IBANE GAELS 1-14
O’DONOVAN ROSSA 0-10
TOM LYONS REPORTS
IBANE Gaels outlasted O’Donovan Rossa to book their place in this year’s Clóna Milk Carbery U21AFC final in Drimoleague last Friday evening…
A great start and a strong finish were instrumental in Ibane Gaels advancing to this year’s U21A football championship decider.
After six minutes, the score read 1-3 to 0-0 in Ibane’s favour. In the closing six minutes, with two points separating the sides, a burst of five unanswered Ibane points put a flattering look on the final scoreboard.
Those two scoring bursts aside, this was a keenly contested semi-final on a perfect evening for football. Both teams produced excellent football in patches and showed why two-pointers can be vital scores in any game.
Ibane Gaels' Luke Murphy is challenged by O'Donovan Rossa's Jason Collins.
Both teams contained impressive footballers, while the teamwork was top-class as well.
From the off, Ibane’s Olan O’Donovan took this semi-final by the scruff of the neck, kicking 1-3. O’Donovan’s third minute goal stood between the sides for most of the game.
The fact that it was a controversial score didn’t help Rossa’s cause. O’Donovan’s attempted point dropped short under the crossbar. Goalkeeper Odhran Herlihy juggled the ball over his head before clearing but, unfortunately, the umpires decided the ball had crossed the goal line and the green flag was waved.
That six-point start saw Ibane leading by seven at the break, having played with the breeze which died down in the second half.
Ibane Gaels' Donagh Flynn goes around O'Donovan Rossa's Ronan Collins.
Rossa’s dominated the third quarter, holding Ibane scoreless, while they kicked four points to close the gap to two. The last quarter produced a ding-dong struggle. Rossa’s looked like bridging the gap but then came Ibane’s second wind, thanks mainly to midfielder Luke Murphy’s heroics, whose two-point free proved a vital score after 56 minutes.
‘We knew Skibbereen were going well as they had a great win over Newcestown early in the year and a good win over Castlehaven in minor recently,’ said Ibane mentor, Danny Murphy.
‘We had the benefit of the wind in the first half and we knew a good start was vital. We got the early scores but didn’t build on it.
‘Credit Skibb with battling back and we were lucky to have the early goal as a cushion. It might have been a lucky goal, sometimes you get those breaks, sometimes not.
‘We haven’t much done as a team but the older lads are involved with the adult teams and the younger lads busy with our minor squad.
‘We had a good win over Clonakilty six months ago and it was important to build on that tonight. This grade is a great benefit to the young lads, not easy to slot into the calendar but a vital grade to retain players.
‘We finished strong. We are a relatively young team and we showed good legs there at the end. We could see the value of the two-pointers tonight, I suppose Luke’s two-pointer at the end is what killed off the game.’
O'Donovan Rossa's Frank Hurley is tackled by Ibane Gaels' Sean Ryan.
***
The opening six minutes belonged to Ibane Gaels and Olan O’Donovan as he followed his early goal with three unanswered points.
To Rossas’ credit, they came to grips with the O’Donovan threat, limiting him to a two-point free in the second quarter and a late point in the final quarter.
Then, Rossa’s Luca Harte began to make his presence felt in midfield. The Skibbereen club kicked the next three points, from Harte, Luke O’Sullivan and Niall Daly.
A point by lively full forward, James Crowley, had Ibane four to the good, 1-4 to 0-3, at the end of the opening quarter.
The importance of two-pointers was shown when O’Donovan kicked a morale-boosting long range free. James Crowley raised two white flags before the break, in answer to a single effort from Rossas’ Cian O’Brien. A sizeable gap of seven points had opened between the teams, 1-8 to 0-4 to Ibane at half time.
Ciarán Coombes, Alan Daly, Frank Hurley, James Goulding and Luca Harte drove O’Donovan Rossa forward immediately after the restart. Four unanswered points from Niall Daly, Harte and Luke O’Sullivan (two) had the deficit down to two by the end of the third quarter, 1-8 to 0-9.
Ibane broke their second half duck with a point from substitute Donagh Flynn. Daly responded for Rossa’s after 26 minutes. That was it for the Skibb lads on the scoreboard as the Barryroe and Argideen combination took a firm grip of proceedings.
Ibane Gaels boss Danny Murphy.
Kevin Hennessy and Charlie Twomey were outstanding in defence, midfielder Luke Murphy thundered into the game and, up front, Daniel Moloney, Olan O’Donovan and James Crowley began to turn the screw.
Following a fourth point from Crowley, it was midfielder Murphy who did the damage when he kicked a two-point free and followed up with a solo (fisted) effort.
O’Donovan closed the scoring for Ibane as they maintained a proud record in this grade over the past five seasons.
‘We’re delighted to be in the final but just a word about the late Donal Holland, a great stalwart of Ibane and a great stalwart of Barryroe GAA,’ said Danny Murphy.
‘Donal was on the line as manager when we beat Clonakilty back in February. I’m just glad that the lads put in a performance tonight that Donal would have been proud of. That really meant a lot to us.’
Scorers
Ibane Gaels: Olan O’Donovan 1-6 (1 2ptf); James Crowley 0-4; Luke Murphy 0-3 (1 2ptf), Donagh Flynn 0-1.
O’Donovan Rossa: Luke O’Sullivan 0-4 (1 2pt); Niall Daly 0-3 (1f); Luca Harte 0-2; Cian O’Brien 0-1.
Ibane Gaels: Luke McCarthy; Kevin Hennessy, Joe Crowley, Aidan Walsh; Aaron Fleming, Tomás Ó Buachalla, Charlie Twomey; Dermot Dineen, Luke Murphy; Jack Twomey, Daniel Moloney, Seán Ryan; Dara Walsh, James Crowley, Olan O’Donovan.
Subs: Donagh Flynn for S Ryan (40), Jamie Collins for D Dineen (54), Charlie Dineen for A Fleming (56).
O’Donovan Rossa: Odhran Herlihy; Seán McCarthy, Ciarán Coombes, Olan Hurley; Alan Daly, Frank Hurley, James Goulding; Luca Harte, Neil McCarthy; Cian O’Brien, Niall Daly, Ronan Collins; Luke O’Sullivan, Conor Hurley, Brian O’Sullivan.
Subs: Aaron Dempsey for C O’Brien (ht), Jason Collins for B O’Sullivan (ht).
Referee: Jimmy O’Sullivan (St. Colum’s).
