Late rally sends Kanturk into county final after extra-time thriller against Carbery Rangers

Kanturk: 1-18 (1-1-16) 

Carbery Rangers: 1-14 (1-3-8) 

(AET) 

Kanturk showed huge character and resilience as they saw off Carbery Rangers in a rip-roaring contest after extra time in the McCarthy Insurance Group SAFC semi-final at Macroom on Sunday evening.

The Duhallow outfit will meet Éire Óg in what is a tasty-looking decider in the big house in three weeks following this epic four-point come-from-behind win.

After extra-time and penalty shootout heartbreak in the knockout stages over the last three seasons, Kanturk have broken the glass ceiling. You could say they were dead and buried twice. They were down two points in normal time before two late scores sent the game to extra time.

They then trailed by four points but kept their opponents scoreless in the second period of extra time.

Kanturk had many top performers, with Grantas Bucinskas the chief scorer, while there were also big displays from the Walsh clan and Brian O’Sullivan as they stand one game away from becoming a dual Premier Senior outfit.

Carbery Rangers will have huge regrets about this one. They really should have seen the game out twice, with a lack of discipline coming back to cost them. 

They pretty much had the game in the palm of their hands with a point lead in normal time and what should have been a routine free, it resulted in a throw ball and Kanturk engineered a levelling score.

It was played in challenging weather conditions, with heavy rainfall and a driving wind throughout.

Both defences were on top early on and, coupled with the slippery conditions, it was low-scoring.

John O’Rourke got Carbery Rangers up and running with a point after eight minutes, but goalkeeper Paul Shanahan was quickly called into action to deny Kanturk’s Colin Walsh a goal.

Daniel O’Connell landed a pair of white flags before Kelan Scannell drew parity.

Kanturk held a slender 0-4 to 0-3 advantage after 24 minutes after kicking two of the next three points, but a Dylan O’Neill two-pointer brought a bit of life to the game.

Sam Linehan then pushed the Rosscarbery-based outfit two clear, while Daragh Hayes could have goaled, albeit from a tight angle.

Kanturk, though, finished the half strongly with Bucinskas firing over two efforts, one of which was a mark, leaving it 0-6 apiece at half-time.

The sides traded the first four points on the resumption until efforts from Paul Walsh and Lorcán McLoughlin gave Kanturk a 0-10 to 0-8 lead after 45 minutes.

A cracking Paul Hodnett two-pointer drew Carbery Rangers level. It was a timely score to break their opponents' momentum.

Another two-pointer, this time from a free, from the same player looked to have been enough to nudge Carbery Rangers into the final.

Not to be. Extra time looked a strong possibility from a long way out. Alan Walsh cut the gap to one before Bucinskas levelled with the last kick of the game, 0-12 apiece.

Carbery Rangers had a simple free following a breach when they were one point up, but a brawl resulted in a throw ball being awarded and Kanturk went down the pitch to draw parity.

It didn’t deter Carbery Rangers, who were the better team in the first period of extra time. They kicked two of the three points before Paul Hodnett grabbed what looked like a massive goal after Daragh Hayes set him up, leaving it 1-14 to 0-13 at the interval.

However, the West Cork side failed to score in the second period of extra time. 

Kanturk dominated, with Paul Walsh landing a two-pointer before they added 1-2 without reply. Colin Walsh palmed the ball into an empty net after Carbery Rangers failed to reset defensively.

Substitute Ian Walsh pointed for the insurance score to send Kanturk into the final.

Éire Óg await.

Scorers for Kanturk: G Bucinskas 0-7 (0-2 f, 0-1 45, 0-1 m), P Walsh 0-3 (1 2pt), C Walsh 1-0, D O’Connell 0-2, L McLoughlin, A Walsh, J Fitzpatrick, B O’Sullivan, C Clernon, I Walsh 0-1 each.

Carbery Rangers: P Hodnett 1-7 (1 2pt, 1 2pt f, 0-1 f), D O’Neill (1 2pt), J O’Rourke 0-2 each, S Linehan, K Scannell, D Hayes 0-1 each.

KANTURK: R Cashman; J McLoughlin, D Browne, L Cashman; M Healy, T Walsh, L McLoughlin; J Fitzpatrick, A Walsh; P Walsh (c), B O’Sullivan, D O’Connell; G Bucinskas, C Walsh, L O’Keeffe.

Subs: R Walsh for L O’Keeffe (43), B Healy for J Fitzpatrick (52), C Clernon for D O’Connell (56), L O’Neill for J McLoughlin (63), C Mullane for L Cashman (68), L O’Keeffe for L McLoughlin (h-t, e-t), I Walsh for B Healy (76).

CARBERY RANGERS: P Shanahan; S Linehan, J Kevane, C Daly; B Kerr, J O’Riordan, B Hodnett; J O’Brien, K Scannell; J O’Rourke (c), P Hodnett, P Hurley; P O’Rourke, D Hayes, D O’Neill.

Subs: T Cullinane for P O’Rourke (38), J Hodnett for P Hurley, M Hodnett for B Kerr (both 43), P Tobin for B Hodnett (49-54, temp), C Santry for D O’Neill (56), B Kerr for K Scannell (65), D O’Neill for P Hodnett (76, inj), C Twomey for B Hodnett (79).

Referee: James Regan (Lough Rovers).