8/11/2024 - Intermediate Football Final – Kerry Boston vs Cork Boston

8/11/2024 - Intermediate Football Final – Kerry Boston vs Cork Boston

 

By Neil McEnaney

 

Full Time Score:

Kerry Boston: 2-14

Cork Boston: 2-12

 

We were treated to an excellent intermediate final that could have went either way right up until the last kick of the ball as it bounced off nearly everything in the Kerry square except for over the line for a goal. Congratulations to Kerry Boston and commiserations to Cork Boston who will no doubt be back again next year.

 

It was the late change to the line up Sean McCarthy who opened the scoring for Cork after Eoin Walsh found him in the full forward line. McCarthy took on his man and blasted it over from close range. Cork kept the pressure on, turning over the Kerry kick out and doubling their lead with O’Riordan kicking a nice point from the top of the D.

 

Sean Guidan opened the scoring for Kerry from a free kick from the deck from outside the 45 which sailed over with plenty to spare. Cork worked the ball up the field quickly with Joe Boyle finding Hugh McDonald with a half yard of space which he kicked over the bar.

 

Cork were on top in the middle third in the opening quarter and were turning over a lot of Kerry’s kick outs. Jack Lynch won one of these kick outs and moved it quickly to Niall O’Connor. O’Connor had space and fisted it through to Eoin Walsh. Walsh dived fist first to the ball to finish into the bottom corner for the game’s first goal.

 

Kerry needed to change something and Deividas started taking the Kerry kickouts which added distance from the set balls. Gary Vaughan broke through the tackle for Kerry to kick a nice point off his right to bring them back into the game. Kerry started finding space in the Cork defence with Ryan O’Grady turning his man to kick a nice point before Guidan added another from the right wing off his trusty left boot.

 

A high ball into McCarthy in the full forward line for Cork caused havoc in the Kerry defence as he was fouled as he turned gifting Cork the penalty. Eoin Walsh steeped up to take the penalty but it was well saved by Davidas in the Kerry net. Walsh hit the resulting 45 but was denied by the post.

 

After the penalty save, Kerry started getting back into the game through the free taking of Guidan. Finbarr Murphy found space in the Cork defence and slipped it through to O’Grady. O’Grady went straight for goal and finished low and hard for Kerry into the net to give the Kingdom a two point lead.

 

Cork responded immediately with a beautiful point from Lynch off his left foot while under pressure. Kerry then worked the ball through the hands of Jim Lynch to Ryan O’Grady. O’Grady had nearly a carbon copy of his first goal burying it into the bottom corner.

 

A point from Walsh from a free finished the scoring of the first half as Kerry went into the break 3 points up.

 

Half Time Score:

Kerry Boston: 2-5

Cork Boston: 1-5

 

Finbarr Murphy opened the scoring for Kerry in the second half with a point from a free on top of the D. Cork came up the other end with the referee hopping the ball for the Kerry keeper, Padraig Doyle, taking too long on a kickout. From the hop ball, the ball broke out to Walsh who fisted it over the bar.

 

Sean O’Riordan made a great run through the center and fisted through to Feidhelm Joyce who kicked a great point on the run. A long ball into Fergal O’Brien was collected well. O’Brien worked it through to John O’Riordan who scored a great point to leave just one between the sides.

 

Kerry worked the ball well up the field and were well denied for the goal by Kieran McEnery in the Cork nets. Cork worked the ball quickly up the field to McCarthy who took on his man and fisted it over from a tight angle to bring the sides level. The target man McCarthy got on the end of high ball into him again and fisted it over to bring Cork ahead.

 

Kerry needed a spark to get their second half going and it was the dangerous O’Grady who provided it kicking a lovely score from a tight angle. A turnover for Kerry was moved quickly to O’Riordan who kicked a point with plenty of space. O’Grady added another with the help of the post after a great solo run.

 

Gary Vaughan showed great speed and fitness coming into the final stretch first setting up O’Grady and then Cooper for points. Cork were going for route one football into the danger man Sean McCarthy, but Kerry started getting on top in their own full back line forcing turnovers on the big man.

 

Coming into the final stretch, Cork were chasing the game. Lynch scored a great point from his left foot under pressure. Cork will be disappointed with some wayward kicking in front of the posts in the final quarter.  

