David Drake and Brian Kelleher deliver as Carrigaline beat Ballyphehane in Junior B final
Carrigaline after winning in the McCarthy Insurance Group Junior B Football Championship at Páirc Uí Rinn on Saturday. Picture: Larry Cummins
Carrigaline ended their season on a triumphant note with their third team finding success in the McCarthy Insurance Group Cork Inter-division Junior B Football Championship final at Páirc Uí Rinn on Saturday.
And they deserve credit for doing so, up against a Ballyphehane team carrying serious momentum following Seandún Junior B and County Junior B victories, as well as the Terence MacSwiney Cup.
But this was a Carrigaline outfit that could call upon the likes of experienced duo David Drake and Brian Kelleher. And it was Drake, who turned in a man-of-the-match display tallying 1-9 and it led to joint captains Séamus McHugh and Cormac Nolan accepting the Jim Cronin Cup.
From the off and with the wind, they started the scoreboard with the two O’Connells combining, Finn laying the ball into the path of Oisín who pointed.
Adam O’Donoghue found the target for Ballyphehane in the third minute and from a free kick Craig Murphy doubled their advantage four minutes later.
Carrigaline lost defender Harry Andrews to injury and his replacement Cormac Ryan was only moments on the field when he drew the Carrigdhoun side level.
Drake edged them in front, and the same player was at the end of a move involving Ryan and Oisin O’Connell to unleash a shot low to the right corner for the game’s first goal, and they led 1-3 to 0-2 after a quarter of an hour.
Craig Murphy pulled a point back for Ballyphehane, but other than that, they weren’t getting much return in front of the posts.
A flowing move started by Ethon Varian was their best chance of a green flag but Seán Fielding was denied. Soon afterwards Carrigaline keeper Seán Mellett came to the rescue when they raided once again - Mellett started instead of Michael Lynch who got injured in the warm-up.
Murphy eventually got them going when he split the posts from a placed ball after Alex Cummins was fouled in the 25th minute, 1-3 to 0-4.
While Carrigaline didn’t score in the fourth quarter, they secured a valuable two-pointer in stoppage time from Drake, and Oisin O’Connell got in for a goal opportunity but Luke Towler dealt with it.
Murphy landed his fourth point in the 34th minute for Ballyphehane to trail 1-5 to 0-5 at half-time.
From the restart, Carrigaline moved further into the ascendancy with Drake (free), Brian Kelleher and a Drake two-pointer free.
Ballyphehane were ignited by a 35th-minute goal that was finished by Jamie Geasley, now at midfield. He took the pass from Cummins after good work by Jamie Thompson.
Two-pointers from Murphy and Adam O’Donoghue brought the fans to their feet, 1-10 to 1-9 midway through the second half. Aaron West drew them level and O’Donoghue put them into the lead, 1-11 to 1-10.
Carrigaline were able to up the tempo, and in the final 10 minutes plus stoppage, they outscored Ballyphehane five points to one.
D Drake 1-9 (1 2pt f, 1 2pt, 0-2 f). B Kelleher 0-3, F O’Connell, C Ryan, O Barry 0-1 each.
C Murphy 0-6 (1 2pt f, 0-2 f), A O’Donoghue 0-4 (1 2pt), J Geasley 1-0, A West, A Cummins 0-1 each.
S Mellett; S Browne, P Ronayne, S McHugh (jc); H Andrews, D Stack, N O’Keeffe; S Vaughan, T Deasy; D Drake, F O’Connell, O O’Connell; A O’Donnell, D Kelly, B Kelleher.
C Ryan for H Andrews (10 inj), O Barry for A O’Donnell (38), A Crowley for S McHugh (45), J Carolan for T Deasy (56), C Nolan (jc) for D Kelly (57).
L Towler; T Walsh, J Geasley, D Holland; R Wyse, D Moore, S Keating; T O’Sullivan, C O’Brien (c); A West, E Varian, A O’Donoghue; C Murphy, A Cummins, S Fielding.
J Thompson for R Wyse, B O’Leary for S Fielding (both 35), E Hill for S Keating (43), D Kiely for C Murphy (56).
Niall Hayes (Carbery Rangers).
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