LATE drama, big comebacks and dominant displays – the Bandon Co-op Carbery Junior A Football Championship Roinn 4 served up plenty of talking points.
Dylan Scannell was the hero for St Mary’s as he hit a two-pointer in stoppage time to earn his team a 0-15 to 1-12 draw against Goleen in Kealkil.
It was the treble junior B winners from 2024 that started well here, leading 1-6 to 0-1 inside 11 minutes, with a couple of two-pointers being a massive help.
Jake Coughlan got the goal, which looked to have set the Mizen club up for a first junior A win. At half-time, the score was 1-9 to 0-4, as Michael O’Reilly – who was outstanding, scoring 0-9 (2f, 1tpf, 1tp) – really contributed.
Olan Corcoran was Mary’s only scorer in the opening half, as the former Cork U20 finished with 0-9 (4f), but the Saints had another scorer after 33 minutes when Rory O’Connor nailed a two-pointer.
With the margin at five points on 36 minutes (1-10 to 0-8), Mary’s needed leaders to fight back – and Corcoran and Brian McCarthy did just that. McCarthy hit 0-2 (1f) to help drag his team back into contention, but even at that, Goleen still held a 1-12 to 0-12 advantage with two minutes of normal time left.
Corcoran tagged on another before Scannell saved the game for the Ballineen/Enniskeane club. The remaining Goleen scorers were Paudie O’Regan (0-2, 1f) and Eden Healy.
In the other Roinn 4 game, Carbery Rangers’ seconds earned a 2-8 to 0-9 win over St Colum’s, where a dominant first half did the trick in Drimoleague on Monday night.
Ross were 2-6 to 0-2 up at the break with goals courtesy of Padraig Hodnett and Niall Keane, along with two-pointers by Jack O’Regan and Caolan Hayes putting them in a commanding position. The remaining first-half scores came from O’Regan and Mike Maguire.
Colum’s, to their credit, brought it back to five with five minutes to go (2-7 to 0-8), but Colm Hayes scored his second point of the second half to ease the nerves for the league champions.
In Roinn 1, 2024 finalists Diarmuid Ó Mathúnas got the better of St Oliver Plunkett’s in Enniskeane, 0-17 to 1-10. The Castletownkenneigh club were in control at half-time, leading 0-10 to 0-3, but the Ahiohill outfit dragged it back in the second spell, outscoring Mathúnas 1-7 to 0-7.
For Mathúnas, Seán Crowley, Jack O’Callaghan, Jamie Lucey, Robbie Lucey, Matthew Draper and Conor O’Sullivan all got on the scoresheet.
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In the junior B football championship, Clann na nGael opened their campaign with a 2-11 to 0-7 win over Muintir Bhaire in Ballydehob.
Clonakilty’s seconds comfortably beat Ilen Rovers B 5-22 to 1-14 in Leap, while there were also wins for second teams from Newcestown (beating Bantry Blues B 3-17 to 0-9 in Castletownkenneigh) and O’Donovan Rossa (beating St James B 3-15 to 2-9 in Dunmanway).
The only clash between second teams to finish all square was Bandon against Dohenys, ending 0-12 to 1-9 in Rossmore.
