Nemo class shines through as Ballincollig fall short in second-half
Alan O'Donovan of Nemo Rangers battles Ballincollig's Peter O'Neill. Pic: Jim Coughlan.
Nemo composure, Nemo conviction, and Nemo class. For Ballincollig, another second-half fall-off when holding momentum against one of the big three.
Ballincollig began the second half of this Group 3 county championship opener 1-8 to 0-6 in front. They had reached that position of strength by outgunning the county finalists of the past three years by 1-5 to 0-1 between the 14th minute and half-time.
Podsie O'Mahony's team were holding all the trump cards. Peter O’Neill was winning kickouts on either side, his midfield partner Sean Kiely was equally strong in breaking lines and creating overlaps. Luke Fahy and Donnacha Desmond were others charging at pace and with purpose.
Nemo’s restart upon the restart was grounded in simplicity. They got hands back on ball and refused to let go.
In the opening eight minutes of the second period, they got away six shots. Four stuck. The gap back to the minimum. Mark Cronin was fouled and converted. He then threaded through a pass that ended with a converted Micheál Aodh Martin '45.
Conor Horgan kicked their first from play in 17 minutes. Bryan Hayes gave his latest statement that if fed will deliver.
Ballincollig, for their part, had ceased making statements and were instead swelling their wide count.
A smart kickout to the drifted-into-space Stephen Cronin finished with younger brother Mark bringing Nemo level on 43 minutes.
The aforementioned Peter O’Neill was so much of Ballincollig’s pulse in the opening half. He got a flicker of a rhythm dancing with his 43rd minute kick, their first flag of any colour since first-half stoppages. Cian Dorgan and Sean O’Neill followed suit. 1-11 to 0-11.
Ballincollig had faded from a position of strength in last year’s county quarter-final against St Finbarr’s. Maybe they wouldn’t do so here. They did.
After the concession of five-in-a-row at the beginning of the third quarter, Nemo took them for another 1-4 without reply at the beginning of the fourth quarter. From five behind at the break to four in front seven minutes from home.
Ronan Dalton showed both vision and patience to pick out Bryan Hayes for the equalising 48th-minute goal. Mark Cronin again won and converted frees, Kevin O’Donovan also drew fouls.
They were smart and they were sophisticated and they sewed up the result to such an extent that Ballincollig were forced to chase an orange flag leveler in injury time. Cian Dorgan, as expected, assumed responsibility. Kieran Histon successfully assumed smothering responsibility on the kick.
Ballincollig’s goal just past the regulation half hour was hardly an unexpected guest. Earlier in the opening half, the shot-stopping prowess of Micheál Aodh Martin had twice been leaned upon. He deflected over Darragh O’Mahony’s shot on the quarter hour before two minutes later parrying away at full stretch a Luke Fahy drive.
Three minutes further on again, Sean Kiely was the latest shirt in green to charge almost untouched through the centre. His second point blazed over.
Briain Murphy and company asserted Nemo's presence around the middle in the second half. The improved supply lines to Cronin and Hayes were not wasted. They begin on the front foot.
M Cronin (0-8, 0-6 frees); B Hayes (1-3); MA Martin ('45), B Murphy, K O’Donovan, R Dalton, C Horgan (0-1 each).
C Dorgan (0-5, tp free, 0-2 frees); S O’Neill (1-1); S Kiely, D O’Mahony (0-2 each); L Fahy, P O’Neill, D O’Leary, B O’Connell (0-1 each).
MA Martin; K Histon, C Molloy, M Hill; E Nation, S Cronin, C McCartan; A O’Donovan, B Murphy; B Cripps, M Cronin, K O’Donovan; B Hayes, R Dalton, C Horgan.
L Horgan for C Horgan (48); K Fulignati for A O’Donovan (58, inj).
J Gibbons; JP Murphy, L Jennings, C Moore; D Desmond, F Downs, L Fahy; S Kiely, P O’Neill; S O’Neill, D O’Leary, B O’Connell; D Dorgan, C Dorgan, D O’Mahony.
C Dalton for Moore (23 mins, inj); E Cooke for O’Connell (44); T O’Connell for D Dorgan (54).
J O’Regan
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