 

Kerry were 4 up into injury time when a high ball into the square broke kindly for the Cork sub who finished low into the bottom corner to leave just a point between the sides. Kerry got the kickout out and were patient with the ball as they moved it up the field kicking what they hoped was their insurance point.

In a grandstand finish, Cork moved the ball quickly up the field and Feidhelm Joyce received the ball on the Kerry 13 meter line. Joyce turned and shot, striking the inside of the Kerry post which then bounced off Kerry keeper and out of play. The referee blew the full time whistle and Kerry are the Boston Intermediate Champions of 2024.

Please see link below to anyone who would like to watch the game back:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJP_dNSCitM&t=1s

 

Finally, a huge thank you to our commentators; John Moylan, Greg Lundy and Eoin Casey for volunteering their time and adding to the entertainment in both games. Thanks lads.

 

Kerry Boston:

Padraig Doyle, Deividas Uosis, Paul Ring, Mike Godley, John Cooper (0-1), Gary Vaughan (0-1), George Kealy, Niall O’Connor, Sean Guiden (0-3), Finbarr Murphy (0-1), Connor Stark (0-1), Ryan O’Grady (2-4), Liam Doherty

 

Cork Boston:

Kieran McEnery, Mark Dalton, Ronan Hurley, Paddy O’Driscoll, Joe Boyle, Fearghal Rooney, Jack Lynch (0-2), Sean O’Rioirdain (0-3), Shawn Sullivan, Feidhelm Joyce (0-1), Eoin Walsh (1-2), Hugh McDonald (0-1), Sean McCarthy (0-3)

 

Man of the Match: Gary Vaughan

 

Referee: Diarmuid Boylan

6/16/2024 - Intermediate Championship – Aidan McAnespies vs Cork Boston

 

By Neil McEnaney

Full Time Score:

Aidan McAnespies: 0-16

Cork: 1-16

 

Cork and Aidan McAnespies both came into this game after winning their first round in previous weeks against Shannon Blues and Connemara Gaels respectively. Cork took the lead early and were able to keep the Macs at arms length for the game.

 

With just 2minutes on the clock, Sean McCarthy got the better of his man before he was pulled to the ground by Peter O’Flaherty. The referee judged it to be deliberate as he was through on goal and issued the Macs man an early black card. Eoin Walsh opened the scoring for Cork with the resulting free.

 

With the man down, McAnespies wisely chose to sit in and play defensively and attack Cork on the break. It nearly worked to perfection with Tiernan Saul getting a goal chance that was well saved by Kieran McEvoy. Cork created chances, but will feel their shooting and decisions in the scoring zone let them down.

 

By the time the black card time was up, the Macs had kept themselves in touching distance of Cork, only down by 3 points. When the Macs got equal men on the field, they started to chip away at the Cork lead. The long range kicking of Peter O’Connell brought the Macs within a point just before half time.

 

Cork weren’t done though, and a great move left McCarthy one on one with his man who he took on and finished into the net just on the stroke of half time.

 

Half Time Score:

Aidan McAnespies: 0-8

Cork Boston: 1-9

 

McAnespies started the scoring in the second half with O’Flaherty scoring a nice point. O’Flaherty was in trouble with the ref again unfortunately as he stopped a Cork man running off the ball and picked up a second black card to end his day early.

 

Cork continued to be dangerous up front, with Fergal O’Brien, Fiedhlem Joyce and Eoin Walsh in particular causing a lot of problems in the Macs defence. Eoin Gormley was sprung from the bench and his speed and athleticism caused issues for the Corks defence. Cork dropped their spare man in front of him to shut up shop. Macs kept within touching distance but weren’t able to get the vital goal to level it up.

 

Man of the Match: Eoin Walsh

 

Teams and Scorers:

Aidan McAnespies: Jack Lake, Tom McKeon, Aidan O’Malley, Gearoid Stones, Joe Hagan (0-3), Peter O’Flaherty (0-1), Sean McGovern, Stephen Ward (0-2), Jack Lennon (0-1), Peter O’Connell (0-3), Jonathan McGourty, Tiarnan Saul (0-1), Padraig Dillon (0-1)

Subs: Eoin Gormley (0-3)

 

Cork: Kieran McEvoy, Ronan Hurley, Emmet Smith, Paddy O’Driscoll, Sean O’Riordain, Eoghan O’Neill, Shawn Sullivan, Kieran Hurley, Liam O’Driscoll, Feidhelm Joyce (0-4), Eoin Walsh (0-6), Fergal O’Brien (0-4), Sean McCarthy (1-2)

