Luke Meade buries winning penalty as Newcestown beat Carrigaline in shootout

Newcestown 0-18 Carrigaline 0-18 (Newcestown win 4-3 on penalties)

In the end, this quarter-final of the McCarthy Insurance Group PSFC boiled down to a battle between Luke Meade and Callum Dungan. 

Meade shot high and right, just beyond Dungan’s fingertips, and so it was that Newcestown had made the final four for only the second time in their storied history.

It was fitting that their talisman took the vital kick. He had been superb throughout, kicking 0-2 and at times he seemed to be everywhere. 

As for Carrigaline, they experienced sport at its most cruel. They were heroic here, but that will be of scant consolation over the winter months.

Of course, to distill a game as absorbing as this one into one final contest from the spot would be shameful. The sides were level on 10 occasions, no more than four points separated them at any time, and no side got more than two ahead from the 15th minute onwards. 

Brian Coakley looked to have nothing left in the tank with five minutes to go but still found something within him to kick the tying 45 at the end of normal time and he was still there for the shootout, with White saving his opening effort.

White’s first job was to take the kick-out after Éanna Desmond had levelled matters for the tenth time. He skewed it to Jack McCarthy, and it briefly looked like Carrig might snatch it at the death, but they didn’t.

This was the highest that Carrigaline had ever risen in Cork football and it took them a while to find their feet. Newcestown shot into a 0-4 to 0-0 lead with David Buckley raising an orange flag from a free and Meade and Seamus O’Sullivan on target. 

Carrig hit the next six through, with Coakley brothers Niall and Brian accounting for half of them and Kevin O’Reilly proving to be a constant menace. A white and an orange flag from Buckley then had Newcestown ahead before Niall Coakley made it 0-7 each at the interval.

From there, they matched each other blow for blow. Brian O’Driscoll had Carrig one up on at the three-quarter stage, Buckley had them level for the fourth time three minutes later. Séamus O’Sullivan looked to have won it for Newcestown with a stunning effort with 61:13 on the clock only for Coakley to land that 45.

Niall Coakley put Carrig two up coming up to half time in extra time only for Buckley and Niall Kelly to make it 0-17 each at the break. Richard O’Sullivan put the West Cork men one ahead in the 71st minute, and there they stayed until the 81st minute and Desmond’s equaliser.

They were level thrice more in the shootout before Meade’s decisive kick.

In 2019, Duhallow clipped Newcestown’s wings in the final four. In a fortnight, they will play the aristocrats of Cork football, Nemo Rangers. Newcestown will do what they do best and put the shoulder to the wheel and just keep on trucking.

Scorers for Newcestown: D Buckley 0-9 (2 2pt f, 0-4 f), S O’Sullivan, R O’Sullivan, L Meade 0-2 each, J Meade, N Kelly, D McAree 0-1 each.

Carrigaline: K O’Reilly 0-6 (0-1 f), N Coakley 0-5 (2pt) E Desmond (0-2 f), B Coakley (0-1 45) 0-3 each, B O’Driscoll (0-1).

NEWCESTOWN: E McSweeney; P Kelly, C O’Donovan, J Kelleher; R O’Sullivan, C Dinneen, M McSweeney; S O’Donovan, E Collins; L Meade (c), T Twomey, D Buckley; J Meade, D McAree, S O’Sullivan.

Subs: N Kelly for L Meade (blood, 5-10), N Kelly for McAree (43), C Keane for Twomey (50), C O’Sullivan for Dinneen (73), T Twomey for J Meade (76), C White for E McSweeney (80).

CARRIGALINE: C Dungan; D King, N Quirke, C O’Herlihy; D Griffin, K McCarthy, J McCarthy; P Mellet, N O’Keeffe; N Coakley, C Barrett, K Kavanagh; E Desmond, B Coakley, K O’Reilly.

Subs: B O’Driscoll for O’Keeffe (35), S Andrews for Griffin (56), N O’Keeffe for Andrews (ET), E Ryle for Mellet (71).

Referee: John Ryan (Macroom).