Late show ensures St Michael's snatch victory from Carbery Rangers
MARCHING ON: St. Michael's Daniel Meaney breaks from Carbery Rangers' Barry Kerr. Pic: Eddie O'Hare
It may have only been their opening game in Group 2 of the Cork PSFC, but there was no mistaking what this St Michael’s win over Carbery Rangers in Brinny meant to everybody involved. Everything.
It was a win that looked unlikely with seven minutes to go. The city side trailed by 0-7 to 0-5 and had only scored one point in the previous 37 minutes.
Carbery Rangers, though not convincing, looked the more likely as they enjoyed plenty of possession inside the Michael’s ’45, but the truth is that they weren’t getting enough shots off.
The game then turned on a moment of class from Rory Kavanagh.
The wing back took off on a lung-busting run when most people were running out of gas, and when he broke inside the opposition ’45, corner back Fionnán Leahy had managed to get beyond him. Kavanagh slipped the ball to Leahy, and he slipped the ball home to turn the game on its head.
The goal stunned Ross, and they were unable to recover. St Michael’s veteran, Eoghan Buckley, earned a free.
Young gun Luke O’Herlihy pointed it. Buckley then fed O’Herlihy for a sumptuous score off the outside of his left foot. Keith Hegarty popped over his second of the night and the Blackrock side had rescued victory from the jaws of defeat.
Eoin Hickey, colossal at midfield alongside Rory O’Shaughnessy, and fresh from groomsman’s duties on Friday night, picked up a second yellow card that allowed Mark Hodnett to pop over the final score of the game, but it didn’t matter, the game was over.
With Castlehaven after beating Clonakilty earlier in the day, both sides realised that this was a huge chance to put themselves into early contention for qualification.
As such, the play was full of edge and energy, but the quality was lacking in the final third. It was cagey as St Michael’s Hegarty and Rangers’ Mark Hodnett exchanged scored before some attacking quality from Hegarty put Emmett Sheehan through on goal only for Paul Shanahan to save brilliantly.
Number sevens, Kavanagh and Brian Hodnett, then swapped points to level the game for the second time. St Michael’s finally put some daylight between the sides for the first time as O’Herlihy scored from a free and a placed ball to make it 0-4 to 0-2 at the end of the opening quarter.
They were looking comfortable, but their comfort was short-lived as a black card for Joe Golden gave the West Cork side an advantage. They took it well, as two quick points from Peadar O’Rourke and Mark Hodnett levelled the game for the third time.
Jerry O’Riordan then put the Rosscarbery side ahead for the first time as they led by 0-5 to 0-4 at the break.
In a mistake-ridden third quarter, John O’Rourke traded scores with O’Shaughnessy before Kelan Scannell put Carbery Rangers two up with ten to play.
It looked like it might be enough, but Kavanagh and Leahy had other ideas as their side now have a free shot off the Haven in three weeks, while everything will be on the line when Carbery Rangers play Clonakilty.
L O’Herlihy (0-4, 0-2 frees), K Hegarty (0-2), F Leahy (1-0), R Kavanagh and R O’Shaughnessy (0-1 each).
M Hodnett (0-3, all frees), J O’Riordan, B Hodnett, P O’Rourke, J O’Rourke (free) and K Scannell (0-1 each).
M Burke; B Cain, J Golden, F Leahy; R Kavanagh, D Meaney, E Sheehan; E Hickey, R O’Shaughnessy; K Hegarty, A Murphy (c), T Grainger; A Hennessy, E O’Donovan, L Herlihy.
S Murphy for Hennessy (40), E Buckley for O’Donovan (50), Hennessy for Murphy (blood, 56-59).
P Shanahan (c); James O’Riordan, T O’Rourke, K Eady; Jerry O’Riordan, Pádraig Hodnett, P Hurley; B Kerr, K Scannell; B Hodnett, J O’Rourke, B Linihan; M Hodnett, P O’Rourke, D Hayes.
A O’Brien for P Shanahan (blood, 5-8), J Hodnett for Linehan (h/t), J Fitzpatrick for Kerr (36), C McCarthy for Pádraig Hodnett (40), C Santry for Hurley (55), Paul Hodnett for Scannell (58).
Cormac Dineen (Douglas).
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