 

Referee: Neil McEnaney

Junior B Football Semi-Final - Cork v Donegal

Cork 0-9 Donegal 1-16

Donegal's Paul McNulty wins a free

Donegal stamped their passport with a date in the Junior A football final with a fairly comfortable win against Cork in Sunday’s semi-final.  The rebels were without the services of a couple of key players, and a recent trip to Ireland for a number of home based payers did not help matters.  From early on it was fairly clear that would only be one winner and though Cork battled in the heat to try and keep it respectable, there was no stopping Donegal on their path to the final.

Corner forward Ruairi Rafferty was first to get on the scoreboard for Donegal and fired over the first 3 points for the northerners.  Center forward Muiris Curtin was next on the board with a free and after Paul McNulty made a foray all the way from corner back to add a fifth, the signs were ominous for the Corkonians.  Donegal were dominating the middle of the field as whether they went long or short with the kick outs, Cork found it hard to get the ball up to their main threats for scores, Tom Keane and Mike Moynihan.  Hugh Devine added another, Neil McEneaney got in on the act and Jack Droney as the flow could not be stemmed by the rebels.  Before the break Moynihan and Culann Barry got Cork on the board and if one thought that some confidence would be restored, it was a case of think again as Donegal netted just before the break though Droney with Rafferty supplying the pass.

Ruairi Rafferty Shoots

The second half played out in the dead heat with each team giving a run to the lads on the line.  Evan Foley and young Home Grown player, John O’Riordan, added some points in the Cork column but at that stage it was a matter of playing out time.  A disappointing end to the season for Cork, and for Donegal it is a final date with Aidan McAnespies next Saturday.

Donegal:  Padraig McLaughlin, Paul McNulty, Mark Canny, Neil McEneaney, Declan McBride, Gavin Reilly, Ronan Gallagher, Hugh Devine, Darren Grant, Muiris Curtin, Liam McCray, Jack Droney, Ruairi Rafferty.  Cork:  Niall O’Doherty, Conor Moynihan, Mike Carolan, Simon Kennedy, Colm Caffrey, Rory Boyle, Seamus Loftus, Culann Barry, Evan Foley, Mike Moynihan, Padraig Smith, Tom Keane, Kieran McEnerney.

By Rory O'Donnell

Junior A Football - Cork v Connemara Gaels

Cork Boston GFC and Connemara Gaels had a very entertaining game in Canton in both teams first outing in the Junior A Championship. The game ebbed and flowed throughout with both teams having dominance in different sectors. Overall Cork Boston just shaded it and were a little more accurate up front but, there was nothing between the teams.

The Victorious Cork Team

At half time Cork Boston led by 9 points to 5. While Connemara Gaels had the better of midfield in the 1st half, Cork Boston’s defense was on top and pressurized the Connemara Gaels forwards in to shooting from distance.  Tom Keane was responsible for most of the Cork scores while Kieran McEnery whipped over a great point off his left.

The second half saw the momentum swing wildly several times. Connemara Gaels dominated the 1st fifteen minutes and clawed their way back to level the game at 12 points apiece, with Mayo's Jack Mahon leading the scoring charge.  Ryan Caffrey was dominating the midfield exchanges and it looked like Gaels were going to make a winning push.

However the Rebels shot back and had 3 quick points in succession to lead by 3 again with the crucial score coming from 18-year-old American born John O’ Riordon, kicking from 40 yards on the right-hand side. In the final stages the Cork rearguard held firm while the Gaels prioritized goals over points and eventually reduced the deficit to 1 when a last-minute goal attempt went over the bar.

Report Courtesy of Sean Kelly

Sat Aug 17 - Intermediate Football Final: Cork v Shannon Blues

Shannon Blues 1-15 Cork 2-17

It took extra time to separate the Blues and Cork in what was the first Intermediate Final played in Boston in 13 seasons.  The Blues had a 2 point lead late in the game and Cork leveled with 2 late frees to force the extra period.  Cork outscored the Blues, 7 points to 5, in the extra 20 minutes to claim their third trophy in as many years having won the junior A championship the last two years. 

Cork Captain, Adam Kenny accepts the Donie Kenneally Cup 

from Kathleen Kenneally.

