SAFC: Carbery Rangers claim first group-stage win in four years with win over O'Donovan Rossa
Dylan O'Neill of Carbery Rangers in possession, shadowed by O'Donovan Rossa's Ciarán Coombes, in Saturday's McCarthy Insurance Group SAFC clash in Union Hall. Picture: Martin Walsh
A four-year gap was bridged as Carbery Rangers kick-started their McCarthy Insurance Group SAFC campaign with an impressive victory over O’Donovan Rossa on Saturday night.
There was a lot riding in this west Cork derby at the Black Field in Union Hall with both sides coming in after opening-round defeats, but, bar the early exchanges, there was only one winner.
Having scored the last 11 points of the first half – despite playing into the breeze – the Rosscarbery side retired with a 1-13 to 1-3 lead. While they weren’t at the same dominant levels in the second half, they never looked like being denied a first group-stage victory since beating Éire Óg at premier senior level in 2022.
Dylan O’Neill scored 1-6, all from play, for Ross while just one of Darragh Hayes’s five points came from a dead ball. The strong attacking was under-pinned by the deep-lying playmaking of former Cork senior John O’Rourke in the half-back line though, with Brian Hodnett on the other wing also performing well and Mark Hodnett a valuable outlet at centre-forward.
After O’Neill extended the lead to 11 points on the resumption following a nice pass from the ever-industrious Patrick Hurley, Skibb did end a 23-minute scoreless period with a pair of frees from Dylan Hourihane Snr but the strong Ross defence did not allow any opportunities for the eroision of their advantage in the form of a goal.
When Hayes assisted a Mark Hodnett two-point score for Ross before getting his fifth, it left them 12 clear with the game approaching the three-quarter mark.
Mark Hodnett might had a late goal as a dipping shot had to be clawed away by Derek Tobin and Skibb finished with a mini-flourish capped by a Hourihane goal from a free. Ross will hope that the effect on scoring difference is not costly in the final reckoning in a month but they face into a pivotal clash with Newmarket in positive mood; their opponents must regroup before trying to get something from Cill na Martra to avoid being sucked into a second successive relegation play-off.
Having started slowly, Skibb had moved into a 0-3 to 0-2 lead on 11 minutes when Dylan Hourihane Snr landed a two-pointer. That advantage lasted scarcely a minute, though, as John Hodnett and Peadar O’Rourke combined to create an opening for O’Neill – while Derek Tobin got a block on the shot, it was not enough to prevent the ball from crossing the line before Seán Fitzgerald could complete the rescue operation.
And yet, Skibb responded to that with a goal of their own. Colm O’Driscoll and Niall Daly started a move, Dylan Hourihane Snr delivered the ball towards full-forward David Shannon and, when he broke it, Dylan Hourhane Jnr reacted well to fire to the net.
It made it 1-3 to 1-2 for Skibb with the clock showing 13 minutes; it was their last score of the first half.
By contrast, Ross found their flow, with O’Rourke showcasing his passing range as they worked the ball well despite Skibb having men back, allowing O’Neill and Hayes made hay inside. The otherwise-excellent Peadar O’Rourke might have even had a goal in the midst of their run of scores but the wide did not affect their momentum and the ten-point half-time lead put them in a commanding position that they would not lose.
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