St Finbarr's weather late Mallow storm to clinch P2 Minor Football League title
Evan Malone, St. Finbarrs, shoots from Tommy O'Sullivan, Mallow during the Rebel Og Under 18 Premier 2 Football League Final at MTU Sports Complex, Cork. Picture: Jim Coughlan.
It got tense towards the end – but St Finbarr’s led from start to finish to defeat Mallow and win the Premier 2 Football League title at MTU on Thursday evening.
The Barrs were excellent throughout, with Conor O’Donoghue their standout performer. He dominated the air on Mallow’s restarts and his long-range free-taking proved decisive – both of his two-pointers were crucial in ensuring a two-point win.
Mallow fought hard and came alive at the end of both halves, but their final ball too often let them down. They also failed to make their numerical advantage count after Charlie Galvin was black-carded in the 37th minute. The Barrs led by five when Galvin went off and had stretched that to six by the time he returned.
Defensively, St Finbarr’s were outstanding during that spell, with captain Daniel Burke excelling at centre-back. He was one of three Barrs players to block Mallow shots.
Despite their dominance in the first half, the Barrs saw their seven-point lead reduced to four before the break. Paddy Murphy kicked two superb scores – the first coming from neat interplay between Darragh Carroll and Jamie Willis – and followed it up with a two-pointer that gave Mallow hope.
That left the score 0-10 to 0-6 at the interval, but a two-pointer on the restart from Liam O’Regan – who had got on the scoresheet in the Barrs’ P2 U16 final defeat to Mallow on Monday – put St Finbarr’s six clear.
Mallow sub Conor O’Shea – who scored 1-1 in that U16 final – got one back before Galvin’s black card, but two white flags from Darragh Carroll was all the north Cork side could muster during that spell.
A second two-pointer from O’Donoghue, along with points from Burke and James Murray, pushed the Barrs 0-16 to 0-9 in front, but Mallow mounted a late surge.
Carroll, dangerous all evening, was on target again before going off injured. Sub goalkeeper Diarmuid O’Riordan then landed a two-point free to cut the deficit to four heading into injury time.
Davie Kingston set up Ben O’Shea to leave three in it, and while O’Shea pointed again in the 64th minute, St Finbarr’s had done enough to keep Mallow at bay.
The Barrs raced into a 0-3 to 0-0 lead inside nine minutes, and while two points from O’Shea brought Mallow within one after 15 minutes, that was as close as they came to drawing level.
St Finbarr’s then hit five unanswered to lead 0-8 to 0-2 – a gap Mallow would never fully close despite their improvement as the game wore on.
C O’Donoghue (2 tpf, 0-1 f), J Murray (0-1 f) 0-5 each, L O’Regan (tp) T Howe 0-2 each, A Herlihy, D Burke 0-1 each.
B O’Shea 0-4 (0-2 f), P Murphy (tp), D Carroll 0-3 each, D O’Riordan 0-2 (tpf), C O’Shea, C Murphy 0-1 each.
L Hegarty; D McGuirk, C Garvey, K Murphy; T Howe, D Burke (c), CJ Barrett; C O’Donoghue, L O’Regan; E Malone, C Galvin, E Burke; C Barrett, J Murray, A Herlihy.
J Doody; S Callanan, D Fleming, T Britton; D O’Connell, D Kingston, T O’Sullivan; J Willis, P Murphy; A Murphy (c), B O’Shea, D Carroll; C Crone, C Murphy, O O’Sullivan.
C O’Shea for Crone, C Daly for T O’Sullivan (both HT), D O’Riordan for Doody (44), H Punch for Carroll (57 inj), J Quill for Callanan (59 inj).
John Ryan (Macroom)
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