It was neck and neck between the teams for most of the first half.  After the sides traded points to get things going, the Blues went on a four points to no score flurry.  Playing some lovely passing football the Blues looked like they might start to pull away.  The period was almost capped with what would have been a brilliant goal, however, Ger Comer’s shot went just the far side of the posts.

Cork were back in it after a well taken goal from Nick O’Mullane.  The Cork corner forward gathered the ball expertly and finished with a left footed shot that took the keeper off guard.  O’Mullane followed with a stylish point and just like that the teams were all square.  The Blues’ Paddy O’Connor pointed and was followed by Conor Mullen as the passing and movement found the routes through the Cork rearguard.  O’Mullane pointed to make it a 1-4 to 0-8 half time score in favour of the Blues.

Cork soon had regained the lead, a goal right off the throw in had the rebels ahead.  It was a classic move with the ball into O’Mullane quickly dished to the inrushing Tiernan Rushe who finished well.  The Blues answered with a Ger Comer point, however Cork went on a three point tear, 2 of the points very well taken efforts from Jack Lacey and Jack Barrett.  Barrett was all over the place in the Cork forward line making the play, and when the man from Leixlip had the ball in his hand things happened for Cork.  Captain, Adam Kenny calling the shots at center back and snuffed out a number of forays forward from the Blues..

The Blues had a good spell, one in which they might have regretted a couple of missed chances.  Kieran McEnry made a couple of fine saves, first from Conor Mullen and second from Paddy O’Connor.  The Blues also missed a couple of chances of points as the ball drifted wide from scoring positions until Darren Wallace pointed.  The missed opportunities proved to be warning signs for Cork.

Dancin' in the Dark:  Cork won it in extra time on Saturday evening as the light faded.

A goal did come eventually from O’Connor who went low and into the corner from the 14 yard line and the Blues led by one with 8 minutes left.  Maurice Young followed with a point and the Blues were in the driver’s seat with the finish line in view.  The teams traded points before Cork came back and won two 14 yard frees that were converted by O’Mullane to put the game into extra time.

Cork pushed it home in the added 20 minutes.  With the rebels turning the Blues and keeping their opponents hemmed inside their own half for long stretches, points went over from O’Mullane, A Barrett free, Jack Lacey and another free from O’Mullane.  The Blues managed two points in the first 10 minutes, but were held scoreless in the final 10 minutes as players had to either hobble off the field, or get on field treatment as muscles cramped up. Barret, Frank Dillon and Darragh Murphy capped off the win as the darkness fell and the mosquitos came out.  It was a great win for Cork and a great advertisement for Intermediate football in its first year back to Boston.

Blues:  Mike Moriarty, Eamonn Kilgallon, Derek O’Brien, Darren O’Donovan, Tom Hannon, Conor Mullen, Pat Murray, Maurice Young, Joe McHugh, Paddy O’Connor, Conor Fitzgerald, Darren Wallace, Ger Comer.

Cork:  Kieran McEnry, Mike Carolan, Frank Dillon, Jack Lacey, Adam Kenny, Emmet Smith, Jack Lynch, Mark Dalton, Jack Barret, Darragh Murphy, Tiernan Rushe, Conor Greene, Nick O’Mullane.

By Rory O'Donnell

Sun Jul 28 - Junior A Football: Connemara Gaels v Wolfe Tones

Wolfetones went in to today's matchup looking for a victory to keep their Championship ambitions alive. The Gaels on the other hand were on the other side of the coin, looking for a win to gather a victory to end their season with.

There was a slow start to the game, with a number of wides from both sides. Cormac Joyce Power for the Wolfetones broke the deadlock in the 6th minute, scoring a free off the ground. The Gaels would get a point of their own off Tom McDonnell, and a great save by Eoin Connolly of Naomh Anna Leitir Mor, kept them in the game as he deflected a 1 on 1 shot over the bar. Connolly would made another great save against Lambe once again , as he got low to block the shot out for a 45. Joyce stood to take the free, and sent it over the post to extend their lead. This would be a continuing theme in the match as the Gaels keeper would save two more shots in the half. While they weren’t having much luck in terms of goals, they were racking up the points, and setting the tone for the match. The Gaels would keep their hopes alive though as full back Chris Lafferty scored a goal after a good run and flow of play. By the Tones would be in the lead at half time 0-9 to 1-2

