Castlehaven 1-13
Mallow 0-12
NOEL HORGAN REPORTS
ALTHOUGH sternly tested, title holders Castlehaven were merited victors over Mallow in their opening game in the McCarthy Insurance Group Premier SFC at Ovens on Saturday evening.
The key to the Carbery side’s success came in the 17th minute when good work by Conor Cahalane and especially Cathal Maguire created an opportunity that yielded a well-taken goal by Jack Cahalane.
It pushed them 1-3 to 0-4 ahead shortly after impressive wing-forward Michael O’Rourke had nudged Mallow in front for the first time. As things transpired, Castlehaven – without the suspended Brian Hurley – weren’t to relinquish the lead subsequently.
Not that it was plain sailing for the champions after that, but they were more economical with their chances, and looked very assured defensively, with the evergreen Damien Cahalane excelling at full-back.
While Mallow will bemoan the fact their wide-count reached double figures, that had much to do with the tenacity of the Haven’s rearguard, as did the losers’ failure to create a decent goal chance over the hour.
As far as Haven manager Seanie Cahalane is concerned, the bottom line is his charges got the job done in the face of an anticipated vibrant challenge from the Avondhu side.
‘We knew it was going to be a tough battle, because Mallow made it to the semi-finals in 2024 after beating the Barrs in the early stages, and we’ve had broken preparation with a lot of the lads away for the last couple of months,’ Cahalane said.
‘I thought we struggled big-time on their kick-outs, and on our own kick-outs at times, and only for Mallow’s inaccurate shooting, we could have been under a lot more pressure, especially in the first half.
‘I also felt we weren’t as sharp in attack as we should have been, but the main thing is we got the win, so we’re delighted,’ Cahalane remarked, adding he expects the team to show improvement for their next game in Group 1 against Valley Rovers.
The Haven made a promising start with Michael Hurley and Conor Cahalane sharing a brace of points inside four minutes.
Hauled back to equality, 0-3 to 0-3, five minutes later, thanks to a Mallow two-pointer from centre-forward Jake Dillon, they fell behind by the minimum before Jack Cahalane pounced for the goal that did much to pave the way for a hard-earned triumph.
With Shane Merritt to the fore at midfield, Mallow enjoyed a territorial edge before the break, but they struggled to make it count on the scoreboard, enduring further frustration when influential centre-back Matty Taylor was black-carded with six minutes to the interval.
Aided by late points from Mark Collins, who turned in a typically polished performance at wing-back, and corner-forward Micheál Maguire, the Haven were 1-5 to 0-6 to the good at the end of an exhilarating first half.
Cathal Maguire, another to make a particularly generous contribution in the half-back line, drew first blood for the Haven on the resumption, adding a two-pointer to give them a four-point cushion, 1-8 to 0-7, in the 36th minute.
After Sean Browne got his name on the scoresheet a minute later, it seemed as if the Haven might have weathered the worst of the Mallow storm.
They went close to settling the issue midway through the second-half when a Conor Cahalane rasper from point-blank range produced a spectacular save from Mallow goalkeeper Kevin Doyle, and Michael Maguire’s effort from the rebound was cleared off the line by corner-back Bill Myers.
Mark Collins, with a two-pointer and a converted free, stretched the gap to seven, 1-13 to 0-9, approaching the last ten minutes, suggesting the Haven were ready to coast home, but they didn’t score again as a gutsy Mallow outfit applied some strong pressure on the run-in.
Despite losing midfielder Andrew Whelton to a black-card in the 53rd minute, the Castlehaven held their composure – their well-drilled defence ensuring Mallow never seriously threatened to grab the goal they required to have any chance of pulling the game out of the fire.
So, another positive start by the Haven, who haven’t lost a championship opener since going under to Dohenys in 2006.
OUR STAR: Damien Cahalane adorned his defensive duties with several inspirational runs from the back, making it hard to credit he’s a 33-year old veteran now.
Scorers
Castlehaven: M Collins 0-6 (3f, 2pt); J Cahalane 1-0; C Maguire 0-3 (2pt); M Hurley, C Cahalane, M Maguire, S Browne 0-1 each.
Mallow: J Dillon 0-4 (2pt, 1f); M O’Rourke 0-3; E Kelleher 0-2; M Taylor, J Glynn, S McDonnell 0-1 (f) each.
Castlehaven: Darragh Cahalane; J O’Regan, Damien Cahalane, S Walsh; M Collins, R Minihane, C Maguire; R Maguire, A Whelton; S Browne, J Cahalane, J Walsh; M Maguire, C Cahalane, M Hurley.
Sub: J O’Driscoll for J Walsh (48).
Mallow: K Doyle; B Myers, P Lyons, G Daly; T Kiely, M Taylor, J Glynn; S Merritt, A Bolster; M O’Rourke, J Dillon, S McDonnell; K Sheehan, M Tobin, E Kelleher.
Subs: J Loughrey for Sheehan (42), C Mullins for Tobin (42), E Stanton for O’Rourke (53), P Britton for Kiely (60).
Referee: R Whelan (Gleann na Laoi).
