Cork GAA: What we learned from the last round of club football group games

After the drama last weekend that saw Kanturk shock Blackrock and knock them out of the hurling championship, all eyes were on Páirc Uí Rinn on Sunday for a similar result when Knocknagree faced off against Castlehaven.

Knocknagree had pushed the Haven all the way in the league a few months back and there was real expectation that they could be this week’s Cork GAA headline makers by knocking out the 2023 and 2024 county champions.

The first five minutes contained numerous poor decisions from both sides so it was fitting that this spell ended with a pointed effort from Conor Cahalane somehow eluding everyone and ending up in the back of the Knocknagree net.

The Haven attack has been spearheaded by the Hurley brothers for years but Micheál Maguire’s display here felt like a glimpse into the future for Castlehaven football as his searing pace had the Knocknagree rearguard in sixes and sevens at times.

There was 10:40 on the clock when Knocknagree registered their first score, which was a badly needed Fintan O’Connor goal, as it looked like the game was getting away from them early doors.

They struck for a timely goal from just before half-time to just trail by three. It definitely felt like it was game on, but Sean Browne’s goal in the 47th minute stretched the gap out to 11 and there was no way back for John Fintan Daly’s side, despite their valiant efforts as they reduced the gap to just two by the final whistle.

Valley Rovers won their first two games against St Michael’s and Newcestown yet despite this everyone expected them to be eliminated against Nemo Rangers in Inniscarra. Nemo stormed into a 0-9 to 0-1 lead at half-time, with the result never looking in doubt.

Winning two and being eliminated while St Finbarr’s lost two and qualified. Those are the breaks!

At Senior A level, Carbery Rangers faced Newmarket at Carrigadrohid with them realistically only hoping for a win to qualify for the quarter-final stage at the time of throw-in, but the way the results went in all three groups they found themselves celebrating an automatic semi-final berth by the final whistle.

They must have been fearing the worst when they shipped the opening three points of the game inside the first five minutes, but a Dylan O’Neill point settled them and by half=time they were in control, having kicked seven unanswered points between the seventh and 22nd minutes. 

O’Neill and Paul Hodnett were causing Newmarket huge problems with their scoring prowess, with the pair clipping over four first-half points each to ensure they led by 0-12 to 0-8 at the break.

A sublime effort from Tim Cullinane in the 42nd minute, seconds after coming into the fray, meant that the gap was six and suddenly Newmarket looked in a right spot of bother. A 49th-minute goal by Darragh Hayes finished the game as a contest, as the gap had now become 12.

Tough break

Every year we see club sides winning their opening two rounds yet finding themselves knocked out following a sole defeat in round 3. Unfortunately for them, Newmarket joined that club on Sunday, along with Valley Rovers, when being turned over by an extremely hungry Carbery Rangers side. They only scored four points between the seventh and the 52nd minutes, so they can’t have too many complaints.

Kanturk were the story of the final weekend in the hurling round robin series, but they had a much tougher time of it this weekend in Macroom against Aghabullogue, as defeat could have seen them eliminated on a head-to-head basis by their opponents.

Grantas Bucinskas buried a brilliant goal in the 55th minute after a superb driving run by Cork footballer Paul Walsh, which put the Duhallow men into the lead at just the right time.

Luke Casey looked to be going nowhere in the 63rd minute as he headed towards the sideline but he somehow brushed off the attention of Brian O’Sullivan and nonchalantly struck it over from the outside of his boot for a classy two-pointer to level it. 

Bucinskas thought he was going to score the winner soon after only to see his fisted effort come back off the left-hand upright and both sides had to settle for the draw, which meant Kanturk progress to the quarter-finals while Aghabullogue are eliminated. This was real small margins stuff, as a last-gasp Kanturk score would have seen them qualify automatically for a semi-final, while an Aghabullogue one would have seen them out.

They now face a North Cork derby against Kilshannig in the quarter-final, although Kilshannig’s confidence levels cannot be too high after the 0-24 to 0-9 mauling they received at the hands of Éire Óg on Sunday.