Fr O'Neills' Colbert content with point from opener

IMPORTANT POINT: Charleville's Darragh Fitzgibbon and Fr. O'Neill's Ger Millerick tussle for the ball during the Co-Op Superstores Cork PSHC at Rathcormac. Pic:; Eddie O'Hare

Co-Op Superstores Cork Premier SHC

Charleville 0-18 Fr O’Neill’s 1-15 

A first round draw between Charleville and Fr O’Neill’s in the Co-Op Superstores Cork Premier SHC at Rathcormac on Saturday night. How significant the result is remains to be seen ahead of battles with Douglas and Erin’s Own.

Fr O’Neill’s are the new kids on the block, and joint manager Dave Colbert was best positioned to sum it up after watching his dependable corner-forward Billy Dunne salvage a share of the spoils in front of a large crowd.

“It was a good fight for both teams out there, two even teams,” he said. “Two honest teams, first round of a group stage and a cagey enough affair as well.

“They have beaten us in championship matches before. We came in here tonight and gave it our best. It is a draw, so both teams go away with a point.

“It is important in your first game to get a point at least, that’s minimum, and we got that. We move on now, it is a quick turnaround to next week. There is not much time to be thinking about what happened. We plan for next week (Douglas), and we drive on.” 

Charleville, who were two points up with 10 minutes remaining but failed to add to that tally, will be hoping star midfielder Darragh Fitzgibbon is recovered from a leg injury he suffered in the latter stages that necessitated him seeing out the rest of the game from the full-forward line.

This was a real nip-and-tuck encounter between these familiar foes, nine times the teams were tied throughout an exciting hour plus.

The north Cork side opened brightly through Jack Doyle, Fitzgibbon and Daniel O’Flynn.

Declan Dalton (finished with 1-7) then grabbed the game’s only goal in the ninth minute when he forced his way through several defenders, the good work prior to that completed by Liam O’Driscoll, Joe Millerick and Ger Millerick.

Mark Foley’s charges hit the three next points thanks to Andrew Cagney and Gavin Kelleher, Cagney’s second was a beauty after he linked with Conor Buckley.

There was just one reply, which came from a Dalton free.

Three more unanswered points from Charleville via Tim Hawe, Jack Doyle and a trademark one on-the-run from Fitzgibbon put them 0-9 to 1-3 in front.

O’Neill’s were able to steady the ship, one of their three flags was a stunning sideline cut from Dalton. All square once more.

Twice they swapped points before Fitzgibbon landed another extraordinary point from play to restore Charleville’s lead, 0-12 to 1-8 at the short whistle.

And it was the same man who restarted the second-half with a burst up the right flank, his pass to half-time sub David Forde splitting the posts.

Dalton, with the wind behind him, landed a monster free from his own ’45 and when Joe Millerick pointed, they weren’t to be separated again.

The tension was palpable as both sides strived to gain an edge.

Charleville went two ahead, only to be pegged back with a quarter of an hour remaining, 1-12 to 0-15.

It was Charleville’s second sub Oran O’Connell that enabled them reclaim the lead. Kevin O’Sullivan sandwiched a point in between O’Flynn and Hawe, but his team remained two behind on the stretch.

It was at this juncture Fitzgibbon picked up his injury. The momentum shifted O’Neill’s way as Mark O’Keeffe narrowed the gap. With a minute of normal time remaining, a third point from Dunne evened things up.

Both sides gave their all, and had either ended in defeat, it surely would have been hard to take.

Scorers for Charleville: D Fitzgibbon (0-5, 0-3 free), J Doyle and T Hawe (0-3 each), A Cagney and D O’Flynn (0-2 each), G Kelleher, D Forde and O O’Connell (0-1 each).

Scorers for Fr O’Neill’s: D Dalton (1-7, 0-5 frees, 0-1 65, 0-1 sl), B Dunne (0-3), K O’Sullivan (0-2), J Hankard, M O’Keeffe and Joe Millerick (0-1 each).

CHARLEVILLE: C Collins; D Butler, J Meade (Capt), J O’Callaghan; F Cagney, J Buckley, A Dennehy; D O’Flynn; D Fitzgibbon; G Kelleher, C Buckley, J Doyle; T Hawe, A Cagney, J Madigan.

Subs: D Forde for J Madigan (half-time), O O’Connell for C Buckley (41), R Carroll for G Kelleher (59).

FR O’NEILL’S: P O’Sullivan; M Millerick, E Motherway, J Barry; M O’Keeffe, D Harrington, G Millerick; T Millerick, K O’Sullivan; Joe Millerick (J-Capt), D Dalton (J-Capt), J Hankard; John Millerick, B Dunne, L O’Driscoll.

Subs: R Kenneally for E Motherway (40 inj), C Broderick for L O’Driscoll (40).

Referee: Mark Maher (St Finbarr’s).