frees in the Dohenys half for overcarrying the ball.

The six backs that started in Rossmore were all there in last year’s run to the final with Cathal Daly, a forward in 2023, coming into defence to fill the void of Sean Daly, who has gone travelling.

“They are all together four or five years, the exact same backs and that just means a lot. They just know where each other is, they cover for each other, they talk. You just can’t beat that. They’re excellent at turnovers, tackling and breaking. It’s what we pride ourselves on."