Cork SFC comment: Old friends are best once more on Leeside

For the fifth time in six years, Cork football’s county final will feature Nemo Rangers and St Finbarr’s — the dominance endures

EYES ON THE PRIZE: Newcestown players Micheál McSweeney and Luke Meade are first to react to a breaking ball ahead of Nemo Rangers players Ciaran McCartan and Kevin O’Donovan. Picture Dan Linehan

Unbroken and unflappable remain Cork football’s big three.

Starved forces from the ladder's lower rungs again marched on and disturbed their doorstep. Newcestown unnerved Nemo right to the last kick of extra-time. Ballincollig wiped out a five-point deficit to draw level with the Barrs on 49 minutes.

Neither, though, could successfully barge through. The big three’s exclusive space stands unencroached. The standard they continue to set remains beyond reach.

For the fourth year in succession and for the fifth time in six years, Cork football's concluding Sunday will be contested by two members from the big three of Castlehaven, Nemo, and St Finbarr’s. You have to go back to Carbery Rangers in 2016 for the last occasion someone from outside this group scribbled their name on the Andy Scannell Cup.

It is a level of sustained and shared ownership not seen on Leeside since the city trio of Glen Rovers, Blackrock, and the Barrs took out a joint-mortgage on the local hurling silverware for nearly all of the '70s.

A new name in the final Sunday pairing would of course be welcome. A shake-up of the established order would of course be healthy and reinvigorating for Cork football.

It is not, though, the responsibility of Nemo and the Barrs to invite guests in and facilitate romance. They are no ambassadors for change. Both have a patch to mind and tradition to uphold. The broader picture does not concern them.

For as frequently as they appear in the business end of the Cork championship conversation, the Barrs, in either code, have floundered on the semi-final doorstep in recent times. Four consecutive last-four defeats.

Yesterday’s sometimes awful, sometimes awesome showing broke that losing sequence. Their second-half awakening set up a repeat of the 2022 decider against Nemo.

The same as three years ago, the Barrs will enter October 26 as favourites. The same as three years ago, they are chasing a first final triumph over their more decorated southside rivals. If the black and green shirt does indeed have a psychological hold on them, it is up to the Blues to disprove such.

“Three years is a long time. Two tough years since, so we are just delighted to get back to a county final,” full-forward Brian Hayes began.

“Three years ago, the dual lads were playing our third county final in 12 months, a second county final with the footballers, and there was a Munster final in that period too. Finals are nothing we are not used to.

“It was hard coming back after losing the hurling semi last week. But when you have lads there who have been champing at the bit for the last two years to get back to a county final, you have to put your body on the line for the club and go again.

“We’ll enjoy tonight as it has been a long few weeks for the dual lads, video and recovery on Monday, and back training on Tuesday. Look, it is great to be in a county final. The camogie girls won theirs as well today. These are great times out the Barrs, so there will be a great buzz when we go back out there. We'll drive it on for the final.” 

All they drove in the opening half of this sleepy second semi-final were wides. From 11 scoring attempts, their interval total of 0-3 consisted exclusively of Steven Sherlock placed-ball efforts. The same player contributed heavily to their interval wides tally of five, while another three fell short.

Ballincollig's compactness didn’t allow space for the Barrs' running game to find rhythm or overlaps. It was slow and inoffensive.

The ability to inject variety into their play was the cornerstone of their second-half transformation.

Corner-back Dylan Quinn, from in front of the South Stand, lasered two long balls in on top of Hayes in the seven minutes after half-time. The first wound up in a converted mark after 'keeper Jack Gibbons saved his goal effort. The second was offloaded to Conor Dennehy for a white flag.

Ballincollig had no such target. As a consequence, there was no willingness to kick long over the top. In their group opener against Nemo and when seeking a levelling orange flag at the death, Podsie O’Mahony’s charges continuously sought to find Cian Dorgan. His injured absence robbed them of their forward lighthouse.

In between Hayes’ manufactured pair was Sherlock’s outrageous two-pointer kicked from somewhere close to Blackrock village. The 35-minute wait for their opener from play and the lead was almost justified.

The equally sublime goal Sherlock planted into the left corner five minutes later again spoke to their variety. The green flag began with Conor Dennehy coming to the edge of his own arc to collect, under pressure, a Darragh Newman restart.

Ballincollig were nowhere near as willing to attempt such high-risk restarts. Jack Gibbons forever went long. Ian Maguire was once again a magnet to the opposition kickout. As he was his own.

After Ballincollig had spoiled and pointed off back-to-back Barrs restarts to level at 1-8 apiece, Maguire broke to Billy Hennessy to ensure no three-in-a-row of lost restarts. No three-in-a-row of lost football semis.

“We got on top of the kickouts in the second half, minded the ball, and when we get our running game going, we’re very hard to stop. That is something we will look to bring forward to two weeks, rather than the slow stuff,” Hayes concluded.

Barrs v Nemo. The familiar still very much excites.

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