Barryroe have no answer to power of Glen Rovers

Glen Rovers 3-16                               

Barryroe 0-7

JOHN MURPHY REPORTS

FIELDING a side with eight players who had tasted senior hurling championship fare Glen Rovers’ second string easily swatted aside the weak challenge of Barryroe to run out 18-point winners in this lopsided Cork IHC first round clash at blustery Brinny. 

Forced to line out with over half of last year’s championship team missing the Blues gave youth its fling – but the classier and more experienced Blackpool dominated from start to finish. 

To having any chance of competing Barryroe needed to be on the front foot from the off. Instead they endured a nightmare opening quarter as they conceded two goals, the first powered home by Cathal O’Brien in the fifth minute. It got worse for the Blues as Ryan McGuckian smashed home a second goal two minutes later.

With Evan O’Connell and Paul Virgo constant threats to the Barryroe defence, the Blues were forced into a rear-guard action. David Kiely, the Sheehy duo of Cathal and Eoghan, and veteran Ger O’Leary were manning the gap to the best of their ability while Jerome O’Brien was grafting hard in the middle of the park. However, up front the losers’ forwards – apart from Jack Murphy and Daniel O’Driscoll – were getting little change out of a teak tough Rovers defence.

Daniel O’Driscoll and David Kiely pointed, but bar three frees, one from Michael Whelton and a brace from the reliable Jack Murphy, the scoreline for the Blues at the interval made for grim reading. They were 2-7 to 0-5 in arrears. 

With the strong wind to their backs Barryroe upped the ante on resuming, but two pointed free by the accurate Jack Murphy was all they could manage. They failed to raise a flag from play during the closing half.

In contrast the Blackpool scoring machine was purring sweetly. Evin O’Connell led the charge and clocked up four unanswered white flags between the 50th and 55th minutes while Cathal O’Brien scored a goal in the 46th minute following a fabulous centre from Paul Virgo.

The match meandered to its inevitable conclusion. Glen Rovers romped past the post as Barryroe succumbed to a vastly superior hurling side.

Scorers

Glen Rovers: Evan O’Connell 0-11 (4f, 1 65), Cathal O’Brien 2-0, Paul Virgo 0-3, Ryan McGuckian 1-0, Andy Evans 0-2.

Barryroe: Jack Murphy 0-4 (f), Daniel O’Driscoll, David Kiely, Michael Whelton (f) 0-1 each.

Glen Rovers: Colin McCarthy; Calvin Healy, Ken McCarthy-Coade, Eric Healy; David Dunlea, James Mulcahy, Gavin Moylan; Keith McCarthy, David Busteed; Evan O’Connell, Andy Evans, Mark Dooley; Paul Virgo, Cathal O’Brien, Ryan McGuckian.

Barryroe: Billy O’Donovan; Cathal Sheehy, Ger O’Leary, Stephen Madden; Patrick Moloney, David Kiely, Eoghan Sheehy; Jerome O’Brien, Tadhg Kearney; Michael Whelton, Daniel O’Driscoll, Jack Murphy; Liam Colbert, Conor Madden, David Murphy.

Subs: Conor O’Regan for Liam Colbert (inj, 21), Brian O’Donovan for Michael Whelton (34), Jack Cahalane for Tadhg Kearney (47). 

Referee: Fionn O’Murchú (Valley Rovers).