Historic first for bold and brave Ballincollig

Ballincollig 1-13 Carbery Rangers 1-10

Being an accountant, Michael O’Brien didn’t need anyone around him to crunch the numbers. Six points to no score down after 10 minutes, 0-9 to 0-2 behind after 21, Ballincollig’s manager knew his side looked no nearer to being Cork football champions than they were for the previous 128 years.

What followed in yesterday’s Cork SFC final was a remarkable transformation, one that will be celebrated in Ballincollig for a long time to come.