Cork 3-15 Connemara Gaels 4-7
There was a minute's silence before the game in honor of Pat McCarthy who had recently passed away. Pat was a member of the Cork GFC and a player from 1960 to 1972, and managed the club to a NACB senior football championship in 1986. Pat was a regular attendee at the games in Canton.
On a hot humid day Cork and Gaels played a very entertaining
opening junior A football match. The
Gaels looked like they would run away with it after 15 minutes, but Cork got
into the game and made an impressive comeback and strong finish to take the
points.
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Two Kerrymen on opposite sides - Matt Sullivan with the Gaels
and Mike Moynihan with Cork.
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The first 15 minutes saw the Gaels streak into a 2-3 to 0-1
lead. A goal from Matt Sullivan in the
opening minutes following a high ball into the square got the Gaels ball
rolling. The Kerry U-21 player gathered
and only had the keeper to beat from the edge of the small square. A second goal came from the sprightly Tiernan
Cox, and was followed by points from Paddy McGee and Cox himself. Cork looked lost and for a while, one
wondered if they realized that there was a game on, while the Gaels were
winning everything and had their way. Sullivan
at center forward was calling marks to beat the band, and the Gaels seemed a
level or two ahead of their opponents.
Cork stepped it up eventually and ended up going in at half
time a point to the good. Center forward
Cathal Arnold was instrumental, and the introduction of veteran Mike Moynihan
helped Cork’s cause. Points from Arnold,
Colm Caffrey, and Leigh Cunningham were complimented by a Moynihan goal that
brought the rebels right back into the game.
Moynihan’s goal came after the initial shot hit the crossbar and the
rebound fell for Kerryman who placed the second attempt into the bottom
corner. Cox and Sullivan prevented the
Gaels scores from drying up altogether during this period with a score each,
and at the half it was a 2-4 to 1-8 Cork advantage with the rebels having the
momentum.
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Cork took a while to get going, once they did the Rebels
played some good football.
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The second half opened with a goal for each side. First Moynihan extended the Cork lead with
trademark goal, and was answered in kind by Paddy McGee who netted from close
range. Arnold and Moynihan pointed for
Cork and the Gaels still looked in shock from the Cork comeback in the latter part
of the first period. Cork’s back line
were solid and locked down the Gaels forwards. Sullivan stemmed the Rebel tide with a score
for the Gaels, but two more from Arnold, one a powerful effort from the Downman,
put Cork into a four point lead.
The Gaels were not dead, however and tried to turn it
around. AJ Maguire, who had entered as a
sub, found himself with a path to goal opening up and finished well to net from
inside the 14 yard line. A Cox point
tied it up and with less than 10 minutes to go it was anybody’s game. Cox was in again, and this time his low, hard
shot hit the post – close effort could have been the winning and losing of the
game. With the 90 degree heat sapping
the energy from weary legs, Cork had a stronger finish in them. With Cork switching players around the field,
Mark Dalton found far corner of the net with a fine finish and the rebels topped
the score with 2 points to hold a 5 point lead as the minutes ticked away. A great win for Cork to start the season, the
Gaels will be looking to figure out how to keep the foot on the gas for the 60
minutes in their next outing.
Cork: Ollie Murphy,
Darren O’Donovan, Michael Carolan, Leigh Cunningham, Martin Doyle, Seamus
Loftus, Mark Dalton, James Tyrrell, Cathal Arnold, Colm Daly, Colm Caffrey,
Sean Lordan, Adam Kenny.
Gaels: James
O’Donnell, Niall Collins, Chris Lafferty, Damien Doolan, Ian Heanue, Tom
Duignan, Tom Butler, Fergal Meenaugh, Pauric McDonagh, Matt Sullivan, Paddy
McGee, P.J. Connolly, Tiernan Cox.
In other junior A action, the Wolfe Tones came out on top by
4 points in their encounter against Aidan McAnespies.
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