At the start of the 2nd half, The Tones started strong with a good goal off rebound from Kevin O’Brien to finally beat Connolly. Dean Cahill would respond with a beautiful point to try and keep their chances alive. An unfortunate own goal would add to their difficulties, as a Gaels defender tried to clear the fisted ball from the line, palmed it into the side of the net. The Gaels would have a number of wides as they tried to crawl back into contention. The Gaels would get 2 quick goals from Dean Cahill, who made a great run and powered it past the keeper, and Paddy McGee. The Tones would retaliate with goals of their own as Shane O’Brien would score two goals, one kicked in off a Connolly save, to seal the victory for the Tones with a scoreline of 4-15 to 4-6.

With this loss, the Gaels would end their Junior A season without a victory, while the Tones will go on to a matchup against McAnespies to try and salvage a spot in the finals

Wolftones : Patrick Gallagher, Keith Gill, Oisin McCormac, Steven Sullivan, Patrick Collins, Kevin O’Brien, Ian Whelan, Barry McShea, Shane O’Brien, Cormac Joyce Power, Marty Farrell, Dan McCabe, Ryan Lambe

Connemara Gaels : Eoin Connolly, Chris Lafferty, Mike Coyne, Kevin Walsh, Pat Mcnicholas, Colman Conroy, Sal D’Amico, Dean Cahill, Donal Reaney, Tom McDonnell, Paddy McGee, John Cromry, Kieran Lowe

Written By: Evan McDonagh

Portland vs Cork - Junior B Championship (July 28th)

Cork travelled up to Portland to face each other in their last game of the season. Both teams were on different sides of the spectrum with one looking to lock their place in the semi-finals in place, while the other was looking to build further on their brave entry into a competitive division as amateurs to the game. 

Portland played with heart and conviction, and compared to their first game, where they managed 1-1, showed vast signs of improvement in terms of field play and accuracy as they scored 1-6 in this match. Experience would be in Corks favor however, and they would go on to win the match.

Portland will have learned a lot from being thrown in the deep end, and for sure, they will be developing in the fall and spring to come into next year’s championship with new vigor.

Written By: Evan McDonagh

Sat Jul 27 - Inter Football: Cork v Christopher's

In another meeting between these two teams, Cork and Christophers faced off in the Cultural Center in Canton, MA on a fine July evening. In a match of high importance, Cork were looking to gain retribution for their loss against the same team in their previous meeting to seal their place in the Intermediate Football Final, while Christophers were looking to turn their fate around after a slow start to the season, and keep their championship hopes alive.

Christophers would start the scoring with a point from Aengus Carmady. But it would be Tiernan Rushe who would make an impact by scoring 4 unanswered points in response. Christophers would make multiple attempts to break into the Cork defence, however, they stood strong and blocked most of Christopher’s attempts at scoring, including a well blocked set play, and a stopped goal chance from shot stopper Kieran McAenery. Christophers broke their scoring deadlock in the 15th minute with a point from Fionnan O’Shea and would go on to score a few more alongside the Cork scores to finish the half Cork 0-9 Christopher’s 0-4

Cork would score the 2nd half as they started, with Ballyholland and Down u21 player Tiernan Rushe once again running riot and scoring points, and assisting with a goal, as he ran the ball from the wing, and passed the ball across the square to Darragh Murphy who fisted the ball in the back of the net. Christopher’s got a chance to attempt a comeback as they got a penalty. However the chance was kicked wide and Cork would run away with the game, as a number of points from Rushe and a well worked goal as he turned his man in the square to add to his 1-10 tally. Christophers would get a consolation goal from Ian O’Callaghan, but it would be Cork who would be victorious with a score of 2-17 to 1-7.

With this victory, Cork have sealed their place in the Intermediate Football Championship final, where they will face the Shannon Blues. They will also face them in the final league game of the Championship on August 10th in what now will be a preview of the final,

Cork : Kiaran McAEnery, Frank Dillon, Paddy Clark, Jack Lacey, Adam Kenny, Emmett Smith, Mark Dalton, Jack Lucy, Jack Barrett, Darragh Murphy, Nick Mullane, Tiernan Rushe, Conor Greene

Christopher’s : Mark Molloy, Corey Buckley, Martin Coppiger, Denis Dempsey, James Higgins, Aengus Carmachy, Ian O’Callaghan, James Kergar, Jerry Kenneally, Mark Delaney, Kenneth O’Reilly, Fionnan O’Shea, Dan Kenneally

