Rockchapel open Cork Premier IFC with comprehensive victory over Bandon

The Duhallow side secured an impressive seven point victory in the Clondrohid sunshine on Saturday.

Sun, 30 Jul, 2023 - 15:24

Darragh Leen, Clondrohid

Cork Premier Intermediate Football Championship

Rockchapel 2-13 Bandon 1-9

Rockchapel started their Premier IFC campaign on the right foot on Saturday after comprehensively seeing off Bandon by seven points in the Clondrohid sunshine.

It was a lightning fast start from Duhallow lads with a brilliant team goal in the opening three minutes, a necklace of passes ultimately finishing with Ciaran Curtin, who barrelled through the Bandon rearguard to find the net.

The Rockchapel management will be especially pleased with the complete performance from a team point of view. They had six different scorers in the first half alone.

As for Bandon, who were playing their first game in the grade since last season’s relegation from Senior A, they were too reliant by far on the free-taking prowess of corner-forward Mark Sugrue, who accounted for 0-6 from placed balls alone. In fact, it took the Bandon men 22 minutes to post their first score from play.

Mikey McAuliffe, one half of a deadly brotherly duo, was making Bandon defender Brian Crowley’s life extremely difficult in the first half, turning him inside out when the ball in was to his advantage. He continued in that vain throughout, posting four important points at key stages of the game in a player of the match performance.

Despite nine wides, some of Rockchapel's build-up play was especially easy on the eye with pin-point passing, beautiful link up play and composure in spades, especially in the final third.

At different points in each half Bandon threatened to arrest Rockchapel’s momentum. They finished the first half on the up, making it a one-score-game going in at the interval, 1-6 to 0-6.

Even when Rockchapel stretched the gap again with four early second half scores, Bandon refused to roll over. In fact, they took control of proceedings, claiming five points on the bounce, and then grabbing a goal from Mattie McNamara on 52 minutes. A rare defensive error from Rockchapel let McNamara clean through on goal and he slotted it calmly past keeper Conor Casey.

Testament to Rockchapel’s resilience and composure though came five minutes later in the 57th minute when they carved their way through the Bandon midfield, finding Jimmy McAuliffe in space.

And with only a defender and the keeper to beat, the corner-forward succeeded in both, smashing the ball past a helpless Ciaran McCarthy to seal a crucial opening round two points for his side.

Scorers for Rockchapel: J McAuliffe (1-1), Ciar Curtin (1-1, 1f), M McAuliffe (0-4), J Curtin (0-3 frees), Cor Curtin, S Hickey, E Murphy, K Collins (0-1 each).

Scorers for Bandon: M Sugrue (0-6f), M McNamara (1-0), D Crowley (0-2), J Calnan (0-1).

ROCKCHAPEL: C Casey; P Curtin, E O’Callaghan, B Carroll; E Murphy, M O’Keefe, W Murphy; S Hickey, Ciaran Curtin; K Collins, Cormac Curtin, J O’Callaghan; M McAuliffe, J Curtin, J McAuliffe.

Subs: N Lenihan for K Collins (45), D Callaghan for J Curtin (48), S Curtin for E Murphy (55).

BANDON: C McCarthy; E Twomey, B Crowley, E McSweeney; C Calnan, C O’Mahony, P Murphy; R Long, T Twohig; A Murphy, P Calnan, D Crowley; H O’Mahony, M McNamara, M Sugrue.

Subs: M Cahalane for H O Mahony (30) J Calnan for A Murphy (30), A O Mahoney for J Calnan (58).

Referee: Peter O'Leary (Cloughduv).