Plunkett’s power into county junior football semi-final

St Oliver Plunkett’s 3-16

Garnish 0-7 

TOM LYONS REPORTS

ST Oliver Plunkett’s powered their way into the county confined junior B football semi-final – and a glamour meeting with fellow Carbery side, Goleen – when they had a comprehensive win over Garnish in Aughaville.

The Ahiohill men grabbed control of this quarter-final from the word go and never relaxed in a fine team performance.

The final score-line is a bit flattering as two of Plunkett’s goals came in the closing stages and Garnish didn’t help themselves by having one of their best players sent off in the 30th minute for double yellow. That said, Plunkett’s were clearly the better side. With their full-back line cutting off all paths to goal and their lethal full-forward line accounting for 3-6, the Magpies were never really threatened all through.

‘This has proved to be a great competition for us, regular games early in the season,’ said a delighted Plunkett’s coach Noel Griffin, the former Clare inter-county man who won a county senior medal with Clonakilty in 2009.

‘This is my first year with the team and even though they were very disappointed to be relegated last season, they have been putting in a huge effort since last November. We played very well today as a team because Garnish are a good team. Our full-forward line was on fire, three great young lads, with veterans like Conor McCarthy, Eddie O’Driscoll and Mike Keohane giving great leadership.’

St Oliver Plunketts' Padraig Healy on a solo run from Garnish's Jack O'Sullivan.

Even though it was Garnish who opened the scoring with a point from Donncha Lowney, it was the Magpies who hit the front with an equaliser from Roy O’Driscoll and then an opportunist goal from the same player in the fifth minute. Goalkeeper Brian Walsh kicked the first of three long-range points from frees before Garnish’s best player, Seán O’Sullivan, answered from play. When O’Driscoll landed his second point, it was Plunkett’s in front by four at the end of the first quarter, 1-3 to 0-2.

The winners then produced a string of unanswered points from Padraig Healy (brother of sprint stars Phil and Joan), David White, Walsh (free), Gary McCarthy and Michael P Keohane. Garnish finally broke the sequence with a point from the impressive Seán O’Sullivan. Veteran MP Keohane finished the half in style with three white flags in a row, and it was Plunkett’s in front by 11 points at the break, 1-11 to 0-3.

The mountain Garnish had to climb became an Everest in the 30th minute when big midfielder Brian O’Sullivan received a second yellow; the Beara men had to face the entire second half a man short.

Garnish's Cian O'Neill comes in with a tackle on St Oliver Plunketts' David White during the Bon Secours Confined junior B FC quarter-final at Aughaville.

Plunkett’s began the second period with three scores in a row. Following a fine save by Brian Walsh from Seán O’Sullivan, Seán O’Donovan kicked two points and Keohane added a third. Now the gap was 14 points. In reality, there was no way back for Garnish. Making several changes at half time and in the third quarter, they had real triers in Tommy O’Sullivan, Dean Henshaw and Eanna Murphy in defence, Rory O’Driscoll and Seán O’Sullivan at midfield and Donncha Lowney and sub Finbarr Sheehan in attack.

After Eanna Murphy had kicked a fourth point for Garnish, the game was put solidly to bed in the 52nd and 54th minutes when Seán O’Donovan struck for two goals, both set up by Padraig Healy. The industrious Seán O’Sullivan raised two white flags for Garnish before goalkeeper Martin O’Sullivan again showed his credentials with a penalty save from Keohane. Opposing goalkeeper Walsh grabbed his third point of the game from a free and Healy ended the Plunketts’ scoring before impressive sub Finbarr Sheehan had the last say for the Garnish outfit.

Scorers

St Oliver Plunkett’s: Seán O’Donovan 2-2 (1f); Roy O’Driscoll 1-2; Mike Keohane 0-5 (3f); Brian Walsh 0-3f; Padraig Healy 0-2; David White, Gary McCarthy 0-1 each.

Garnish: Seán O’Sullivan 0-4 (1f); Finbarr Sheehan, Eanna Murphy, Donncha Lowney 0-1 each.

St Oliver Plunkett’s: Brian Walsh; Niall O’Driscoll, Ciarán Dullea, Eddie O’Driscoll; Mark Kelly, Ronan McCarthy, Gary McCarthy; David White, Conor McCarthy; Michael Collins, Michael Keohane, Owen McCarthy; Padraig Healy, Roy O’Driscoll, Seán O’Donovan.

Subs: Alan McKennedy for O McCarthy (38) Cormac Lyons for R McCarthy, (40), Mike McCarthy for E O’Driscoll (45), Seán Gazdar for C McCarthy (47), Seán O’Sullivan for R O’Driscoll.

Garnish: Martin O’Sullivan; Cárthaigh O’Driscoll, Tommy O’Sullivan, Darragh Henshaw; Dean Henshaw, Jack O’Sullivan, Eanna Murphy; Rory O’Driscoll, Brian O’Sullivan; Raphael O’Leary, Donncha Lowney, Gary O’Sullivan; Jerome O’Dwyer, Seán O’Sullivan, Cian O’Neill.

Subs: Tuan Millem for J O’Sullivan (ht), Finbarr Sheehan for J O’Dwyer (ht), Brian Walsh for R O’Leary (ht), Hugh O’Sullivan for C O’Neill (36), Daniel O’Sullivan for G O’Sullivan (40).

Referee: Niall Hayes (Carbery Rangers).