Cork Premier 2 MFC: Donoughmore hold off Barrs to win five-goal thriller final

The second half was new rules football at its best. 

Donoughmore have won back-to-back Cork Premier 2 MFC titles. Pic: Jim Coughlan.

Cork Premier 2 MFC final: Donoughmore 2-18 (2-1-16) St Finbarr’s 3-12 (3-2-8) 

Donoughmore held off an unyielding St Finbarr’s to claim back-to-back Premier 2 Minor Football Championship titles after a five-goal thriller in Páirc Uí Rinn.

The Togher side had dragged it back to two with six minutes to go, but Donoughmore found one more gear, when they needed it most.

Scott Barrett – outrageous all evening – clipped over again, before Ciarán Lawton landed the sweetest of points on the hour to seal it.

It had been a remarkable second half. The Barrs hit back with two goals early, Trevor Howe’s penalty and Alex O’Herlihy’s neat finish leaving them two behind by the 45th minute.

But Donoughmore would stretch it back to seven after Charlie O’Connell finished a sublime team move to the net, 2-16 to 2-9, with 49 minutes played.

They would have to resist another Barrs fight back after a Conor O’Donoghue two-point free and another Barrs goal, Dan O’Keeffe in the 54th minute. But Barrett and Daniel Holland’s outstanding displays got them over the line.

It had started at a slower boil. St Finbarr’s nosed in front early, 0-3 to 0-2, but the turning point came on 10 minutes. Holland turned over St Finbarr’s and raced at goal, and though his initial shot was saved, Paddy Murphy smashed home the follow up to put Donoughmore in front, 1-2 to 0-3.

They would stretch that lead out to five at the break, 1-10 to 0-5. But the second half was new rules football, at its very best.

Scorers for Donoughmore: D Holland 0-7 (1 tp, 0-2 f), S Barrett 0-6, C O’Connell, P Murphy 1-0 each, D Honohan 0-2, J McCarthy, L Honohan, C Lawton 0-1 each.

Scorers for St Finbarr’s: C O’Donoghue 0-8 (0-3 f, 1 tp, 1 tpf), T Howe 1-1 (1-0 pen), A O’Herlihy, D O’Keeffe 1-0 each, J Murray, E Burke, E Malone 0-1 each.

DONOUGHMORE: C O’Sullivan; D Walsh, T Murphy, B O’Connor; L O’Sullivan, DJ Foley (c), J McCarthy; D Golden, J Murphy; C Lawton, S Barrett, L Honohan; P Murphy, D Holland, D Honohan.

Subs: C O’Connell for P Murphy (19 inj), C Honohan for L Honohan (48).

ST FINBARR’S: L Hegarty; D McGuirk, E Barrett, CJ Barrett; T Howe, L O’Regan, C Garvey; C O’Donoghue, D O’Keeffe; E Malone, C Galvin, E Burke; A O’Herlihy, J Murray, C Barrett.

Subs: J Martin for C Barrett (HT), C Kelleher for Burke (37), A Phillips for Malone, E McKeown for Galvin (both 52).

Referee: K O’Sullivan (Valley Rovers)