HISTORY was made in Ahamilla on Sunday as O’Donovan Rossa marked their first-ever senior championship outing with a stunning derby 3-9 to 2-9 victory over neighbours Clonakilty.
The Skibbereen side, who have climbed from junior to the top tier in just two years, announced themselves in emphatic fashion, taking the scalp of an established senior club in front of a large and vocal crowd.
Winners of county, Munster and All-Ireland junior titles in 2023 before sweeping county and provincial intermediate crowns in 2024, the Rossas showed they belong at the top table by grinding out a deserved 3-9 to 2-9 triumph in their Cork Credit Unions SFC Group 1 opener.
Goals proved the difference, with Laura O’Mahony striking twice and Éabha O’Donovan also finding the net in a superb first half.
While 2024 county junior B champions Clonakilty rallied after the break and Sinéad O’Donovan carried the fight with a brilliant personal tally of 2-4, the visitors’ defensive resolve and ability to take their chances ensured a famous win.
O'Donovan Rossa's Fionnuala O'Driscoll is tackled by Clonakilty's Siobhán Callanan. (Photo: Paddy Feen)
‘The result was the most important thing today,’ said O’Donovan Rossa head coach James O’Donovan afterwards.
‘At the end of the day, in senior championship football it doesn’t matter how well or how poorly you play – it’s about getting points on the board. That’s what we got, so we are delighted.
‘We knew last weekend’s West Cork Division 1 final win over Clonakilty wasn’t a true reflection – they had players missing, and we expected a huge challenge here. They unsettled us at times, but this team has a knack of finding a way to win. They’ve done it for two years now, and we are just delighted to get our first senior win.’
For Clonakilty, it was a far stronger display than in their West Cork final defeat seven days earlier. Driven on by the outstanding Sinéad O’Donovan, they battled to the end but couldn’t convert enough of their opportunities.
Katie O’Driscoll, Moira Barrett, Millie Condon and Siobhán Callanan worked tirelessly, but Clon lacked consistent scoring options outside of their talisman.
‘We were very disappointed with our lack of fight last week,’ admitted Clon manager David Aherne.
‘That was the one thing we wanted to put right – we could not come second in terms of grit and character. I was really happy with that improvement today.
‘The game was there to be won, but we wasted too many chances. Skibbereen are a very smart team though, and they will take some stopping this year.’
Clonakilty's Kate O'Donovan coming out with the ball past O'Donovan Rossa's Aoife O'Driscoll. (Photo: Paddy Feen)
Despite playing against a strong wind, Rossas opened brightly with All-Ireland winning Cork minor Éabha O’Donovan hitting 1-1 inside the first ten minutes. Sinéad O’Donovan and Katie O’Driscoll responded for the home side before Fionnuala O’Driscoll added a Skibb point in a physical, hard-hitting contest.
Clon enjoyed their best spell midway through the half, pressing up on Tara O’Regan’s kickouts and reaping reward when Sinéad O’Donovan buried a brilliant goal.
But Rossas response was ruthless. With O’Mahony and Emer McCarthy seizing control around midfield, they rattled off 2-2 in quick succession. O’Mahony twice burst through on goal, finishing superbly off either foot to put daylight between the sides, and frees from Éabha O’Donovan and Sinéad Farrell widened the gap.
Clon steadied with three frees from Siofra Pattwell and another Sinéad O’Donovan point, before Farrell made it 3-5 to 1-7 at the interval.
Laura O’Mahony pointed early on the resumption, only for Sinéad O’Donovan to again lift Clon spirits with a second well-taken goal. That reduced the margin to two points after 38 minutes, but what followed was a remarkable 13-minute scoreless spell broken only by Martin O’Brien’s vital save to deny Skibb.
Clonakilty's Katie O'Driscoll goes past O'Donovan Rossa's Sarah Hurley. (Photo: Paddy Feen)
When Kate O’Donovan finally split the posts, Rossas breathed easier, and with Clon losing substitute Kiya O’Mahony to a yellow card, the visitors stretched clear through Éabha O’Donovan and Allie Tobin.
Still, Clonakilty never threw in the towel. Two late Sinéad O’Donovan points – the second when a goal looked on – narrowed the gap again, but the Rossas defence held firm in the dying minutes to secure a landmark win.
The Skibbereen club now face another West Cork derby at home to Castlehaven next weekend, a clash sure to attract another bumper attendance and provide a fresh test of their senior credentials.
OUR STAR: Sinéad O’Donovan shone for Clon but for sheer work-rate on and off the ball, O’Donovan Rossa midfielder Emer McCarthy gets the nod.
Scorers - Clonakilty: S O’Donovan 2-4 (1-3f); S Pattwell 0-3 (3f); K O’Driscoll 0-2. O’Donovan Rossa: L O’Mahony 2-1; É O’Donovan 1-3 (1f); S Farrell 0-2; F O’Driscoll, K O’Donovan, A Tobin 0-1 each.
Clonakilty: M O’Brien; N Kennedy, S Callanan, E O’Sullivan; M O’Donovan, K O’Donovan, C McCarthy; M Barrett, K O’Driscoll; M Condon, S Pattwell, E Meade; S O’Donovan, C McEvoy, A O’Flynn-Meade. Subs: K O’Mahony for McEvoy (38), L Daly for O’Flynn-Meade (45), R Twomey for Meade (50), S Crowley for Pattwell (58).
O’Donovan Rossa: T O’Regan; A Bohane, A Whooley, E Fitzgerald; F Leonard, S Hurley, A Tobin; L O’Mahony, E McCarthy; T Murphy, A O’Driscoll, M O’Neill; É O’Donovan, F O’Driscoll, S Farrell. Subs: O McCarthy for Farrell (35, inj), K O’Donovan for O’Neill (42).
Referee: Sean Ryan (Glanmire).
