Blackrock 0-14
Carbery 0-9
NOEL HORGAN REPORTS
DUE to resume with the aid of a strong wind, Carbery appeared to be in with a decent chance of coming up trumps against Blackrock heading into the second half of the county senior camogie championship preliminary quarter-final at Castle Road on Sunday.
While they trailed by five points, 0-8 to 0-3, at the interval, their attack had shown sufficient potential in the first half to suggest the West Cork ladies were well-equipped to make up the leeway when favoured by the elements.
Fancied Blackrock, with their defence tightening up considerably, managed to remain in front until the finish, however, leaving Carbery to reflect ruefully on their failure to make the most of two clear-cut goal chances before the break.
Manager Teddy O’Regan agreed those squandered opportunities came back to haunt Carbery to a certain extent, but he felt the big problem for his side in the second half was that some of the players got very tired.
‘It’s been well-documented that a number of our girls were playing a third game in the space of 24 hours, and you could see in the second half how that took its toll,’ O’Regan admitted.
‘This was only our second game in the championship as well, and Blackrock came into the match on the back of a big win over Inniscarra.
‘They’re well used to playing together, and their greater team-work was clearly a factor on the day,’ said O’Regan, adding he was immensely proud of his side’s gallant bid to upset the odds.
‘It’s always hard to blend a divisional team due to club commitments, but what we’re trying to do is promote camogie in Carbery, and I think we achieved our objective with the performance today.’
Carbery's Amy McCarthy on the attack against Blackrock.
After taking a return pass from Siofra Patwell, Katie O’Driscoll got Carbery off the mark to make it 0-1 apiece in the ninth minute.
Both O’Driscoll and Patwell were involved in a move, initiated by Daire O’Brien, that unhinged the Rockies rearguard a minute later, but Patwell was unable to apply the finish.
Always a threat, Patwell was again out of luck after a sublime cross by Moira Barrett enabled O’Driscoll to put her through in the 19th minute.
A pointed free soon followed from Patwell – who, along with O’Driscoll and Barrett, caused no shortage of problems for the Blackrock defence before the break – to leave Carbery trailing by the minimum, 0-3 to 0-2, and in a very healthy position at that juncture.
Daire O’Brien was to the fore as well at midfield, while their defence resisted stoutly as a unit before Blackrock gradually began to extend their lead towards the end of the first half.
Aided by a give-away score from a 45, awarded after Carbery had been penalised for pucking out the ball from outside the square, the city side led by 0-6 to 0-2 with 27 minutes gone.
Siofra Patwell pulled a point back from a free, won by Amy McCarthy, before impressive midfielder Cliona O’Callaghan replied with a brace for Blackrock to complete the first-half scoring.
With Katie O’Driscoll, effective substitute Caoimhe Murphy and Daire O’Brien on target, Carbery got back within striking range, 0-9 to 0-6, midway through the second half, but the Blackrock defence came up with most of the answers in the last quarter.
Cliona O’Callaghan, Hayley Ryan and Katlyn Hickey were leading lights elsewhere for the Rockies, who, looking the more assured outfit in the second half, ran out worthy winners.
Still, Carbery, with Cork star Libby Coppinger making her presence felt at centre-back, pushed them all the way after falling 0-12 to 0-6 in arrears inside the last ten minutes.
A hat-trick of scores from placed balls by Daire O’Brien rekindled the losers' challenge, and it wasn’t until Maeve Coffey and Erinn Curtin pointed in the dying minutes that Blackrock could afford to breathe easily.
Scorers
Blackrock: H Ryan 0-5 (2f, 1 45); C O’Callaghan 0-3; E Curtin, K Hickey (2f) 0-2 each; S McCarthy, M Coffey 0-1 each.
Carbery: D O’Brien 0-4 (3f); S Patwell (2f), K O’Driscoll 0-2 each; C Murphy 0-1.
Blackrock: A Kearney; M Cashman, A Hegarty, L Guerin; M Ryan, O Grimley, R De Faoite; C O’Callaghan, K Hickey; M Murphy, E Curtin, M Coffey; H Ryan, L McKeogh, J O’Keeffe.
Subs: S Mc Carthy for McKeogh (40), K Lyons for Guerin (45).
Carbery: O Kelleher (Newcestown); N Kennedy (Clonakilty), E O’Driscoll (Enniskeane), E O’Donovan (Kilbree); C Crowley (Ballinascarthy), L Coppinger (St Colum’s), D O’Neill (Enniskeane); M Condon (Ballinascarthy), D O’Brien (Enniskeane); A McCarthy (Clonakilty), K O’Driscoll (do.), M O’Brien (Enniskeane), M Barrett (Ballinascarthy), K O’Sullivan (Newcestown).
Subs: C Murphy (Kilbree) for O’Sullivan (23), M Coppinger (St Colum’s) for O’Neill (ht), S Burrows (Newcestown) for O’Donovan (35), A O’Flynn-Meade (Clonakilty) for O’Brien (46), M O’Donovan (Barryroe) for Patwell (51).
Referee: A Larkin (Douglas).
