Glen Rovers stars deliver to seal instant return to top tier

It was a victory where Glen Rovers' biggest names delivered, as they always tend to do.

Mon, 21 Oct, 2024 - 07:25

John Coleman

Cork SAHC final: Glen Rovers 3-17 Blarney 1-13

Perhaps the biggest challenge Glen Rovers faced this year came from within. That they might have felt like they were a grade above what they were playing after being relegated last season. However, all season they stayed out of that trap. And yesterday in Páirc Uí Chaoimh they proved once again that they are a grade above with a deserved win over Blarney in the final of the Cork SAHC.

It was a victory where their biggest names delivered, as they always tend to do. Brian Moylan dominated the game from right-half back, Robert and Eoin Downey got the better of their battles with Shane Barrett and Pádraig Power respectively, Patrick Horgan delivered with 2-6, while their captain Dean Brosnan was outstanding in every facet of the game while also delivering four points.

Blarney will have their regrets as they only hurled in patches and those patches weren’t frequent enough to put them in a position to really trouble the Glen. Their best patch came at the three-quarter stage when, for a moment, they dared to dream.

Liam Coughlan had just put The Glen into a commanding 2-13 to 0-8 lead when Blarney struck for one of the goals of the year. Cian Barrett cut in from the North Stand and popped the ball to his fellow corner-forward, Cathal McCarthy, and McCarthy clung it into the top corner. Barrett followed it up with a point, Mark Coleman thundered into the game with a point from play and a free and suddenly there was only five between them, 2-13 to 1-11, with ten to play.

The gale was literally in Blarney’s sails, but the Glen response was impressive, and it was Brosnan who led the charge. He steadied the ship with an outstanding individual score and when Power responded with his first of the day, Brosnan hit back again. In between Simon Kennefick had rattled the post but he clipped over a point with his next chance and the Glen had weathered the storm.

Luke Horgan set up his fellow substitute Lee Quilligan for a point before Quilligan made himself a moment to remember as he raced onto a ball from Horgan before cutting in along the endline and finishing brilliantly to the net. Power added one more for Blarney, but their race was run.

Blarney won the toss and chose to play into the wind, and they would have been reasonably content after 15 minutes even though they trailed by 0-6 to 0-1. However, when Horgan, who already had 0-4 to his name, was fouled while chasing a goal, he wasn’t prepared to settle for a point from the resultant free as he applied enough top spin to manufacture the game’s opening goal.

Blarney responded well, with points from Eoghan Kirby and Shane Barrett, but the Glen finished the half in style with two points from that man Brosnan that came either side of a Stephen Lynam effort to leave them 1-10 to 0-3 to the good at half time.

The big question at half-time was would it be enough considering the strength of the breeze. Moylan traded scores with Cathal Hegarty on the resumption before Horgan came good with a moment of magic. He was first on to a Rob Downey delivery that broke 30 yards from goal, and he carried the ball inside the 21 yard line before finishing brilliantly to the bottom left-hand corner.

Despite being 2-11 to 0-4 in arrears, Blarney dug in with Barrett and Coleman coming into the game as they went on to hit four of the next five points. McCarthy’s goal then gave them a glimmer of hope, but the Glen were in no mood for fairy tale endings as they now find themselves back where they belong.

Scorers for Glen Rovers: P Horgan (2-6, 1-4 frees), L Quilligan (1-1), D Brosnan (0-4), B Moylan (0-2, 0-1 free), L Coughlan, S Kennefick, M Dooley and S Lynam (0-1 each).

Scorers for Blarney: S Barrett (0-4, 0-2 frees), C McCarthy (1-0), M Coleman (0-3, 0-2 frees), P Power (0-2), D Hanlon, C Hegarty, E Kirby and C Barrett (0-1 each).

GLEN ROVERS: C Hickey; A Lynch, E Downey, S McDonnell; B Moylan, R Downey, D Dooling; R Dunne, L Coughlan; S Kennefick, D Brosnan (c), M Dooley; S Lynam, P Horgan, E O’Leary.

Subs: L Horgan for Dooley (51), L Quilligan for Lynam (54), D Noonan for Dunne (60).

BLARNEY: P Hallissey; A McEvoy, C Power, S Crowley; P Crowly, D Hanlon, M Coleman (c); O Hegarty, C Hegarty; D McSweeney, S Barrett, E Kirby; C Barrett, P Power, C McCarthy.

Subs: S Mulcahy for Kirby (38), S Mullane for C Barrett and C Dunlea for McSweeney (both 59), D Murphy for Crowley and J O’Keeffe for C Hegarty (both 61).

Referee: Wayne King (Banteer)