Luke Connolly's goals fire Nemo Rangers to back-to-back Cork senior football titles
Luke Connolly of Nemo Rangers celebrates after scoring his second and his side's third goal at Páirc Uà Chaoimh. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
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A pair of second-half goals from Luke Connolly propelled Nemo Rangers to back-to-back Cork senior football titles for the first time since 2008.
With this group of Nemo footballers having won county titles in 2015, '17, and '19, today’s victory and their successful defence of the Andy Scannell Cup some 22 months after their most recent final win cements their status as among the club's more successful teams when it comes to the accrual of county championship silverware.
Connolly’s two goals were timely scores in pinning back Castlehaven, the Cork forward repeating his 2019 county final feat of twice finding the opposition net.
His first arrived eight minutes into the second half, at a time when Castlehaven had come within the minimum of their opponents.
Ronan Dalton, Jack Horgan, and Paul Kerrigan were involved in the build-up, with Connolly on hand to deliver the finish to leave the scoreboard reading 2-5 to 0-9.
Michael Hurley and Conor O’Driscoll answered with a point apiece to halve the deficit but again Connolly stepped forward.
Once more put through by Kerrigan, the half-forward held his nerve to beat Anthony Seymour right on the call for the second water break.
Ahead by 3-5 to 0-9, the city men were not for catching in the final quarter.
Castlehaven efforts were time and again frustrated by a succession of wides, the beaten finalists tallying nine second-half wides and 12 in total. Indeed, in the first 12 minutes of the second half, when very much on top, the Haven’s superiority was not reflected on the scoreboard as they kicked five wides during this period.
Sub Barry O’Driscoll’s 54th-minute point was Nemo’s first second-half score outside of Connolly’s goals, the Nemo bench contributing 1-2 overall.
This afternoon’s three-point win delivers Nemo a 22nd county title, but it will be the quickest of turnarounds for the champions as they begin their defence next Saturday against Valley Rovers.
Nemo had led 1-5 to 0-6 at the break, their interval advantage rooted in an opening 10-minute burst at the end of which they held a 1-4 to 0-1 lead.
To be fair to Castlehaven, who were in all sorts of bother during the opening quarter, they eventually settled and gradually went about eating into their opponents’ lead.
A pair of Brian Hurley frees had them back within four - 1-4 to 0-3 - at the first water break and even though brothers Brian and Michael Hurley subsequently kicked back-to-back wides, Castlehaven were undeterred in continuing to grow into this delayed final.
Brian Hurley landed their first point from play on 20 minutes and while the lively Ronan Dalton kicked Nemo’s first point in 12 minutes to temporarily halt the Haven’s momentum, the men from West Cork - temporarily reduced to 14 men as a result of David McCarthy’s 23rd-minute black card - finished out the half with a brace from Michael Hurley and Conor O’Driscoll.
The former represented Hurley’s first score of the half, a tally that could and should have been greater were it not for a couple of episodes of poor decision-making from the Cork senior who seemed fairly determined to mine green flags when the more sensible option was to put the ball between the posts and have the umpire reaching for white.
Castlehaven’s dominance at the end of the first half was oceans apart from the game’s beginning, Nemo roaring into proceedings.
The defending champions had an unanswered 1-2 on the board inside eight minutes, Paul Kerrigan’s brace of points followed by a goal from Ciaran Dalton who was an early introduction for the injured Mark Cronin.
The gap was extended to six in the 10th minute and while Castlehaven reduced the deficit to the minimum early in the second half, they were unable to get back on level terms at any point across the hour.
Luke Connolly’s pair of second-half green flags. Castlehaven had narrowed the deficit to the minimum when his first arrived on 38 minutes, while his second, eight minutes later, left the Haven chasing a five-point deficit in the final quarter.
Nemo managing just two scores between the 22nd minute of the first half and the 54th minute of the second half. And yet they still succeeded in coming out on top, again underlining just how absolutely crucial Connolly’s two third-quarter goals were.
Back-to-back county titles and a fourth Andy Scannell Cup in six seasons for this Nemo group. The club’s first back-to-back since 2008 pushes them out to 22 on the Cork senior football roll of honour.
For all the quality in the Castlehaven attack, they were unable to create a single meaningful goal chance.
The ultra-consistent Paul Kerrigan takes the nod. The 34-year-old stitched together so many attacks and provided the final pass for both of Luke Connolly’s second-half goals. Also busy and effective was centre-forward Ronan Dalton and midfielder Alan O’Donovan. The aforementioned Connolly was quiet overall and yet his two moments of brilliance ultimately decided this contest.
Castlehaven used midfielder Mark Collins in a deep and holding role, with the Cork senior regularly seen manning the D as Nemo pressed forward. Might the Haven have benefited from his presence higher up the field?
Nemo Rangers lost corner-forward Mark Cronin to a fourth-minute injury, a significant loss when you consider the Cork senior had kicked 2-12 in Nemo’s run to the final.
Conor Lane showed two black cards on either side. Castlehaven players and supporters were annoyed that advantage wasn’t played early in the second-half when Damien Cahalane sent Michael Hurley through on goal. The referee didn’t allow the play to develop, calling instead for a Castlehaven free for an off-the-ball incident.
Both teams commence their 2021 championship campaigns this Saturday. Nemo’s three-in-a-row bid begins against Valley Rovers in Ballygarvan (5pm), while Castlehaven are in action against Newcestown at Clonakilty (4pm).
L Connolly (2-0); C Dalton (1-0); P Kerrigan, R Dalton (0-2 each); A O’Donovan, B O’Driscoll, J McDermott (0-1 each).
B Hurley (0-8, 0-6 frees); M Hurley (0-3), C O'Driscoll (0-2).Â
MA Martin; K Histon, K O’Donovan, B Murphy; A Cronin, S Cronin, J Horgan; A O’Donovan, B Cripps; C O’Brien, R Dalton, L Connolly; M Cronin, P Kerrigam, C Horgan.
C Dalton for M Cronin (4, inj); J McDermott for Cripps, B O’Driscoll for C Horgan (both 57); A O’Reilly for Dalton (58); K Fulignati for A O’Donovan (59).
A Seymour; R Walsh, J O’Regan, R Maguire; D Cahalane, D McCarthy, R Whelton; J Walsh, M Collins; C Cahalane, C O’Driscoll, C Maguire; B Hurley, J Cahalane, M Hurley.
D Whelton for Walsh (44); S Nolan for O’Driscoll (53); K O’Donovan for Maguire, C O’Sullivan for Whelton (both 58).
C Lane.
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