Cian Dorgan and Darren Murphy kick Ballincollig to victory over Clonakilty
The picture in Group A of the Cork Premier SFC is a little clearer, St Finbarr’s and Ballincollig - the latter getting their campaign back on track here with an impressive 10-point win - very much in the driving seat for the two knockout places on offer.
More so than the two points bagged on Sunday, it is the margin of victory that puts Ballincollig in pole position to take the second knockout berth ahead of Clon.
Both teams boast one win each, but Ballincollig’s score difference of +4 is a drop healthier than Clonakilty’s -3. Consider also who both must meet in the final round of group games at the beginning of next month; Ballincollig play winless Carrigaline, whereas the task facing Clon is to inflict a first championship defeat on St Finbarr’s.
No-one is writing the West Cork men out of the equation in terms of the knockout places, but they will need plenty to fall in their favour to squeeze out either the Barr’s or Ballincollig.
They were never closer than three points at Enniskeane, a stat which gives strong indication of how Ballincollig controlled proceedings.
That three-point gap was arrived at for the second time three minutes into the second half, Sean McEvoy fisting over for 0-10 to 0-7. They would not score, however, for another 10 minutes, during which Ballincollig registered 1-5 without reply.
The goal was a Cian Dorgan penalty after centre-forward Luke Fahy was upended by Maurice Shanley. As for the five unanswered points which followed, the first four were kicked by corner-forward Darren Murphy. Add in his first-half pair and he comfortably finished as the game’s top scorer from play with 0-6 beside his name.
This burst propelled Ballincollig 1-15 to 0-7 into the distance, but a glimmer of hope presented itself to Clon when former Cork footballer Noel Galvin was booked for a second time on 45 minutes. Dara O’Se converted the resulting penalty, followed thereafter by a brace from the same player. All of a sudden, we had a five-point ball game - 1-15 to 1-10 - with four minutes of regulation time remaining and the six of stoppages that were to be added.
But no further inroads could Clon make into the Ballincollig lead. Indeed, they would not raise another flag of any description. Instead, we had a crucial score difference swing as Ballincollig took their opponents for 1-2 on the break during injury-time to turn a five-point advantage into a double-digit victory.
Cian Kiely and Cian Dorgan both split the posts, with the latter’s namesake, Dara, finishing to the net a breakaway move to put the gloss on a fine Ballincollig win. This late sprinkling of scores could well prove decisive when the numbers are being totted up after the final round of games.
Having come up short to the Barrs first time out, Ballincollig simply had to get a win here. Their defence, which is packed full of experienced heads, limited Clon’s starting six forwards to just four points from play. And while, physically, Ballincollig are a touch light up-front, the pace and movement of the forward unit more than compensated for that here.
The same as with their smart opening to the second period, Ballincollig were quick off the blocks in the first. They could do no wrong for the opening 11 minutes and led by 0-7 to 0-1 at the water break. The inside pair of Cian Dorgan and Murphy were on song, accounting for all but one of their opening seven white flags.
Clon did have the edge following the water break, Colm Ahern’s charges, who sorely miss cruciate victim Liam O’Donovan, outscoring their opponents by 0-5 to 0-3 between there and half-time to leave the interval scoreline reading 0-10 to 0-6. The gap should have been closer but for a couple of poor, poor wides.
This period of Clon productivity was in marked contrast to their early struggles, the West Cork men not putting together their first attack until the eighth minute and not finding the target until the 15th minute.
Overall, they’ll be disappointed with what they tabled. Theirs is an unenviable task next time out.
: C Dorgan (1-7, 5 frees, 1-0 pen); D Murphy (0-6); D Dorgan (1-0); K Browne (0-2); S Kiely, C Kiely (0-1 each).
D O’Se (1-6, 4 frees, 1-0 pen); J Grimes, S McEvoy, S White, D O’Regan (0-1 each).
: J Gibbons; N Galvin, L Jennings, JP Murphy; S Murphy, C Moore, C Kiely; S Kiely, C O’Sullivan; K Browne, L Fahy, E Cooke; P Kelly, C Dorgan, D Murphy.
: P O’Neill for Fahy (34 mins, inj); K Coleman for Browne (49); C O’Connell for Coleman (52, inj); D Dorgan for Cooke (53, inj).
: M White; E Deasy, D Lowney, M Shanley; D Murphy, T Clancy, C O’Donoghue; J Grimes, M Scally; R Mannix, S McEvoy, B White; S White, D O’Se, B Ridgeway.
: J O’Mahony for O’Donoghue (17 mins); G Barry for Deasy (26); D O’Regan for B White, S Nagle for Mannix (both HT); B White for D Murphy (66, inj).
: J Ryan (Macroom).
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