Ruthless Clonakilty looked the part against Ballincollig but need to be ready for Newcestown test

Clonakilty selector Eoin Ryan insisted his side won’t get carried away after their emphatic 3-22 to 0-8 McCarthy Insurance Premier SFC victory over Ballincollig.

They were delighted with the manner of the performance that secured a place in the quarter-finals, where a West Cork derby awaits against a Newcestown side that will be keen to return to the last four.

Clon were in complete control from the outset at Kilmurry, racing into an early lead and never allowed Ballincollig gain a foothold in the contest. While the final margin may have surprised many, Ryan was quick to acknowledge the difficulties facing their opponents, who must now regroup for a relegation playoff with St Michael's.

“No, I suppose, to be fair, we didn’t expect it to be that easy. I know that Ballincollig were hit with a lot of injuries, in fairness to them. They’ve been cursed with injuries all year and they were in a tough place.

“ Liam O’Connell came back and got concussed during the week and these are big blows. Obviously, we wanted to win and we’ll take that and move on."

Clon laid the foundation for victory in a blistering opening spell, surging into a 1-3 to 0-0 lead after just six minutes before eventually a 2-7 to 0-3 advantage at half-time. Ryan felt that explosive start was key.

“It’s harder playing up that way (towards Kilmurry village) and I thought we were motoring very well in the first half.

“We created an awful lot of scores. We didn’t take them all but, look, we scored 3-22 so you’d have to be happy with that.

At the same time, Ballincollig were off colour. I wouldn’t buy too much into it. 

"If they had got the start, it could have been different because I saw their game against Knocknagree and they actually should have been five or six points up at the start of the second half. They have good footballers. I suppose we just hit form today.”

The second Clonakilty goal, finished by Sean McEvoy before half-time, proved a major turning point and effectively put the West Cork side firmly in control.

Ryan felt their half-time position left them in a good position to go on and win.

“We were playing up the hill and into the breeze, so it was a really good lead to have at half-time. It would have been an awful game to lose from there.”

Tested

The win means Clonakilty advance to the knockout stages after missing out on the quarter-finals last season. Having reached the last eight in the previous two campaigns before losing to Nemo Rangers on both occasions, Ryan is simply happy to be back in the mix.

“Our group was called the Group of Death and, no matter how many the Haven won by, I think we topped the group anyway,” he said.

Another encouraging aspect for Clonakilty was the strength of their squad, with several players unavailable or not fully fit.

Darragh Gough started on the bench due to injury but made an appearance, while Dylan Harrington also missed out.

“Dara came on and his injury isn’t too bad. He wasn’t able to train all along. Dylan Harrington is nearly there too, so hopefully he’ll be there for the next one.”

Competition for places is becoming increasingly fierce, something Ryan believes can only benefit the team as the championship moves into the knockout stages.

“You’d be happy with that. There were more players that could have come on but we didn’t really have to bring them on. We kept them with the juniors because they’re playing on Monday night and we wanted to give everybody a fair chance.

“Darragh Gough started the last two games but was injured, so he didn’t start. Dylan Harrington started the last two games and didn’t play at all through injury. But after the way the boys performed today, Sean McAvoy and Sean White especially, it’s a fair fight for places the next day.”

Ryan knows bigger challenges lie ahead, but feels Clonakilty are building momentum.

“All you can do is beat what’s in front of you and we did that,” he said.

The lads know their performances have to improve game on game if you want to be successful at this level. 

"They’ve all been around for a while now and they’re experienced enough. We have a couple of younger fellas after coming in as well, so there’s a good mix there.

“It’s a nice headache to have. We move on to the next one.”