Carbery Rangers 0-14
Goleen 1-11
TOM LYONS REPORTS
WHEN Tadhg Cullinane buried the ball in the Ross net in the 41st minute to give his side an eight-point lead, rampant Goleen seemed poised for their first-ever win in the Carbery junior A football championship.
What transpired in the last 20 minutes was incredible. Goleen’s challenge disintegrated, failing to score again until the last kick, while resurgent Carbery Rangers took control to kick nine points in a row.
Rangers, who had beaten St Colum’s in round one, went from eight down to one in front, as the game entered injury time.
Confusion over the new rules saw a stoppage at a crucial stage in injury time and Goleen managed to win a free, 50 metres out. What was a danger to Rangers became a lethal blow when the ball was advanced to the 20-metre line for dissent. Up stepped ace scorer Michael O’Reilly to kick an equalising point with the last kick of the game. It was a second Roinn 4 draw for Goleen, who also drew with Mary’s in their opener.
‘We had a chance of winning it but there was a lot of confusion at the end with the two frees. The first free definitely was a wrong decision and was rightly reversed but that last free was the correct decision. He pointed it, and a draw was a fair result,’ said a philosophical Rangers’ manager John Hayes.
Rangers failed to score from play in the opening quarter, goalkeeper Aaron O’Brien and full forward Jack O’Regan their main marksman, scoring from placed balls. Goleen’s points in that quarter came from Michael O’Reilly (2) and the industrious Matthew Sheehan. It was Goleen in front, 0-3 to 0-2, entering the second quarter.
The sides again swapped score for score in the second quarter. O’Reilly kicked a superb point, and added two frees, while O’Regan had two fine points for Rangers, their first scores from play, followed by a third by Eoghan Hayes.
It was Goleen leading at half time by a single point, 0-6 to 0-5 but the game took a huge turn in the third quarter. Goleen came flying out of the blocks. O’Reilly kicked two points. A black card for Rangers’ Alan O’Rourke resulted in Goleen taking control. Jake Coughlan hit two opportunist points and when Pa Sheehan set up Tadhg Cullinane for the only goal of the game in the 41st minute, Goleen led by eight, 1-10 to 0-5.
The return of O’Rourke after the black card, the introduction of sub James Fitzpatrick and the re-introduction of midfielder Mike Maguire saw a transformation in Rangers’ play. Suddenly, it was all Ross, closing the gap. Jack O’Regan led the way with three frees and one from play. Colm Hayes, Caolan Hayes, James Fitzpatrick and Aaron O’Brien (45) also scored – it was level by the 58th minute.
Rangers hit the front with a point by sub Brian Shanahan in the 59th minute, but then came the equaliser by O’Reilly that ensured both sides remain in contention for a qualifying spot.
‘We were on fire in the third quarter and that’s usually a time in the game when we don’t perform too well, but that’s the second game in a row that we had a lead and couldn’t protect it,’ Goleen manager Kieran Sheehan added.
Scorers
Carbery Rangers: Jack O’Regan 0-7 (4f); Aaron O’Brien 0-2 (1f, 1 45); Caolan Hayes, Eoghan Hayes, James Fitzpatrick, Colm Hayes, Brian Shanahan 0-1 each.
Goleen: Michael O’Reilly 0-8 (3f); Tadhg Cullinane 1-0; Jake Coughlan 0-2; Matthew Sheehan 0-1.
Carbery Rangers: Aaron O’Brien; Peter Óg Hill, Killian Eady, Alan O’Rourke; Jerry McCarthy, Caolan Hayes, Padraig Hodnett; Padraig Tobin, Mike Maguire; Eoghan Hayes, Alan Jennings, Niall Keane; Colm Hayes, Jack O’Regan, Kieran Fitzpatrick.
Subs: Ben Sheehy for N Keane (23), James Fitzpatrick for M Maguire (33), Brian Shanahan for K Fitzpatrick (33), Mike Maguire for B Sheehy (47), Ronan Hayes for C Hayes (60).
Goleen: Ronan Kennedy; Eden Healy, Jack O’Driscoll, Paul Collins; Pa Sheehan, Eoghan Sheehan, Cian Bowen; Matthew Sheehan, Adam Sheehan; Jake Coughlan, Tadhg Cullinane, Aaron Barry; Darren O’Donovan, Michael O’Reilly, Padraig Reidy.
Subs: Paudie O’Regan for A Barry (50), Daniel O’Driscoll for D O’Donovan (54), Darren O’Donovan for D O’Driscoll (58), Shane O’Leary for P Reidy (58).
Referee: John Enright (Glengarriff).
