Cork GAA: What we learned from the club football semi-finals

It was a huge club football semi-final weekend in Cork with the biggest drama coming in the Senior A grade with Éire Óg and Kanturk coming out on top of two absolute thrillers.

In the Senior A grade, Éire Óg were probably the biggest story, given they came from eight points down with 10 minutes to go to force extra time and then got the job done.

That unanswered burst of 2-2, with goals from Matt Brady and Johnny Galvin, and points from Brian Thompson and Daniel Goulding, levelled it up. They were all square for a lot of extra time only for another late scoring burst to get them over the line, with Oisin O’Shea, Galvin and Goulding grabbing the crucial scores.

In the second semi-final in Macroom on Sunday, Kanturk and Carbery Rangers were locked in a right arm wrestle for most of the game. 

It was still 0-8 each when the inter-county duo Tommy and Paul Walsh combined to get Kanturk in front and when Lorcán McLoughlin slotted another straight away they looked to be taking control.

Nobody told Mark Hodnett, however and he slotted a huge two-pointer from play to equalise.

Kanturk had most of the possession thanks to their stranglehold around midfield but that was not reflected on the scoreboard as it remained 0-10 each as the clock ticked past the 59th minute. It was at this moment that Paul Hodnett fired over a superb two-point free from miles out only for Grantas Businskas to kick a superb equaliser with the last kick for Kanturk.

The Rosscarbery side led by four at half time of additional time but a class two-pointer from Paul Walsh and an excellent 45 from Businskas left the minimum between them before an amazing 1-1 blast from sub Ian Walsh completed the turnaround and Kanturk’s sensational season goes on.

Bouncebackability

For the second week in succession, we saw two teams that lost their opening championship fixtures qualifying for the Premier Senior final, as Nemo Rangers and  St Finbarr’s have fully recovered from those early setbacks to set up a repeat of last year’s football decider.

The Barrs lost two of their Group 1 ties, losing to both Carrigaline and Mallow, but scrapped through by the skin of their teeth on scoring difference. Those defeats seem a long time ago now and the Togher side will fancy their chances of retaining the title they won at Nemo’s expense in last year’s final.

Nemo lost their opener to Newcestown but have won four in a row since and look better placed to challenge the Barrs this year.

For Carrigaline and Clonakilty to prevail they needed everything to go their way but unfortunately, the big moments went their opponent’s way. They will both have gone home on Saturday evening believing that they had the chances to win their respective semi-finals.

When the impressive Carrigaline attacker Jack McCarthy slotted his third point in the 50th minute and Brian Coakley added another in the 51st minute to grab the lead Carrigaline looked the likely winners, with Brian O’Driscoll really thundering into the game at this juncture.

O’Driscoll’s inter-county colleague Mark Cronin stepped up when Nemo really needed him, showing his class with a fabulous point from play in the 52nd minute.

McCarthy sliced an effort wide soon after and from the resultant kick-out Nemo were able to engineer a penalty when Kevin O’Donovan was dragged down and that man Mark Cronin stuck it down the middle, in what was the key moment of the entire game.

Brian Coakley gave them a chance to rescue it with a superb two-pointer. They would have levelled matters if Brian O’Driscoll’s fisted effort had gone over the crossbar rather drop into the net in injury time or if Callum Barrett’s shot had not cannoned off the upright.

Bench press

Dara O’Sullivan came on for Ross Corkery in the 40th minute and Conor Horgan replaced Bryan Hayes in the 51st minute. This illustrates what a slick unit Nemo are, as not too many clubs would survive late on without two of their key attackers.

In the second game, it was a similar story as Clonakilty were guilty of being extremely wayward with their shooting, especially in the second half when playing into the Blackrock End with the breeze. They attempted too many shots outside the arc when they would have been better served being patient and working it into one-point range.

Clon’s Sean White thought he was palming in Conor Daly’s fisted pass in injury time, which would have reduced the margin to one point, but his effort came back off the woodwork into Barrs hands. Even though Daly slotted a brilliant two-pointer afterwards they ran out of road.