Clinical Cobh blitz St Nick's to set up Premier Junior Football final with Canovee
Cobh's Conor McLoughlin shoots past St Nicks' Robert Downey during the McCarthy Insurance Group Cork Premier JFC semi-final at Carrigtwohill. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
Cobh powered through to the Premier JFC final with a comprehensive victory over St Nick’s on Saturday evening in Carrigtwohill.
The East Cork side enjoyed a spread of scorers in a game that saw Adam Lynch, Evan Cummins, and Diarmuid Kearney hit the back of the net and Eoin Cullimore register seven points. Cobh will face Canovee in the decider at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh following their victory over Inniscarra on Friday evening.
Nick’s never got going with a panel that included Cork hurling stars Rob and Eoin Downey, who will contest the Premier Senior Hurling Championship final next weekend against St Finbarr’s. Cobh defeated them with a dominant display that came to life in the second half after they went into the break leading 0-11 to 0-4.
The game restarted with Evan Cummins splitting the posts from play and a goal followed with their next advance. Cullimore set that up with a curling shot that dropped short for Lynch to punch in to make it 1-12 to 0-4.
A second followed in the 41st minute from a stunning strike by Evan Cummins that the St. Nick’s goalkeeper had no chance of getting to.
Cobh won the ball from the kick-out and quickly played it to Adam Lynch for a rising shot that went well over the bar, to make the scoreboard read 2-13 to 0-4.
Nick’s tried passing their way into space in a bid to get something going, with Dean Brosnan brought on to help their comeback mission. Their East Cork rivals remained steadfast in defence, giving only one score away in the entirety of the second half.
That was a two-pointer from Zach Lynch which only cut the gap down to 15, 2-15 to 0-6. Cobh responded to this minor incursion by rattling off 1-6 to no score.
This began with a free sent over by Kearney. Three placed balls in a row were then converted by Cullimore from close range, just as the wind started to die down in Carrigtwohill.
Kearney then goaled with a blistering strike on the half volley in the 56th minute. Cobh had two more scores in them, and they came from Conor Farrell and Mark O’Rourke. The game was long over at that point, with the East Cork side looking ahead to their trip to the Páirc.
E Cullimore 0-7 (1 2pt f, 1 2pt, 0-3 f), A Lynch, E Cummins 1-2 each, D Kearney 1-1, M O’Rourke, T Wilk (2pt), E Hastings (2pt) 0-2 each, C McLoughlin, A Hastings, C Farrell 0-1 each.
Z Lynch 0-3 (1 2pt), R Dunne, J O’Sullivan (f), C McCarthy 0-1 each.
E Walsh; A McCarthy, B Geary, J McCarthy; T Wilk, G Keating, S Cummins; M O’Rourke, C McLoughlin; A Hastings, E Cullimore, E Hastings; A Lynch, E Cummins, A Doran.
D Kearney for Hastings (41); C Farrell for Doran (56), R McCormick for McCarthy (59), L Greaney for Cullimore (58).
R Cronin; D Dunlea, O O’Connell, C Horgan; F O’Driscoll, E Varian, Z Lynch; R Downey, E Downey; R Dunne; J Morrissey, L Quilligan; J O’Sullivan, D Morris, C McCarthy.
D Brosnan for O’Sullivan (35); S Kennefick for McCarthy (35), S Horgan for Morris (46), B Heffernan for E Downey (55).
Peter O’Leary (Cloughduv)
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