U21 football: Bryan Hayes stars as Nemo lead all throughout against St Michael's
Oisin White, Nemo Rangers tries to get away from Oliver McAdoo, St. Michaels in their Pharmacare City Division Under 21 A Football Championship semi final, Nemo Rangers V's St. Michaels, at Ballinlough, Cork. Picture: Jim Coughlan.
An impressive victory for Nemo Rangers over St Michael’s sets up a PharmaCare U21 A Football Championship decider with Douglas, with Bryan Hayes putting on another impressive showing.
The Cork U20 kicked three two-pointers from play with the aid of the wind in the first half, but Nemo’s strong opening 30 left the halftime score at 0-13 to 0-1.
The fact St Michael’s were able to get back to within touch was impressive, given how poor they were from the start on Sunday.
But as the sides changed and so did the wind advantage, Michael’s were able to get firing with Luke O’Herlihy raising four orange flags, twice from play.
The first was after 34 minutes when he sent over a free to leave it 0-13 to 0-3. One from Lee O’Sullivan and an O’Herlihy two pointer from play – suddenly this game wasn’t over.
By the end of the third quarter Nemo’s lead stood at eight, but O’Herlihy’s third orange flag dropped it to six as they began gaining momentum with the wind. A minute later O’Sullivan kicked a two.
With the score now 0-15 to 0-11, Nemo were feeling the pressure. Thirteen minutes remained.
The turning point for Nemo arrived with 10 to go, as Oisin White, Ruari Hogan and Padraig O’Dwyer forged a clever team move, with the latter kicking the point.
Either side of O’Dwyer’s effort saw Dara O’Sullivan score two, meaning Rangers were now back up to a seven-point cushion with 53 gone.
Another two-pointer from O’Herlihy gave Michael’s a chance, but in the closing stages the flag they needed was green and it continued to elude them.
Michael’s did manage to get back within four – but with Nemo leading all throughout, the Trabeg side finished deserved winners. Their lightning start was proof of that.
In the space of three minutes Nemo went from two points to six ahead, thanks to the pin-point accuracy of Hayes.
His scores from all areas outside the arc were tearing Michael’s apart, and a black card for O’Herlihy in the 19th minute killed the remainder of their first half.
By that stage it was 0-10 to 0-1, and Michael’s wouldn’t score again without O’Herlihy in the first half.
Their second half was much improved, but the ask was too great.
B Hayes 0-9 (3 2pt, 3 f), D O’Sullivan 0-3 (1 f), F Twohig, C Cusack, B O’Neill (1 2pt) 0-2 each, P O’Dwyer 0-1.
L O’Herlihy 0-11 (2 2pt, 2 2ptf, 3 f), L O’Sullivan 0-3 (1 2pt), R Kavanagh 0-1.
D O’Leary; C O’Neill, D Quinn, D Coughlan; O White, C Molloy, T O’Brien; B O’Neill, E Kelly; C Yelland, L Healy, F Twohig; R Hogan, C Cusack, D O’Sullivan.1 Subs: P O’Dwyer for Quinn (24-FT temp), L Healy for Kelly (50), S Mulcahy for Twohig (60).
M O’Connell; R Ahern, C Coakley, O McAdoo; R Kavanagh, F Leahy, J O’Sullivan; K Leahy, S O’Sullivan; S Murphy, L O’Herlihy, M Burre; R Sweeney, L O’Sullivan, J Ryan.
R Shaughnessy for J O’Sullivan (24), J O’Sullivan for Burre (41), E Coughlan for S O’Sullivan (48).
Cormac Dineen (Douglas)
App?
