Darragh McMahon treble as Canovee clinch county crown

Mayfield battle throughout but came up short. 

Canovee players celebrate after defeating Mayfield in the Bon Secours Cork Junior 'A' FC final at Pairc Ui Rinn. Picture; Eddie O'Hare

Bon Secours JAFC final: Canovee 4-14 Mayfield 1-11

Canovee won their first county title since 2007 on Sunday by beating Mayfield in the Cork Junior A Football Championship final. From start to finish it was a complete performance from the winners who never looked like losing. A hat-trick of goals from Darragh McMahon plus a well-taken penalty from captain James Moynihan helped the boys in black and amber to a memorable victory.

Despite their best efforts Mayfield couldn’t keep up with the free-flowing play of Canovee. They looked lost at times despite the best efforts of corner-forward Paul Condon who posted eight scores in a performance that was deserving of more than a runner-up medal.

Canovee looked dangerous on the attack from the opening moments. Jack Kelleher and Dara Cronin got the show on the road with a point each in the opening few minutes. After not even five minutes of play Canovee’s Conor O’Neill played the ball to Darragh McMahon in space a few yards from goal with the corner forward burying it past Eolan Bond to extend his sides lead (1-2 to 0-0).

Mayfield would have to wait until the tenth minute for their first score courtesy of a Paul Condon free. Seconds later Condon would have the ball over the bar again to reduce the deficit and create some momentum for Mayfield.

Just when it looked like Mayfield were finding their flow, Canovee had the ball in the back of the net again. Darragh McMahon poached in the square after 19 minutes for his second goal of the game to give the Lee Valley outfit some breathing space (2-4 0-3).

Mayfield would have a massive uphill battle in the second half going in eight points down at 2-8 to 0-5. The game really opened up in the early stages of the second period which suited Canovee to the ground. Any hopes of a spectacular comeback from Mayfield were surely dashed when Darragh McMahon was fouled in the box moments after the restart to grant Canovee a penalty which captain James Moynihan slotted away with aplomb.

Despite that dagger to their hearts Mayfield had the perfect response with a quick fire goal of their own. Midfielder Jake Courtney came onto the end of a ball after powering through from the middle of the park and slotted it past Canovee keeper Cormac O’Driscoll (3-9 1-5).

Mayfield were not throwing in the towel even with that significant deficit. Paul Condon again was leading by example but his efforts just weren’t enough. Darragh McMahon solidified the hat-trick after 48 minutes to put the lid on it for Canovee and they brought it home with some beautiful scores down the stretch from Jack Kelliher, Padraig O’Leary and Conor O’Neill.

Scorers for Canovee: D McMahon (3-0), J Moynihan (1-0), J Kelleher (0-6, 3f), D Cronin, C Dodd and C O’Neill (0-2 each), P O’Leary and E Dodd (0-1).

Scorers for Mayfield: P Condon (0-8, 5f), J Courtney (1-0), D Lucey, D O’Neill, D Donovan (0-1 each).

CANOVEE: C O’Driscoll; C Cronin, M Dunne, W Ahern; E Dodd, O O’Driscoll, E Lehane; C Dodd, A Murphy; J Moynihan, D Cronin, C O’Neill; D McMahon, B McNabola, J Kelleher.

Subs: D Moynihan for M Dunne (13, inj), M Healy for B McNabola (47), P O’Leary for D Cronin (47), E McNabola for C Dodd (53).

MAYFIELD: E Bond; B Punch, K Punch, B O’Leary; J Gibson, D Malone, D O’Neill; E O’Sullivan, J Courtney; D Granger, N Kelly, S O’Donovan; D O’Donovan, D Lucey, P Condon.

Subs: C Horgan for D Granger (43), J O’Donovan for K Punch (47), C Bond for E O’Sullivan (55), T Horgan for D Lucey (57), C Moynihan for B Punch (57), S Riordan for J Moynihan (57).