Written By: Evan McDonagh

Sun June 14 - Inter Football: Christopher's v Cork

Christopher’s 2-12 Cork 1-8

Having come up empty in their first two games, Christopher’s scored an impressive win against Cork Sunday afternoon.  Christopher’s enjoyed more or less total dominance in the first half, and in the second did enough to hold a resurgent Cork effort at bay.  Fionnan O’Shea at corner forward did well in the first, and tallied a goal and 3 points while in the second James Horgan kicked a couple of wonderful points when Christopher’s needed a measure of relief from the Cork pressure as the rebels tried to close the gap.

Fionnan O'Shea finds his spot with a first half goal for Christopher's.

Christopher’s dominated the first half and had a stranglehold on Cork for the 30 minutes.  The sides were level early on with a point each, but for the remainder of the half it was Christopher’s in total charge.  The midfield of Ian O’Callaghan and James Horgan helped keep the flow of play headed towards the Cork goal, while the defence were ready for any attack that Cork mounted and did well to intercept threatening moves.

Mike Carolan beats O'Shea to this ball.

After Fionnan O’Shea put Christopher’s into a one point lead, Dan Kenneally finished a well worked move to slot the ball under the keeper and into the net.  More points came from the corner forwards, O’Shea and Ken O’Reilly, before goal number two was delivered from O’Shea.  Christopher’s showed patience in working the ball into a scoring position and O’Shea hit the far corner from inside the 21.  The difference might have been greater if not for some wayward shooting by Christopher’s, but they had the comfort of a healthy lead and could afford it.  At the half it was a 2-5 to 0-1 advantage for Christopher’s.

Cork lifted their game immediately after the restart.  Tiernan Rushe entered the fray at corner forward and was impactful.  The County Down native had two points on the board for the rebels within 5 minutes, and Nick Mullane a third.  The second half was a mirror image of the first with Cork enjoying the lion’s share of possession and now we wondered would Christopher’s rue those missed first half chances.  Christopher’s, however, were able to keep the points column ticking over to maintain some distance between the sides and slow to Cork comeback.

Rushe added another fine score for Cork, and a goal eventually come from Darragh Murphy to take a big bite out of the Christopher’s lead.  Christopher’s needed something to reestablish themselves at this stage, and James Horgan put two massive points over with the left foot to rouse his side.  Cork kept up the pressure however, and almost had another goal but Mark Molloy did well to parry a Murphy pile driver over the bar.  With the clock running out on Cork Tom Kinsley and Ian O’Callaghan put the finishing touches on a very well deserved first win for Christopher’s in the intermediate championship. 

Christopher’s: Mark Molloy, Gerry Bannon, Martin Coppinger, James Higgins, Shane Power, Tom Kinsely, Ian O’Callaghan, James Horgan, Paudie Kenneally, Mark Delaney, Jerry Kenneally, Ken O’Reilly, Fionnan O’Shea.

Cork: Kieran McEnrey, Mike Carolan, Paddy Clarke, Frank Dillon, Mark Dalton, Jack Lacey, Jack Lynch, William Finnegan, Emmet Smith, Darragh Murphy, Nick Mullane, Ian Caffrey, Jack Barrett.

By Rory O'Donnell

Sun Jul 7 - Inter Football: Cork v Shannon Blues

Following a close matchup earlier in the day which resulted in a draw between the sides in the Junior B competition, the sides met once again, this time in the Intermediate Championship, where both Cork and the Shannon Blues, who had met earlier in the Intermediate championship where the Blues were victorious,  were looking to continue their winning ways after victories in their previous matches (Both over the Christophers)

Mark Dalton for Cork

(Rachel O'Driscoll)

Cork started the game strong, with a quick point from Full Forward Jack Barrett. Quickly after that, Barrett was brought down in the box with a sliding tackle from Full Back Derek O’Brien, who received a Yellow card for his foul, and conceded a penalty for the infraction. However, The Blues had a bit of luck as the Penalty was missed and went wide. Cork continued to add to their tally with points from Jack Lacey and a free from Barrett. The Blues looked to be on the back foot until a break in play and a well taken shot gave them a reprieve as Tom Hannon scored a goal to bring the game level 0-3 to 1-0. As the half continued, there was a number of wides for both sides who had numerous shots go wide of the posts. It seemed that the day would be full of missed opportunities, until Cork made a breakthrough and Barrett scored a goal to extend Cork’s lead by 5 points. The Blues with a good flow of play worked toward chipping away at the lead with a point, but a great block from Center Back Mark Dalton broke the play. A following free from Barrett and a point for the Blues from Paddy O’Connor ended the half with a score of 1-7 to 1-2.

