Mallow edge Éire Óg on points scored after eight-goal epic
ON FIRE: Mallow's Sean Hayes hit 1-6 in a nail-biter against Eire Og. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
This one went down to the wire. As Niall O’Neill’s final whistle blew, out came the calculators.
Was it to be Éire Óg or Mallow who joined Ballincollig in the knockout stages of the Cork Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship?
Mallow’s 4-18 to 4-16 win meant that they and Éire Óg, as well as Aghabullogue, finished on two points each, with the two doing battle in Grenagh both finishing on a score difference of -7 apiece.
That meant it was to be settled on points scored, which were to be in Mallow’s favour. 70 to 63. Fine margins over the course of the group 2 proceedings.
Mallow’s reward is a quarter-final date with Dungourney, but there will be work-ons for Vince Morrissey’s side between now and then.
"We're absolutely relieved, to say the least, to have won our first championship game, we'd lost the last seven," said Mallow boss Morrissey post-match. "These guys in the dressing room, they were on a downward trend for a very long time.
"Our job coming in this year with Claude Gough from Charleville - a brilliant coach - was just to turn the tide. We waited for the last day to make our breakthrough, but better late than never."
"Courage and bravery was what was needed to win today and that's what we stand for and they are the beliefs that we are trying to instil in this team.
"Those guys have it in abundance. For them to stand up, even though it was nerve-racking and there is things we'll have to address immediately on Tuesday night, for them to stand up and win today is the tide turning now."
They withstood a three-goal Éire Óg comeback late on in the encounter – who had full-back Matt Brady dismissed for two yellows earlier in the half – to grab their first win of this championship term and eventually seal their spot in the quarters.
A major amount of Mallow’s good work was done early doors. By the tenth minute, they led by a scoreline of 2-6 to 0-1. The triple threat of inside forwards Denis Hayes, Mark Tobin and Sean Hayes had a lot to do with that.
Éire Óg centre-forward and free taker Eoin O’Shea was on hand to ease his side into the game, while Joe Cooper grabbed a point before a barnstorming run and goal from Cork footballer Colm O’Callaghan – stationed at wing-back – brought his side within seven points (2-9 to 1-5) of Mallow by the 20th minute.
The aforementioned Mallow inside trio were to amass 2-10 of Mallow’s 2-13 interval total.
Upon the resumption of the clash, it was the turn of the Ovens club to put their foot on the gas. Two O’Shea points - one superbly dispatched over the bar from in front of the opposition dugout – a Dylan Foley score and a David Kirwan point brought them within a goal by the 40th minute (2-13 to 1-13).
Their scoring streak was ended by a clinical Mallow goal two minutes later. A long free from ‘keeper Padraig Buckley was plucked from the sky by full-forward Denis Hayes, who dished to wing-forward Kevin Sheehan, who finished underhand to the roof of Chris Kelly’s net.
O’Shea and Sean Hayes swapped frees thereafter, a period which included the dismissal of Éire Óg’s Brady and a Tobin point for Mallow when he could have gone for goal. Mallow’s fourth green flag was to be of a similar nature to their third.
Denis Hayes’ ball-winning ability was instrumental once more. This time, Dan Sheehan was the beneficiary. 4-16 to 1-14. Game over? Not on Éire Óg’s watch. Not on O’Shea and Cooper’s watch.
O’Shea – who led his side’s fight all afternoon – grabbed their second goal on 54 minutes, before Cooper plundered for two more of serious quality by the 58th minute. 4-16 to 4-14. Game on.
Mallow’s Dan Sheehan pointed as the game ticked into injury time. O’Shea responded for the Ovens boys. His teammate David Casey – busy all day – helped himself to one too.
But it was Sean Hayes who would have the last say – and a crucial one at that in terms of score difference.
He knocked over his sixth, and fifth free late on to make sure Mallow were on the right side of the scoring tallies at the end of the group 2 fare.
S Hayes (1-6, 0-5 f), M Tobin (0-6, 0-3 f), D Hayes, K Sheehan, D Sheehan (1-2 each).
E O’Shea (1-11, 0-6 f), J Cooper (2-1), C O’Callaghan (1-0), D Foley, D Casey, O O’Shea, D Kirwan (0-1 each).
P Buckley; B Kingston, P Lyons, R Sheehan; B Murphy, S Copps, P Healy; D Sheehan, M Kelleher; S Leneghan, D Sheehan, K Sheehan; M Tobin, D Hayes, S Hayes.
L Malone for Murphy (41), G Lenihan for Leneghan (42), F O’Neill for Kelleher (59).
C Kelly; B Corcoran, M Brady, J Kelleher; C O’Callaghan, C McGoldrick, D Herlihy; E Kelleher, D McCarthy; D Casey, E O’Shea, D Kirwan; J Cooper, D Foley, O O’Shea.
B Hurley for E Kelleher, K Hallissey for Foley (both 52), D Dineen for O O’Shea (54).
Niall O’Neill (Midleton).
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