Four-goal Rockies retain crown
It was an inspired city team that turned in an emphatic second 30 minutes producing four wonderful goals that simply Mallow had no answer to.
To be fair to the North Cork side, they were not a lesser team by five goals but a devastating 10-minute spell around the three-quarter mark that yielded three goals was the defining period.
Mallow, wind assisted, led at the break 0-12 to 0-10 with Aaron Sheehan and Pa Herlihy in particular in rich form. However, once man-of-the-match Joe Logue got a grip and fired home his first goal on 47 minutes, Blackrock stepped up the intensity. Midfielder Stephen Murphy was provider for the second goal which was finished by sub Alan Nolan.
Logue struck again a few minutes later and suddenly Blackrock had raced 3-13 to 0-13 clear.
Deep in added time now and with a firm grip on the Kevin McGrath Cup, Nolan added another stunning goal.
Meanwhile, Mallow, who had shown much promise early on, couldn’t get any momentum going, and were restricted to three second-half points.
Scorers for Blackrock: A Nolan 2-2, J Logue 2-0, S Murphy 0-5 (0-3 frees, 0-1 65m), R Dineen and C Crowe 0-3 each, I O’Keeffe and D King (frees) 0-2 each, A O’Callaghan 0-1.
Scorers for Mallow: A Sheehan 0-6 (0-4 frees), P Herlihy 0-4, S Hayes 0-3 (0-1 free), R Harkin 0-2.
BLACKROCK: G Connolly; P Redmond, A Murphy, E McCarthy; J Ryan, A O’Callaghan, N Cashman; S Murphy, D Meaney; R Dineen, I O’Keeffe, C Cormack; C Crowe, J Logue, D King.
Subs: A Nolan for D King (40), F De Faoite for I O’Keeffe (51).
MALLOW: Pádraig Buckley; A Luttrell, D Sheehan, J O’Hanlon; P Healy, K O’Connor, R Mills; J Murphy, Podge Buckley; A Sheehan, R Harkin, P Herlihy; D Sheehan, S Hayes, S Walmsley.
Subs: M O’Rourke for D Sheehan (52), J Cosgrave for R Mills (54 inj).
Referee: G O’Connell (Lisgoold).