The Shannon Blues started the second half with a point from Wing Forward Paddy O’Connor as they began to attempt to chip away at the Cork lead. However, the following play lead to Cork extending their lead with a 2nd goal for Full Forward Jack Barrett who slotted the ball low into the corner after a great pass setup Barrett 1 v 1 with the Blues Goalkeeper who made a good attempt to stop the shot. As the 2nd half went on, both teams went point for point as Paddy O’Connor for the Blues tried to shorten the gap, and Darragh Murphy for Cork would counter to keep the gap in place. It looked to be a white wash day for the Blues until a good flow of play pressured the Cork defence in the Box, and the pressure benefited the Blues as a Cork defender attempted to stop a surefire goal by intercepting a pass, he was unfortunate though to mis-handle the ball, leading to an own goal in the Blues favor. This brought the game within 3 and what seemed to be a surefire win for Cork was slowly turning into a battle against the Shannon Blues. 

Jack Lacey tracked by Adam Kenny

(Rachel O'Driscoll)

A number of frees from both teams kept the game flowing, with Barrett for Cork adding to his growing tally, as did O’Connor for the Blues. Cork was looking to be uncatchable despite the Blues best effort. However, a foul by Corolan on Joe McHugh in the Box lead to the Blues to be granted a penalty opportunity. Paddy O’Connor would step up to take the penalty at the same goal as Cork had their chance in the 1st half, and same as the 1st half attempt, the penalty would go wide, keeping the gap within 3 points. The Blues would follow up with a point from O’Connor, and a great block from Shane Kelly from the Blues would keep the score at 2 as they continued on to attempt to steer the game into a victory for the Blues. However, Cork would be the eventual victors of this battle with a final score of 2-13 to 2-9.

Both teams are in strong contention to make it to the finals of the Intermediate finals. Cork will continue their push with a game vs Christophers next Sunday July 14th @ 1pm, while the Shannon Blues will have to wait until August 4th for their next matchup in the Intermediate Championship.

Cork: Kieran McEnery, Mike Conlon, Frank Dillon, Jack Lacey, Mark Dalton, Emmet Smyth, Jack Lynch, William Finnegan, Nick Mallone, Darragh Murphy, Adam Kenny, Jack Barrett, Ian Caggney

Shannon Blues: Michael Moriarty, Shane Kelly, Derek O’Brien, Darren O’Donovan, Tom Hannon, Eamon Kilgannon, Pat Murray, Maurice Young, Kyle Higgins, Paddy O’Connor, Michael Moylan, Darren Wallace, Joe McHugh

Written By: Evan McDonagh

Sun June 23 - Intermediate Football: Cork v Christopher's

Cork 0- 17 Christopher’s 1-8

Cork delivered a defeat to Christopher’s in their second Intermediate championship game and never looked in danger.  Christopher’s did look at times capable of causing problems for Cork, but never realized that promise.  Cork’s forward line looked very strong, and their defence were able to deal with most of what Christopher’s threw at them for the 60 minutes.  There were no goals from Cork, and with the lead as it was, there was no real need to try such was the lead in the points column.  Each additional point was another demoralizing blow to their opponents, and a win for Cork gets them off the mark in their challenge for the newly reformed Intermediate Championship.

William Finnegan launches another shot.

Cork opened a sizeable lead in the first half with scores coming from all angles and quarters.  Driven by Mayo man, Darragh Murphy, the Cork forwards were hard to stop and played some nice football to put nine over the bar before Christopher’s got off the mark.  Corner forwards Ian Caffrey and Mark Dalton had seven between them, with the balance coming from Murphy and William Finnegan.  Despite the best efforts from Mark Coppinger and his cohorts manning the Christopher’s defences, Cork were not for stopping.

