'Hungry' Michael’s focused on ending final hoodoo

The southside club are back in the Cork SAFC decider after an impressive win over Skibb. 

INTENSITY: Elliot Connolly of O'Donovan Rossa tries to evade St Michael's Tom Lenihan.

St Michael’s 2-21 

O’Donovan Rossa 2-11 

Given that semi-finals have never been their problem, you would think St Michael’s no longer feel compelled to make penultimate-round statements.

Evidently not going on Saturday’s second half, a half where they were as steely as they were sublime.

But before we sketch out their second-half scoring exhibition and the post-match musings of manager Dave Egan, it is necessary to mention Michaels’ troubled history in the second tier of Cork football.

Saturday’s semi-final win secured the southside city club a second successive Senior A final appearance. Prior to the 2020 county championship restructure, the second tier in Cork was known as Premier Intermediate. Michael’s contested its final in 2012, 15, 17, 18, and 19. On each occasion they came up short, as they did again last year.

The October Bank Holiday weekend decider against Knocknagree will be their sixth in eight years and seventh in 11 years.

Two members of Saturday’s team - midfielder Andrew Murphy and roving inside forward Eric Hegarty - started the 2012 defeat to St Vincent’s. Three more - Alan O’Callaghan, Daniel Meaney, and Keith Hegarty - had arrived onto the starting team for the 2015 loss to Carrigaline. You surely get where we are going with this; it’s now a case of who among them hasn’t tasted county final defeat.

So, do Michael’s refuse to look in the rearview mirror over the next four weeks and block out their troubled past?

PERSEPCTIVE: Charlie Crowley consoles his dad Paudie Crowley, O'Donovan Rossa, after the game.

“Can we harness something [from those defeats], I believe we can. I believe there are lessons to be learned. Success leaves clues, but so does defeats,” manager Dave Egan began.

“We can’t change the past and we can’t control the future, but we can shape what we want to do in a final, and that’s what we’ll be doing for the next couple of weeks.” The collective want for final day success, Egan added, is undeniably strong.

“They are a hungry bunch. There are winners there aplenty. If you look at Robbie Cotter’s medal haul since 2018 or 19, it would blow you over.” With a strongish breeze behind them in the opening period, Michael’s had built an 0-11 to 0-5 lead come first half stoppages. Their entire 0-11 tally was kicked from play, with the inside line of Robbie Cotter, Eric Hegarty, and Adam Hennessy contributing 0-8. By contrast, only one of Skibb’s five white flags had not been a Kevin Davis free.

Then, 10 seconds before the allotted three minutes of injury-time elapsed, Skibb corner-forward Dylan Hourihane booted to the net an off-target Paudie Crowley shot.

A lifebuoy for O’Donovan Rossa, a gut punch for Michael’s.

Turning around with momentum and the elements in their corner, Skibb twice narrowed the deficit to the minimum within six minutes of the restart. Their outstanding opportunity to level matters fell to Rory Byrne shortly after, but his effort landed short.

Michael’s absorbed the let-off, no further opportunities would their opponents be afforded. Between the 38th and 53rd minute, they outgunned O’Donovan Rossa by 2-7 to 0-2. Their point-taking was of the highest quality, with Hennessy and subs Eoin O’Donovan and Luke O’Herlihy kicking top-drawer scores from out the field.

The winners were 0-19 to 1-10 in front when their two goals arrived within the space of 18 seconds on 53 minutes, the excellent Cotter and aforementioned O’Donovan the providers.

Of the 2-21 they kicked, 2-19 came from play, supplied by eight different players.

“If I read the report now of Knocknagree-Clyda and saw that the winners had eight players scoring, I’d be scratching my head going, who do we have to pinpoint here for the next day. That does give a few headaches to the opposition. I am glad it is on my team that we have those options,” Egan remarked.

“Kicking that today, and all that is going on behind us with the U19s in a county final and the juniors in a quarter-final, if we can just keep building on it. All of that, though, is not really worth much if you leave it behind the next day.” 

Scorers for St Michael’s: R Cotter (1-6, 0-2 frees); A Hennessy (0-4); E O’Donovan (1-1); L O’Herlihy, E Hegarty (0-3 each); T Lenihan (0-2); A Murphy, D Meaney (0-1 each).

Scorers for O’Donovan Rossa: K Davis (0-5, 0-4 frees); D Hourihane (1-2); D Shannon (1-1); D Óg Hodnett (0-2); T Hegarty (0-1).

St Michael’s: M Burke; D Corkery, S Keating, P Cunningham; T Lenihan, J Golden, A O’Callaghan; A Murphy, D Meaney; E Hickey, K Hegarty, D Lenihan; A Hennessy, R Cotter, E Hegarty.

Subs: L O’Herlihy for Hickey (6 mins, inj); B Cain for Murphy (33, inj); E O’Donovan for Lenihan (43); L O’Sullivan for K Hegarty (52); M O’Keeffe for O’Herlihy (58).

O’Donovan Rossa: R Price; D O’Donovan, D Daly, B Minihane; M Collins, P Crowley, K Hurley; R Byrne, D Óg Hodnett; N Daly, D Shannon, E Connolly; D Hourihane, K Davis, T Hegarty.

Subs: O Lucey for O’Donovan (HT); B Crowley for Connolly (38); D Hazel for Collins (44); L Connolly for N Daly (51); E O’Connell for Hegarty (56).

Referee: J Ryan.