Ben Geary hits 0-14 as Killeagh blow Bride Rovers away in East Cork Junior A final
Killeagh's Ben Geary has the legs on Bride Rovers' Kieran Cotter during the East Cork Oil Junior A Hurling Championship final at Cloyne. Picture: Denis O'Flynn.
By the finish it was every bit as emphatic as the scoreline suggests. Killeagh saved their best for last, running out 14-point winners over Bride Rovers in Cloyne to land their second East Cork Oil Junior A Hurling Championship title in three years.
The crowd on Sunday were treated to another episode of the Ben Geary show as the Killeagh starlet ended the game with eight points from play, but the supporting acts were to the fore here too.
Cormac Deane was one such performer. Marshalled well by the impressive Denis Fitzgerald, the Killeagh minor still found room to manoeuvre and came away with three points.
Corner-backs Keane Kelly-Budds and Ciarán Leahy were immense, as was 19-year-old Jack Coleman at centre-back, while veteran Mikey Fitzgerald was outstanding at midfield alongside Seán Walsh.
Playing against the breeze in the opening half, Killeagh – in their maroon change jerseys – worked their way into a 0-9 to 0-8 interval lead. Shaun Knox had kept the Rathcormac/Bartlemy outfit in the fight with frees and a score from a sideline cut, but Killeagh blew them away in the third quarter.
Geary was unmarkable, Richie Long broke through for the game’s only goal and Andrew Leahy was another influential forward as Killeagh pulled out of sight by the 45-minute mark. A late red card for Tadhg O’Sullivan did little to help Rovers’ cause.
Geary’s tally had swelled to 0-14 by the end and he was the deserving recipient of the man of the match award.
A county quarter-final against a Newmarket side led by Cork hurler Hugh O’Connor now awaits, while Whitechurch face Diarmuid Ó Mathúna’s and Valley Rovers take on Dromina. The Muskerry winners, either Donoughmore or Dripsey, have the bye to the semi-final.
Andrew Brenner – who enjoyed a fantastic season with the Killeagh minors – was a notable absentee with a quad injury.
The title is the product of a joint management effort between minor manager Ger Geary and senior manager Ger Scully, planned since last season, with Conor Fogarty and Ray Rochford involved as selectors.
“We agreed last November that the two of us would manage the juniors between us,” Geary said. “Because Junior A is the highest grade the minors are allowed to play under the rules in Cork.
“We won a third tier minor county last year so I said I'd keep an eye on the U19s and I also knew the U18s would be involved this year. So it made sense then, we also had a bit of control over them as well, what they play or what they don't play, if they're playing too much or too little.
“There’s a great group there,” Geary explained. “The seniors were knocked out and everyone was disappointed, but we agreed that the minors would play away at Junior A. We kind of had to pull them for the Cobh game because of the replay against the Barrs and we just about got over the line [in the semi-final].
“We were delighted, it's Killeagh’s seventh ever East Cork.
“There's a great buzz in the squad, the Junior B footballers won the East Cork as well, and the U21 hurlers are into the semi-final against Sars on Sunday week.
“The fields are still kept going below the lights are on, there's training going on every night which is brilliant. We're heading into November now and that's what you want.”
B Geary 0-14 (0-6 f), R Long 1-2, C Deane 0-3, D Motherway, A Leahy, Colm Leahy, S Walsh 0-1 each.
S Knox 0-7 (0-6 f, 0-1 sideline), Jack Mannix 0-3, L Collins, O Kielty 0-1 each.
P O’Neill; K Kelly-Budds, R Treacy, Ciarán Leahy; M Murphy, J Coleman, J O’Rourke; M Fitzgerald, S Walsh; R Long, C Deane, A Leahy; S Meade, Colm Leahy, B Geary.
J Ogbebor for Colm Leahy (44), C Brennan for Coleman, D Motherway for Meade (both 54), P Mackey for Long, O Cunningham for O’Rourke (both 58).
B Hogan; K Cotter, O Roche, T O’Sullivan; L Collins, D Fitzgerald, A Hynes; G O’Connell, S Knox; Cillian Barry, R Prendergast, M Kenny; D Buckley, E Cashman, Jack Mannix.
A Buckley for Roche (19 inj), O Kielty for D Buckley (HT), B Knox for Cotter (38 inj), A Hayes for Cashman (45), W Finnegan for S Knox (54).
J Smiddy (Castlemartyr)
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