Cork star Brian O’Driscoll shows his quality to spearhead Tadhg MacCárthaigh win

Tadhg MacCárthaigh 0-12  

Castlehaven 1-7

TOM LYONS REPORTS

THIS was championship football at its very best with fierce determination, hard knocks, do-or-die bravery, top-class scores, marvellous blocking, not an inch asked or given. Call it a throw-back, but this was a highly enjoyable encounter in the second round of the Bandon Co-op junior A football championship in Drimoleague on Sunday evening.

It was a five-star performance from Cork footballer Brian O’Driscoll that made the difference between the sides, as Tadhg MacCarthaigh booked their place in the knock-out stages.

Castlehaven's Patrick O'Brien in action against Tadhg MacCarthaigh's Brian O'Driscoll.

‘That was far from easy,’ said Tadhg MacCarthaigh mentor Cárthach Keane. ‘We were slow to get going early on, but the second half was more like us, moving the ball much better. Kevin O’Driscoll is back from injury, he hasn’t really played for a while, Colm is looking very fresh again and Brian is flying.’

There was little between the sides in the first quarter, the teams sharing four points. Brian O’Driscoll and Paddy Burke pointed frees for MacCarthaighs while Liam O’Mahony and Conor O’Driscoll answered for Haven. Tadhg Keating, Liam, Eoin and Mícheál O’Donovan impressed in the Caheragh defence, while David Whelton, Joseph Bohane and Tomás O’Leary formed a solid Haven full-back line in front of reliable goalkeeper Cian O’Sullivan.

The only goal of the game arrived in the 17th minute when Shane Nolan won a long ball in front of goal, turned his man and buried the ball in the net. Advantage the Haven, but it was MacCarthaighs who responded, Brian O’Driscoll leading the way with two points. Nolan put the Haven two in front but O’Driscoll’s driving runs were causing problems and when he pointed a free, the gap was down to a single point at half time, 1-3 to 0-5.

Starting the second half, points from Paddy Burke (free) and Brian O’Driscoll had MacCarthaighs in front but David Whelton levelled. A Brian O’Driscoll point, set up by brother Kevin, had MacCarthaighs leading at the three-quarter stage, 0-8 to 1-4.

Castlehaven's Tom O'Leary is tackled by Tadhg MacCarthaigh's Paddy Burke during the Bandon Co-op JAFC round two tie at Drimoleague.

The Haven were certainly not shirking the challenge and Kevin O’Donovan levelled to begin the last quarter. It was end to end, hectic football and the introduction of Oisín Daly for MacCarthaighs was to have a big influence on the game as he kicked his team into the lead with his first touch, a lead they weren’t to lose again.

It was point for point down the straight as Kevin O’Donovan, who was superb in the final quarter, swapped points with both Brian and Colm O’Driscoll. O’Donovan’s second point could easily have been a goal. Only a point separated the sides in the closing minutes but it was Oisín Daly who sealed the victory with a fine point from near the sideline in the 60th minute.

‘The objective was to get the two points and we did that,’ said Keane. ‘We’ll build on this, a lot of work to do, but it’s progressing.’

What’s next? Tadhg MacCárthaigh, already qualified with four points, will play Diarmuid Ó Mathúna, zero points, in the last round, while Castlehaven, two points, will play Randal Óg, two points, the winner advancing to the play-offs. The two sides are also level on scoring difference but Randals have a single point advantage in scores for, meaning a draw would see them through.

Scorers

Tadhg MacCarthaigh: Brian O’Driscoll 0-7 (3f); Oisín Daly, Paddy Burke (2f) 0-2 each; Colm O’Driscoll 0-1.

Castlehaven: Shane Nolan 1-1; Kevin O’Donovan 0-3; David Whelton, Liam O’Mahony, Conor O’Driscoll 0-1 each.

Tadhg MacCarthaigh: Shane Kingston; Shane Fitzgerald, Tadhg Keating, Cathal Hegarty; Eoin O’Donovan, Mícheál O’Donovan, Liam O’Donovan; David O’Connor, Daniel Kingston; Leon Burke, Brian O’Driscoll, Seán McCarthy; Paddy Burke, Colm O’Driscoll, Kevin O’Driscoll.

Subs: Oisín Daly for E O’Donovan (50), Kevin O’Regan for C Hegarty (62).

Castlehaven: Cian O’Sullivan; Joseph Bohane, David Whelton, Tomás O’Leary; Oisín Daly, Seán Walsh, Shane O’Connell; Liam O’Mahony, Jamie Walsh; Fiachra Collins, Kevin O’Donovan, Gavin Casey; Conor O’Driscoll, Shane Hurley, Shane Nolan.

Subs: Roland Whelton for O Daly (ht), Patrick O’Brien for G Casey (34), Shane O’Driscoll for F Collins (40).

Referee: Michael O’Mahony (Kilbrittain).