Luke O'Herlihy and Steven Sherlock tied for top scorer as only two games remain in Division 1 FL

With just two fixtures remaining in the McCarthy Insurance Group Division 1 Football League, all eyes are on the final west Cork showdown between Clonakilty and Castlehaven. The result will determine whether it's Nemo Rangers or Clon who face St Finbarr’s in the league decider.

But that’s not the only race nearing its conclusion.

The battle to be the league’s top scorer is finely poised between two men: Luke O’Herlihy and Steven Sherlock. Both are tied on 60 points — but while O’Herlihy picked up an injury in St Michael’s last outing, Sherlock has at least one more game to make his mark, and potentially win the title.

The Barrs' talisman has been on fire this year. Remarkably, Sherlock has hit 1-57 from just five matches. It’s a staggering return and a testament to the quality he brings every time he lines out.

Clonakilty’s Conor Daly remains in the hunt too. Sitting third overall, he’s likely to feature this weekend and — if Clon make the final — could still overtake the leading pair.

Since round seven, there’s been plenty of movement in the chasing pack. Nemo’s Conor Horgan has climbed from seventh to fourth, nudging ahead of Castlehaven’s Michael Hurley and Cill na Martra’s Jason Mac Cárthaigh. Douglas’s Conor Russell, once fourth, now finds himself down in seventh.

The rest of the top ten remains unchanged: Carrigaline’s Niall Coakley in eighth, Cillian Myers Murray of St Finbarr’s in ninth, and Cill na Martra’s Shane Ó Duinnín holding onto tenth spot.

New entries to the top 15 come via two men in flying form — Éire Óg’s Brian Hurley and Newcestown’s David Buckley, who now sit 11th and 12th respectively.

FROM PLAY CHART: SHERLOCK STILL LEADING 

In the ‘from play’ scoring table, the top five haven’t budged in four weeks. Sherlock leads here too, with 1-32 from open play, five points clear of Daly (4-18). That gap could narrow in Clon’s clash with Castlehaven.

Elsewhere, Horgan has jumped to sixth, overtaking Newcestown’s Niall Kelly and Douglas’s Russell. Notably, Cill na Martra’s Seán Ó Foirreidh has moved into ninth after racking up 2-13 — a huge tally considering he’s played most of the season at centre-back.

Also climbing is Cillian Myers Murray, now tenth, while Brian Hurley’s return of 3-10 sees him crack into the top 15.

Top 15 Division 1 Football League scorers:

1 Luke O'Herlihy (St Michael’s) 0-60 (2 tp, 10 tpf, 0-18 f) 

2 Steven Sherlock (St Finbarr’s) 1-57 (6 tpf, 8 tp, 0-11 f, 0-2 45) 

3 Conor Daly (Clonakilty) 4-29 (0-10 f, 0-1 45) 

4 Conor Horgan (Nemo Rangers) 2-33 (0-17 f) 

5 Michael Hurley (Castlehaven) 2-32 (2 tpf, 1 tp, 0-18 f) 

6 Jason Mac Cárthaigh (Cill na Martra) 0-34 (1 tp, 4 tpf, 0-22 f) 

7 Conor Russell (Douglas) 2-25 (1 tpf, 0-10 f) 

8 Niall Coakley (Carrigaline) 0-29 (1 tp, 1 tpf, 0-11 f) 

9 Cillian Myers Murray (St Finbarr’s) 1-26 (2 tpf, 4 tp, 0-6 f) 

10 Shane Ó Duinnín (Cill na Martra) 5-13 

11 Brian Hurley (Éire Óg) 3-17 (2 tp, 0-7 f) 

12 David Buckley (Newcestown) 0-25 (6 tpf, 2 tp, 0-5 f) 

13 Luke Griffin (Clonakilty) 5-9 

14 Niall Kelly (Newcestown) 2-18 (1 tp, 0-4 f) 

15 Kevin O'Reilly (Carrigaline) 2-17 (0-5 f) 

Top 15 Division 1 Football League scorers from play:

1 Steven Sherlock (St Finbarr’s) 1-32 (8 tp) 

2 Conor Daly (Clonakilty) 4-18 

3 Shane Ó Duinnín (Cill na Martra) 5-13 

4 Luke Griffin (Clonakilty) 5-9 

5 Luke O'Herlihy (St Michael’s) 0-22 (2 tp) 

6 Conor Horgan (Nemo Rangers) 2-16 

7 Niall Kelly (Newcestown) 2-14 (1 tp) 

8 Conor Russell (Douglas) 2-13 

9 Seán Ó Foirreidh (Cill na Martra) 2-13 (2 tp) 

10 Cillian Myers Murray (St Finbarr’s) 1-16 (4 tp) 

11 Brian Hurley (Éire Óg) 3-10 (2 tp) 

12 Kevin O'Reilly (Carrigaline) 2-12 

13 Rían O'Flynn (Éire Óg) 1-15 

14 Bryan Hayes (Nemo Rangers) 2-11 (3 tp) 

15 Darragh Gough (Clonakilty) 2-10 (1 tp)