Cork PIFC: Bantry Blues beat Nemo Rangers but neither progress to knockouts

In the end of it all, it left a strange picture: Bantry surviving, Nemo gone, and neither emerging with the prize they wanted.

Bantry Blues Arthur Coakley manages to squeeze past Nemo Rangers players Dave Coughlan and Dan Quinn during the McCarthy Insurance Group Premier Intermediate Football Championship game in Rosscarbery. Picture: Martin Walsh.

Bantry Blues 2-13 (2-1-11) Nemo Rangers 1-11 (1-2-7)

Few things under the Cork championship formats torment a team like chasing margins.

Bantry Blues lived that torment in Rosscarbery on Saturday night — finding them, losing them, and learning by the finish that even a five-point win was not enough.

They had the comfort of safety, their Premier Intermediate status secured, but not the eight-point swing needed to edge out Aghada for a quarter-final place. In the end it left a strange picture: Bantry surviving, Nemo gone, and neither emerging with the prize they wanted.

The path there was anything but straightforward. At the break, Bantry were staring into a relegation playoff. Within three minutes of the restart, they were alive in the knockout race. And so it went: survival, progression, collapse, reprieve.

Oh, the permutations.

Ruairí Deane knew it. So did the sideline. A simple, but clear discussion was had between the two. Their six-point lead in the 51st minute wasn’t enough; they were going to need eight.

Bantry Blues Ruari Deane eyeing up a score as he eludes Charlie Coughlan (Nemo Rangers) during the McCarthy Insurance Group Premier Intermediate Football Championship game in Rosscarbery. Picture: Martin Walsh.

He set about it himself in the next passage of play, bulldozing through four Nemo tackles before releasing to Arthur Coakley. Coakley fisted over when a goal might have ended the argument.

Nonetheless, that 52nd minute effort and another on 55 from sub Dara McCarthy gave them the eight point margin they needed. They were going through.

Until a minute later. Tim O’Brien pounced on a rebound for Nemo’s only goal, after Cillian O’Brien had blocked Conor O’Donovan’s initial effort on the line. Seconds later, Conor Shalloe drilled a two-pointer.

From eight clear, Bantry were back to three ahead, and Nemo were the ones alive on scoring maths.

That, too, didn’t last.

In additional time, Bantry struck the final blows — Deane to Sheedy; over the bar. Coakley with a free, and one last charge when Bantry’s most influential trio of O’Leary, Coakley and Deane combined, only for Deane to be hauled down. No penalty came, no third goal came, and the clock ran out.

Neither left Ross with what they wanted.

The first half barely hinted at the drama to follow. Three points in the opening quarter left Bantry 0-2 to 0-1 ahead before a Coakley free put them two clear.

Nemo then rattled off six without reply, Liam Healy landing a two-pointer in the run, to move 0-7 to 0-3 in front on 29 minutes. Bantry clipped one back before the break, but survival looked remote.

Enter Deane. Off the bench at half-time, his impact was immediate. Within three minutes, Bantry had gone from three down to three up.

First, Deane fed Sean O’Leary with a superb pass, who then laid off for Coakley to net. Half a minute later, Mark Óg O’Sullivan and Paddy Cronin combined brilliantly for the latter to power home, leaving it 2-4 to 0-7.

Nemo rallied with frees either side of Cronin’s glaring miss from point-blank range, but Bantry had momentum now. Coakley landed three in succession, Sheedy struck the two-pointer, and from there the permutations took over.

Bantry survived. But they did not advance.

Scorers for Bantry Blues: A Coakley 1-7 (0-5 f), D Sheedy 0-4 (1 2pt), P Cronin 1-0, D McCarthy, J Sheedy 0-1 each.

Scorers for Nemo Rangers: B O’Driscoll 0-4 (0-2 f), T O’Brien 1-0, L Healy 0-3 (1 2pt, 0-1 f), C Shalloe 0-2 (2pt), C O’Donovan (f), O Whyte 0-1 each.

NEMO RANGERS: J Lyons; D Quinn, C Coughlan, T O’Brien; N O’Shea, C Shalloe, C O’Neill; D Coughlan, B O’Neill; S Burke, L Healy, O Whyte; B O’Driscoll, C O’Donovan, A Cronin.

Subs: C Yelland for Cronin (40), F Twohig for O’Driscoll (43), E Kelly for D Coughlan, R Hogan for Burke (both 52).

BANTRY BLUES: S Murray; S Thornton, B Foley, C Cronin; E O’Shea, K Coakley, M Óg O’Sullivan; R O’Mahony, S O’Leary; D Sheedy, K Casey, J Sheedy; E Minihane, A Coakley, P Cronin.

Subs: R Deane for Minihane (HT), C O’Brien for Foley (40), D McCarthy for J Sheedy (42), D Daly for Cronin (52), S Keevers for O’Shea (59).

Referee: J Enright (Ballyteague).

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