GAA Talking Points: Clon left with huge regrets but Brian Hayes underlined his football brilliance

For the losers, the pain of their Cork PSFC semi-final setbacks will linger long into the winter.

Both underdogs outplayed their opponents for long stretches. Both outshot their opponents. Both had their chances to win. Both ended in two-point defeats.

Since they booked their ticket to the 2021 final, Clon’s record against the city giants has been a tale of unlimited woe.

In six games, they've had two one-point losses to the Barrs, two one-point losses to Nemo, a penalty shoot-out defeat to Nemo, and now this two-point semi-final loss against Togher’s finest.

It was a game that was led almost entirely by one side, yet dominated, statistically at least, by the other.

The Barrs took 21 shots and won. Clon launched 34 efforts and lost. They accrued as many misses as the Barrs had shots. Of those 21, they booted 12 wide and left six more short.

While our focus is on the second game, Carrigaline also enjoyed more shots than Nemo Rangers in the curtain raiser (24-19) and lost. 

The conversion rates across the weekend were: Nemo 68%, Carrig 58%, Barrs 57%, Clon 38%.

The big moments belonged to the Barrs. They had the first-half wind and built pressure with Rickey Barrett’s early goal. A four-point burst into the slackening breeze reinforced their advantage. And when they were stretched to breaking point, their number one stood up.

Like their hurlers owed a debt of gratitude to Shane Hurley for getting them into next Sunday’s county final, their footballers were singing Darragh Newman’s praises for extending their title defence.

The smallest margins were at play as Newman tipped Darragh Gough’s penalty onto the post and Seán White’s stoppage-time chance onto the crossbar.

“It's terribly disappointing. A game we completely dominated everywhere except the scoreboard. That's the reality of it,” said Clon selector Eoin Ryan. “Our conversion rate was awful. We just didn't fire.

“We were unlucky. We hit the post, hit the crossbar. It just wasn't our night. We gave it everything we had.

“It's a tough one to take. You wouldn't mind being beaten if you were beaten by a better team, but I don't think we were, to be fair.

“Now, they were clinical. 

When they came up with the ball, they seemed to score. We missed a lot.” 

The Barrs’ slant didn’t dwell on the misses so much as the defensive heat that forced them.

Keep in mind, this was a victory earned despite losing their full-back and centre-back, Alan O’Connor and Dylan Quinn, in the first half.

Clon’s defence also got plenty right. Dan Peet stuck tight to Steven Sherlock, keeping him to one point from play.

Apart from two high-tariff frees from a good distance beyond the arc, Sherlock’s only two-point attempt from play was missed under pressure. Dan Darragh and David Lowney helped in limiting the Barrs’ other attacking outlets.

They didn’t have to sacrifice Maurice Shanley’s role around midfield, which allowed Clon to break even on the opposition kick-out while bossing their own.

That said, when they got their hands on the ball, Ian Maguire and Brian Hayes made things happen for the Barrs with their clever interplay.

Maguire assisted the first goal, after a smart one-two with Hayes, and his shot dropped favourably for the second. Maguire also assisted three points, including two for his midfield colleague.

Pivotal

Hayes mopped up two early turnovers and finished on four points. He raised as many flags from play as the entire Barrs starting team.

The Hurler of the Year nominee tallied 0-9 across the hurling and football semi-finals. Without those scores, the Barrs might have made neither decider.

The first half was a poor affair, enlivened by two sumptuous moments of skill – a stunning Sherlock two-point free and Ross Mannix’s pass for a Conor Daly response – and some dramatic late twists.

As much as the Barrs were lucky for their second goal, Clon had a strong case that Mark White was tackled in the air.

“That goal was very debatable,” said Ryan. “Mark had the ball in his hands and your man came in and the ball finished up in the back of the net. That's very questionable.

“I don't know, I'd have to watch it back, but I thought it was a free out myself.

“We missed a penalty then. 

Whatever we did or didn't do, we had plenty of chances to win the game. We didn't take them. 

"There was only two points in it at the end.” 

By the skin of their teeth, the big three era endures.

This will be the fourth Barrs-Nemo final of the past decade. The Barrs will want to level the count at two apiece. Yet after three consecutive final losses, Nemo can hardly countenance another defeat.

For the Barrs, in their 150th year, the opportunity is massive. They already have the camogie. Their last hurling-football double was 1982. Their last back-to-back football titles were in 1980. History is on the line.