St Finbarr's book final date with Nemo after seeing off Clon challenge

St Finbarr’s: 2-12 (2-2-8) 

Clonakilty: 0-16 (0-3-10) 

A workmanlike display from the holders, St Finbarr’s, saw them overcome Clonakilty by two points in the McCarthy Insurance Group Premier SFC semi-final at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday night.

The Togher side return to the decider where they will lock horns with southside rivals Nemo Rangers for the second year on the trot.

It wasn’t a cracking game by any stretch, but the Barrs did what they had to do. Two green flags in the opening 30 minutes gave them a five-point buffer at half-time.

They weren’t at full throttle and, even though there was just two in it at the end, they were full value for the win.

The double is still on, with their hurlers set to contest the Premier Senior final against Glen Rovers next Sunday.

The introduction of substitutes, most notably former Cork U20 player Darragh Gough, gave Clonakilty a lift, but it was a match where they played in fits and starts, with the concession of two goals proving costly.

The sides traded early points in a game that took time to catch fire. Clonakilty did have more possession but were quite wasteful, registering three wides inside seven minutes.

The Barrs were the opposite and got a goal a minute later when Ian Maguire’s purposeful run set up Rickey Barrett for a palmed finish to the net.

A trademark Steven Sherlock two-point free from near the sideline gave his side a five-point cushion that was probably harsh on Clonakilty.

A peach of a crossfield pass from Ross Mannix to Conor Daly reduced the margin to four, but St Finbarr’s were slicker, with Brian Hayes running the show in midfield.

Brian Roche’s outfit landed two white flags without reply to lead 1-5 to 0-2 after 21 uneventful minutes.

Clonakilty brought on forwards Gough and Dylan Harrington, both not fit enough to start due to respective injuries, and they added a bit of dynamism in attack. 

Gough pointed within a couple of minutes of coming on as the Brewery Town side trailed by five points with five minutes remaining until the short whistle.

The young forward then landed a free, followed by a fine Dara Ó Sé effort, leaving it 1-5 to 0-5 after 28 minutes.

But they suffered a sucker punch when Maguire’s effort for a point dropped short and Thomas Egan was quickest to react, slotting the ball into the net.

Clonakilty were given a huge shot in the arm when they were awarded a penalty after Mannix was fouled. Gough stepped up, but Darragh Newman made an incredible fingertip save to push it out for a 45, which goalkeeper Mark White converted, leaving it 2-5 to 0-6 at half-time.

Clon made a positive start to the new half, which they had to. Chris Kenneally pointed a minute after the restart as they dominated possession early on, followed by another Gough white flag.

Another quality Sherlock two-point free settled St Finbarr’s, making it 2-7 to 0-8 after 35 minutes.

Or so we thought. A Harrington point followed by an outrageous Gough orange flag left Clon just two points adrift.

Substitute Conor Dennehy did get a timely point for St Finbarr’s, only their second score of the half to that point, with a quarter of the game remaining, 2-8 to 0-11.

But the reigning champions always had that extra gear in them and a pair of Hayes efforts, along with a Sherlock point, gave their side a six-point advantage heading down the home straight.

An Ó Sé two-pointer did give Clon a bit of hope, but Barrett bisected the posts to keep their opponents at arm’s length, 2-12 to 0-13 after 55 minutes.

Daly did cut the gap to four before substitute Seán White’s palmed effort struck the crossbar in added time, which summed up their night.

Daly then slotted over a two-pointer to leave just two in it, but their brave fightback came too little, too late. Gough did have a two-point effort to draw level, which dropped short. 

The Barrs march into another decider.

Scorers for St Finbarr’s: S Sherlock 0-6 (2 2pt f, 0-1 f), B Hayes 0-4, R Barrett 1-1, T Egan 1-0, C Dennehy 0-1.

Clonakilty: C Daly (1 2pt), D Gough (1 2pt, 0-1 f) 0-5 each, D Ó Sé 0-3 (1 2pt), M White (0-1 45), C Kenneally, D Harrington 0-1 each.

ST FINBARR’S: D Newman; D Quinn, F Crowley, S Ryan; C Scully, A O’Connor, C Doolan; I Maguire, B Hayes; T Egan, R Barrett, E Dennehy; J Wigginton-Barrett, S Sherlock (c), W Buckley.

Subs: C Dennehy for A O’Connor (23, inj), J Burns for D Quinn (h-t-FT, temp), L Hannigan for E Dennehy (43), C Myers-Murray for J Wigginton-Barrett (56).

CLONAKILTY: M White (c); D Darragh, D Peet, D Lowney; S White, T Clancy, J O’Mahony; B Ridgeway, M Shanley; D Kenneally, D Ó Sé, C Kenneally; S McEvoy, R Mannix, C Daly.

Subs: D Gough for S McEvoy, D Harrington for S White (both 23), K O’Driscoll for D Kenneally (49), S White for B Ridgeway (56).

Referee: Conor Lane (Banteer-Lyre).