Premier SHC: Blackrock lead all the way as win over St Finbarr's puts them on verge of qualification
Tadhg Deasy, Blackrock, takes on Ethan Twomey and Damien Cahalane, St Finbarr's, at Páirc Uí Rinn on Friday night. Picture: Jim Coughlan.
Blackrock have one foot in the knockout stages of the Co-op SuperStores Premier SHC after an impressive victory over St Finbarr’s at Páirc Uí Rinn on Friday night.
The Rockies are the only club with a 100% qualification record in the group-stage era and they led this city derby from trap to line, starting with five unanswered points and opening up a 1-11 to 0-3 lead before a Barrs revival coming up to half-time left it 1-13 to 1-6.
With 20 minutes remaining, the Togher side had managed to get to within five points but that was as narrow as the difference would be. Points from Ryan Sweeney and Alan Connolly (free) were followed by another from the Cork star which seemed to demonstrate the difference between the sides on the night, intercepting a loose defensive pass and sending the ball over within an instant.
Sweeney, following a lovely Robbie Cotter lay-off, went close to a second goal, denied by a brilliant Shane Hurley save, but Connolly sent the 65 over. While Ben Cunningham replied with his seventh of the evening, Blackrock had that second goal, Michael O’Halloran profiting from good work by Cotter and sub Fionn Coleman to finish his second of of the game.
The introduction of Brian Hayes gave the Barrs an extra attacking dimension and it was he was deemed to have been fouled for a penalty that Cunningham converted, having seen a shot come back off the post shortly beforehand.
That left it 2-21 to 2-12 but Connolly – able to be deployed in the half-forward line after Coleman’s introduction, sent over a good point in response. Cunningham did leave seven in it with a pair of frees but they were not to score again.
Niall Cashman, superb at midfield – as was his brother John in defence – landed a pair of late points to give him four by the end and there might been more goals as Hurley denied Peter Linehan and Gavin Connolly saved from Hayes but the headline figure was never in danger of being dramatically altered.
While Blackrock had the wind – blowing towards the city, in contrast to normal – in the first half, it didn’t fully explain their opening dominance. They were far sharper and their interplay was more cohesive, translating to five unanswered points from five different players in the opening nine minutes.
The Barrs did have two of the next three but it was only brief reprieve before Blackrock’s goal arrived in the 12th minute.
Tadhg Deasy, who had shown up well in the league after being repurposed from attack to the half-back line, was the catalyst with a penetrating run from deep. He finished it with a fine shot destined for the bottom corner, only to see Shane Hurley pull off a superb save – but Michael O’Halloran was loitering with intent and was able to turn the ball home.
With Cathal Cormack the first among equals in a fine Blackrock defensive effort, the flow of scores continued to be at the other end and when a long-range free from goalkeeper Gavin Connolly was followed by a point from O’Halloran, they were 11 to the good.
The Barrs needed some class of a response and they found one. Ben Cunningham sent over two frees to reduce the deficit somewhat and then, after a flowing move started by Billy Hennessy and featuring Damien, Conor and Cahalane as well as Cian Walsh, Cunningham was there to rifle the ball to the net.
The Rockies limited the goal’s impact as Cotter and Connolly replied with points; Ethan Twomey’s score just before the whistle left a challenging-but-not-impossible margin of seven in it at the break.
Twomey was to the fore at centre-back as three Cunningham frees helped the Barrs to close to five in the opening ten minutes after the restart, but the Blackrock ship never looked like it was listing.
By the end, they had 11 points to spare and it would take a series of unlikely events for them not to be in the knockout stages.
A Connolly 0-7 (0-3 f, 0-1 65), M O’Halloran 2-1, N Cashman 0-4, R Cotter, R Sweeney 0-3 each, K O’Keeffe 0-2, J Cashman, P Linehan, F Coleman, G Connolly (f) 0-1 each.
B Cunningham 2-9 (1-0 penalty, 0-8 f), E Twomey, C Cahalane, B Hayes, W Buckley, J Cahalane 0-1 each.
G Connolly; A O’Callaghan, J Ryan, Cathal Cormack; J Cashman, S Murphy, T Deasy; N Cashman, D O’Farrell; R Sweeney, K O’Keeffe, D Meaney; R Cotter, A Connolly, M O’Halloran.
F Coleman for O’Keeffe (46), P Linehan for T Deasy (48, injured), O McAdoo for Murphy (51).
S Hurley; C Doolan, J Burns, E Keane; D Cahalane, E Twomey, B Hennessy; C Walsh, C Crowley; J O’Kelly, W Buckley, C Cahalane; B Cunningham, J Wigginton Barrett, J Cahalane.
B Hayes for O’Kelly (45), S Cunningham for Walsh (48).
C O’Regan (Ballyhea).
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