Christopher’s eventually got on the scoreboard with a point from Bryan Herlihey.  The busy corner forward tried to work off the presence of Dan Kenneally playing in the edge of the box, but Paddy Clarke did a great job keeping the ball out of the Christopher’s veteran’s hands.  Christopher’s managed some good spells of play coming into the latter stages of the half, and were rewarded with points from Ken O’Reilly and Herlihey, but at the break it was a 0-12 to 0-3 Cork advantage and a big turnaround would be required for Christopher’s to have a chance of getting something from the game.

Paudie Kenneally with a burst forward.

Christopher’s tried to change it up a bit in the second half with Herlihey playing farther out the field, but with Patrick Bohane doing Trojan work in the Cork half back line it was difficult to find the openings.  Jerry Kenneally and Mark Delaney pointed for Christopher’s, but the rebels were still hard at work in the forwards, with Dalton, Mick Malone and Murphy converting points.  Mark Delaney converted a couple of very well taken frees before Christopher’s hit with a goal from Ken O’Reilly.  Unfortunately for Christopher’s the game had gotten away by that stage, and Cork continued to chip away with some additional points to end up 6 point victors.

Cork:  Kieran McEnery, Frank Dillon, Paddy Clarke, Jack Lacey, Adam Kenny, Patrick Bohane, Emmet Smith, William Finnegan, Mick Malone, Darragh Murphy, Nick O’Mullane, Mark Dalton, Ian Caffrey.

Christopher’s:  Conor Allen, Martin Coppinger, Gerry Bannon, Gareth Barr, Shane Power, Aengus Carmody, James Horgan, Patrick Kenneally, Kenneth O’Reilly, Mark Delaney, Jerry Kenneally, Dan Kenneally, Bryan Herlihey.

By Rory O'Donnell

Sun June 9 - Intermediate Football: Shannon Blues v Cork

Shannon Blues 1-10  Cork 0-9

The first intermediate championship match in over 10 years saw Shannon Blues earn a good win against a Cork team that blew hot and cold.  The Blues held a commanding half time lead only to see it shrink to a two points with 15 minutes to go.  Cork could not sustain the momentum and the Blues finished well to run out 4 point winners.

Darren Wallace on the ball for the Blues.

Shannon Blues got off to a better start with a tally of a goal and four before Cork got one over the bar.  The rebels had a handful of wides, and Conor Greene pointed with 20 minutes gone.  It was mostly Blues to that point, Maurice Young opened the account with a point from play followed by one from a free.  After Ger Comer pointed the goal came from a good run through by center forward, Darren Wallace, who played a give and go with Mike Moylan before palming the ball into the empty net.

Cork came into it a bit more on the balance of play and were rewarded with a well taken point from wing forward, Nick Mullane.  Cork found it hard to get through the Blues rearguard in spite of enjoying more possession.  At the break the Blues held a 1-6 to 0-2 lead.

The second half saw Cork open very brightly.  Ian Caffrey was introduced to the fray and the young Kildare man made an impact right from the restart with 2 points.  Caffrey was followed by Greene and William Finnegan and there was just a goal in it with less than 10 minutes of the second half passed.  It could have been level had it not been for a good save from Mike Moriarty from Nick Mullane.

Pat Murray and Stephen Lambert under the high ball.

Cork managed to reduce the lead to 2 points after Finnegan pointed another free and Denis Harrington almost netted but his fisted effort came off the post and dribbled across the face of the goalmouth.  The Blues took it as a wake-up call and started to work the ball again.  Playing into the end away from the clubhouse, the Blues tallied 3 points to one for Cork to put four points between the teams.  Conor Fitzgerald pointed after 15 minutes, and was followed by Joe McHugh and Maurice Young.

Cork’s shooting started to let them down.  In spite of making some good scoring chances, a couple of wides and shots falling short meant that the rebels could not rein in their opponents.  Tom Hannon made it a 5 point Blues lead coming up to full time and more or less secured the points. 

Cork:  Kieran McEnry, Mike Carolan, Paddy Clarke, Conor Moynihan, Stephen Lambert, Patrick Bohane, William Finnegan, Adam Kenny, Mick Malone, Conor Greene, Nick Mullane, Dennis Harrington, Mark Dalton.

Blues:  Michael Moriarty, Shane Kelly, Derek O’Brien, Darren O’Donovan, Tom Hannon, Conor Mullen, Pat Murray, Maurice Young, Conor Fitzgerald, Darren Wallace, Joe McHhgh, Michael Moylan, Ger Comer.

By Rory O'Donnell