Tadhg MacCarthaigh overcome setbacks en route to Carbery JAFC last four

Tadhg MacCárthaigh 2-10  
St Colum’s 1-4
TOM LYONS REPORTS
DESPITE losing Brian O’Driscoll to injury after six minutes and having two players black-carded during the second half, Tadhg MacCárthaigh advanced to the semi-final of the Bandon Co-op JAFC with a comprehensive win over St Colum’s.
The winners were aided by two goals , one as early as the seventh minute and the second at the beginning of the second half.
‘We achieved what we came to do and played some very good football in doing so,’ said a satisfied MacCárthaigh coach, Cárthach Keane. ‘The early goal was crucial. Losing Brian so early didn’t help but the rest of the forwards stood up. Once we settled in the first half, the scores began to come and we were happy with a ten-point lead at half time.’

Tadhg MacCarthaigh's Cathal Hegarty is tackled by St Colun's Shane Murnane during the Bandon Co-op JAFC quarter-final at Dunmanway.

With the strong breeze, MacCárthaighs got on top from the start, with Brian O’Driscoll lining out at full forward. He kicked their first point from a 45 in the fifth minute, in between two magnificent saves from Colum’s goalkeeper Andrew Goggin, from Colm O’Driscoll and Dylan Murray. That opening point was to be O’Driscoll’s last action as he limped off with a leg injury.
Goggin’s second save in the seventh minute resulted in a 45 which was taken by Paddy Burke, and the ball ended up in the back of the net. Points by Seán McCarthy and the impressive Dylan Murray (free) had MacCárthaighs six points in front, 1-3 to nil, at the end of the first quarter.
St Colums’ best forward, Ruairí O’Connor, finally got his side off the mark to begin the second quarter but points from Paddy Burke (2), Dylan Murray (2) and Seán McCarthy had Tadhg MacCárthaigh 1-8 to 0-1 in front at half time.
The Kealkill men showed their intent from the restart with Donal Hurley, Alan Kelleher, sub John Bryden O’Connell and Shane Murnane driving them forward. But when Oisín Daly availed of a defensive blunder to push the ball into the Colum’s net in the 35th minute, the writing was on the wall.

Tadhg MacCarthaigh's Micheál O'Donovan challenges St Colum's Eddie O'Sullivan.

The issuing of black cards to both Colm O’Driscoll and Daniel Kingston in the 34th and 36th minutes gave Colum’s new hope, and they kicked 1-3 in a seven-minute spell to reduce the leeway to seven points by the end of the third quarter. Cormac O’Connor pointed from play and a free and Andrews converted another free before John Dryden O’Connor found the net in the 43rd minute.
But that was to be the high point of the Kealkill challenge as they weren’t to score again. MacCárthaighs regrouped with the return to full numbers and with the brilliant Colm O’Driscoll organising their defence in style, they played possession football for the remainder of the game, breaking forward for points from Dylan Murray and Charles Hegarty to close out the game.

Tadhg MacCárthaigh will now meet Kilmacabea in the semi-final on October 22nd.

Scorers
Tadhg MacCárthaigh: Paddy Burke 1-2; Dylan Murray 0-4 (2f); Oisín Daly 1-0; Seán McCarthy 0-2; Cathal Hegarty, Brian O’Driscoll (45) 0-1 each.
St Colum’s: John Bryden O’Connell 1-0; Cormac O’Connor 0-2 (1f); Ruairí O’Connor, Dan Andrews (1f) 0-1 each.

Tadhg MacCárthaigh: Eugene Daly; David O’Connor, Shane Fitzgerald, Cathal Hegarty; Mícheál O’Donovan, Tadhg Keating, Liam O’Donovan; Daniel Kingston, Kevin O’Driscoll; Dylan Murray, Colm O’Driscoll, Seán McCarthy; Paddy Burke, Brian O’Driscoll, Eoin O’Donovan.
Subs: Oisín Daly for B O’Driscoll (6, inj), Kevin O’Regan for L O’Donovan (47), Jack McCarthy for E O’Donovan (40).

St Colum’s: Andrew Goggin; Donal Hurley, Pat Daly, David O’Mahony; Alan Kelleher, Eddie O’Sullivan, Martin Hurley; Shane Murnane, Damien Cronin; Ruairí O’Connor, Tadhg Cronin, Jamie McSweeney; Cormac O’Connor, Tony Harrington, Dan Andrews.
Subs: JD O’Sullivan for D Cronin (20), Denis McSweeney for J McSweeney (ht), Robert Cronin for T Cronin (ht), John Bryden O’Connell for M Hurley (ht), Michael Daly for E O’Sullivan (55).

Referee: Michael Collins (Clonakilty).