Luke Mulligan: 'Our aim at half-time was to keep them to six points and not to concede a goal'

Mercy Mounthawk have reached their second consecutive Corn Uí Mhuirí finals and will be hoping to retain their title.

Daniel Kirby of Mercy Mounthawk Tralee battles with Kevin Hannon of Hamilton High School Bandon, during the TUS Corn Ui Mhuiri Under 19 A Football championship semi-final, at Mallow. Picture: David Keane.

Corn Uí Mhuirí semi-final: Mercy Mounthawk 2-19 Hamilton High School Bandon 0-5

Aside from the exception that was their final group outing against St Pat’s Castleisland, Mercy Mounthawk have had each Corn Uí Mhuirí outing taken care of by the call for half-time. Saturday’s semi-final was no different. For the fourth time this season, their interval lead was comfortably into double-digit territory.

Mounthawk’s 1-13 to 0-1 uncatchable half-time advantage was not quite the 21-point margin they’d run up on Rochestown last time out, but still bettered the 13-point leads they’d put on both Abbey CBS and Skibbereen in the group phase.

Returning each time to the dressing-room, Mounthawk know the job is done. The second half is mere window dressing. An almost inconvenience of a half hour. So, what can management do to keep players in tune and in focus going back out for that superfluous second period?

What they can do and what they are doing is to set second-half targets for their players. At half-time in Mallow, and with Bandon having just one point on the board after a massively frustrating opening half into the elements, the Mounthawk mentors told their charges they weren’t to allow the opposition finish with a total greater than 0-6.

Challenge accepted, said the Mounthawk students. Challenged bested too, the Mounthawk students holding Bandon to four second-half points and five in total.

“Our aim at half-time was to keep them to six points and not to concede a goal. In the quarter-final, we were very disappointed at conceding the five goals, four of them late on. The scoreline looked poor on ourselves after having such a fine performance. That was probably the most positive thing today, that we kept going for 60 minutes,” said Mounthawk selector Luke Mulligan.

For the third time from five Corn Uí Mhuirí outings, Mounthawk’s winning margin reached 20 points. Paddy Lane’s 1-11 went damn close to matching the quarter-final 2-12 he kicked at the same venue. His total has now reached 7-38 (2-19 from the placed ball). For context, his personal tally is within touching distance of the 7-49 semi-final opponents Bandon managed across their entire campaign.

The opening half ended with Lane having seven ticks beside his name, four from play and three from frees. He also assisted for half-back Gavan Casey’s fourth-minute point. The opening half ended with Mounthawk manager Aidan O'Shea outside the wire, his protest over an off-the-ball incident that left Ben Murphy on the deck resulting in his own red card dismissal.

Murphy, when not on the deck, and Daniel Kirby did their usual midfield dictatorship act. They won kick-outs at their ease. They carried forward with ease. Kirby slotted three first-half points. Murphy provided the pass for Tomás Kennedy’s 27th minute goal. Murphy’s typically assertive showing was rewarded with two second-half points. Kirby won the 44th minute penalty that Lane stuck away.

This quartet, as ever, led the destruction. The Sem's final planning must begin and finish with this quartet.

While the reigning champions will enter that decider, to be played the weekend after next, as the strongest of favourites, one expects they might finally get some sort of a challenge to their title defence. One expects they won’t have to set half-time targets to keep themselves preoccupied for the second period.

Having edged Tralee CBS to win their maiden crown 12 months ago, the chance is now there for Mounthawk to overcome on the concluding afternoon the one school ahead of the Green on the roll of honour. This team's legacy would be thus secured.

“The Corn Uí Mhuirí is a massively high-standard competition. To get out of the group is hard, to get to the semi-final is hard, and so to get to back-to-back finals is a massive thing for the school. And we’ll be against a Kerry team in the final, which will be a great occasion,” Mulligan continued.

For the eighth time in the past nine seasons, the final will be without Cork representation. The Hammies failed to score from play in the opening half. Centre-back Jack Cullinane ended that wait six minutes into the second period. No shame in the manner of their exit. Theirs was a fate suffered by every other team who’ve encountered the black shirts with the green trim.

Scorers for Mercy Mounthawk: P Lane (1-11, 0-6 frees, 1-0 pen); T Kennedy (1-1); D Kirby (0-3), B Murphy (0-2); G Casey, C Bastible (0-1 each).

Scorers for Hamilton High School Bandon: O McCarthy (0-2, 0-2 frees); J Cullinane, O Gillain, K Hannon (0-1 each).

MERCY MOUNTHAWK: R Kennedy (Kerins O’Rahillys); B Meehan (Kerins O’Rahillys), B Sharp (St Pat’s Blennerville), J Fisher (Austin Stacks); P O’Halloran (Austin Stacks), D Sargent (John Mitchels), G Casey (Austin Stacks); D Kirby (Austin Stacks), B Murphy (Austin Stacks); S Corkery (John Mitchels), P Lane (Austin Stacks), B Doyle (Churchill); C Bastible (Austin Stacks), T Kennedy (Kerins O'Rahillys), A Harty (Churchill).

Subs: A Tuohy (Austin Stacks) for Kirby (38 mins, temporary); J Hoare (Kerins O’Rahillys) for Harty, D Kirby for Bastible (both 40); O Kerins (Kerins O’Rahillys) for Doyle (44); C McGibney (Churchill) for Kirby (50); K O’Donoghue (Na Gaeil) for Sargent (53); S Fitzgerald (John Mitchels) for O’Halloran (58, temporary).

HAMILTON HIGH SCHOOL: B Curtin (Valley Rovers); R Tarrant (Bandon), N Daly (Valley Rovers), J O’Driscoll (Bandon); S Coffey (Clonakilty), B Coffey (Clonakilty), L Casey (Valley Rovers); J Cullinane (Bandon), O Gillain (Kilbrittain); C Twomey (Argideen Rangers), O McCarthy (Valley Rovers), D Coughlan (Bandon); H Canty (Newcestown), K Hannon (Bandon), S Murphy (Dohenys).

Subs: H Flanagan (Newcestown) for Twomey (26); E Maguire (Castlehaven) for Canty (33, inj); D Flynn (Argideen Rangers) for Murphy (35, inj); A Griffin (Kilbrittain) for Coughlan (43); S Browne (Valley Rovers) for Gillain (44).

Referee: T McGlinchey (Tipperary).