Hurley stars as Castlehaven reach first county final in four years
FAST START: Castlehaven's Conor Cahalane celebrates his brother Jack's goal against St Finbarr's during the Cork Premier SFC semi final at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Pic: Eddie O'Hare
Castlehaven should not have had to flood every single individual back to prevent a game-winning Barrs goal at the death. Their passage into a first Cork football final in four seasons absolutely should not have come to that. The West Cork men were miles the superior outfit.
What had the Haven’s scramble defence in full activation mode in the very last play as Darragh Newman’s ‘45 floated goalwards was a scrambled Ethan Twomey goal in the second minute of injury time.
In a game where the Barrs never led and were never level, Twomey’s poke to the net cut the margin to the minimum for only the second time in this semi-final.
As the Barrs smelled what would have been a most unjust smash and grab, Castlehaven held their composure. More importantly, they held their nerve. From the ensuing restart, they minded possession as if it was a newborn.
How fitting it was that Michael Hurley finished the move with a fisted point. It was his seventh of the day. All bar one of those came from play.
The odd one out of Hurley’s seven was a 34th minute mark. That mark was every bit as crucial as his pressure-relieving injury time white flag.
After the Barrs had somehow finished the opening half only two in arrears, a Steven Sherlock point two minutes after the restart brought the Togher outfit within one.
Hurley’s mark made sure they never got level. And made sure they never got a blast of oxygen from getting level.
Another mark from older brother Brian nudged James McCarthy's charges back out to three in front. A four-in-a-row from Mark Collins, Brian, Rory and Cathal Maguire between the 40th and 51st minute sent them six clear and well on their way to the final.
There were other scores left behind in the third and fourth quarter. The door was left slightly ajar for their opponents. Twomey’s goal pushed it open. The Barrs, though, could not push through.
They simply were unable to tie down the leading actors on the Haven side. The Hurley brothers finished with 0-13 between them. Mark Collins and Rory Maguire policed along their own 45 and propelled forward on occasion. Conor Cahalane was superb in his link play.
Both sides will have been scratching their heads as to how there were only two between them at the break. The Haven were scratching theirs in frustration. The Barrs’ frustration lay not with the scoreline but rather how off colour and jittery they were.
The Barrs’ handling was absolutely dreadful. Players routinely spilled possession under minimal pressure. Case in point was the needless turnover along the South Stand sideline on 28 minutes that ended with Michael Hurley pointing at the far end.
Hurley’s fifth from play put the Haven five in front. 1-8 to 0-6. It was the third time they had led by five during a first half where the Hurley brothers and Jack Cahalane danced a merry dance around and through a Barrs defence that was constantly a yard off.
Hurley’s fifth from play on 28 minutes saw the Barrs management take former Cork defender Sam Ryan off Hurley and hand the man-marking duties over to the club’s hurling captain Billy Hennessy.
Castlehaven were on it from the get-go. From the throw-in, Conor Cahalane charged through. He fed younger brother Jack who had ghosted away from the aforementioned Hennessy. Goal Castlehaven and not even 13 seconds on the clock.
Hurley had the first three of his collection kicked inside nine minutes, the men from the west four in front.
Thereafter, Endy Dennehy had a goal shot for the Barrs deflected out for a ‘45. Out of nothing, they were gifted a green flag on 28 minutes. It was a green flag that not so much revived the Barrs cause but provided the first flicker of life to their up-to-then tepid challenge.
Eoin McGreevey was fouled needlessly by goalkeeper Darragh Cahalane under a William Buckley dropping ball. Referee Pa O’Driscoll stretched out the arms for a penalty. Steven Sherlock cooly dispatched to leave the city men just two in arrears heading for the break.
Their day never got much better than that. A Nemo-Haven decider, the latter chasing a first county in 10 years.
M Hurley (0-7, 0-1 mark); B Hurley (0-5, 0-1 free, 0-1 mark); J Cahalane (1-1); R Maguire, M Collins, C Maguire (0-1 each).
S Sherlock (1-7, 1-0 pen, 0-3 frees); E Twomey (1-2); B Hayes (0-2).
Darragh Cahalane; R Walsh, R Maguire, J O’Regan; T O’Mahony, D Cahalane, M Collins; C Cahalane, A Whelton; S Browne, C Maguire, J O’Neill; M Hurley, B Hurley, J Cahalane.
C O’Driscoll for Browne (43); R Whelton for A Whelton (55); C O’Sullivan for C Maguire (57); J O’Driscoll for T O’Mahony (61).
D Newman; B Hennessy, A O’Connor, S Ryan; C Scully, J Burns, M Donovan; I Maguire, L Hannigan; E Dennehy, E McGreevy, E Twomey; W Buckley, B Hayes, S Sherlock.
C Lyons for Donovan, C Myers Murray for Hannigan (both HT); J Wigginton-Barrett for McGreevey (44); B O’Connell for Dennehy, C Barrett for Ryan (50).
P O’Driscoll.
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