St Colum’s 2-13

Bandon 1-15

TOM LYONS REPORTS

COMETH the hour, cometh the man. With 61 minutes gone in this marvellous Clona Milk Carbery U21B football final in Ballinacarriga, the sides were deadlocked amid a welter of excitement.

Then, with the referee ignoring Bandon shouts for a breach, St Colum’s won possession in the middle of the pitch and broke forward. Corner forward DJ O’Brien, lurking with intent all day, received the ball just outside the arc, straight out from goal and sent a soaring kick straight between the Bandon posts for a match-winning two-pointer.

Bandon did pull back a point in injury time through Daniel Murphy, but it was St Colum’s who were celebrating the retention of their title, O’Brien the hero. On the day, Colum’s had heroes all over the pitch.

On a beautiful autumn Saturday, Bandon may have felt hard done by that late no-breach decision but, in truth, they were outplayed and outfought in that second half by a Kealkil outfit driven on by the outstanding Darragh Coppinger, Shane Murnane and Killian Hurley in defence and man-of-the-match Liam Hourihane and Cathal McCarthy at midfield. Up front, the full-forward line was buzzing all through – DJ O’Brien, Tom O’Donoghue and the outstanding Kian Kelleher accounting for 1-12 of their total.

St Colum's Shane Murnane gets to grips with Bandon's Cormac O'Flynn. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

‘We’re slow starters, something we’re trying to knock out of the team,’ said a delighted St Colum’s manager Mike O’Connell.

‘It might have been a bit of nerves in the final and Bandon were superb in the first half.

‘We are a second-half team and we knew we hadn’t fired a shot in the first half. We came strong in the second half and it proved just enough. We got some great scores, we have the forwards inside to kick them.

‘We got a great start to the second half, three points in five minutes – that settled us, just like in last year’s final, a few scores after half-time. It was a great test of character after Bandon had equalised near the end and we got the two-pointer to win it – a great score.

‘We went 30 years without winning it. We won in ’95 and then last year, so it’s great to go back-to-back now. There’s about ten of these lads on the junior panel, a very young junior team. Things haven’t been going too well at junior level but this is a good bunch and we’d hope to build on this for the future.’

With the tall Denis O’Mahony dominating midfield under the blue skies, Bandon looked the sharper, stronger side in the opening quarter, once both sides had found their feet after slow starts.

A pair of points from the impressive Jack Cullinane (free) and the accurate Kevin Hannon had them two in front before St Colum’s had their only scores of the quarter from Tom O’Donoghue (free and play) to level.

The St Colum's team celebrates after defeating Bandon in the Clóna Milk Carbery U21B football final at Ballinacarriga on Saturday. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

Four in a row for Bandon, who were winning the kick-out battle, with midfielder O’Mahony and forwards Cullinane, Hannon and especially full-forward Cormac O’Flynn looking very lively. They led 0-6 to 0-2 entering the second quarter. The scores came from Cullinane (free), Hannon, goalkeeper Michael Foley (45), and O’Mahony with a superb two-pointer.

It looked as if the Lilywhites were heading to end their long U21 drought at that stage but battling St Colum’s responded with points from O’Brien and Kelleher.

Bandon supporters were in full voice in the 20th minute when Michael O’Donovan and O’Flynn combined, the latter finishing to the net. Six to the good and dominating, Bandon should have pushed on but it was St Colum’s who lifted their game in the closing minutes of the half.

They answered Bandon’s goal with a vital goal of their own in the 24th minute when Dan Andrews was fouled in the square. Kelleher lashed home the spot kick. Bandon points from Cullinane and O’Flynn sandwiched a Kelleher point and it was 1-9 to 1-5 to Bandon at the break.

With a slight breeze, the third quarter belonged to rejuvenated St Colum’s, outscoring lethargic Bandon by five points to one. Kelleher (two) and O’Donoghue (three) kicked their scores, with a single reply from Hannon.

Carbery GAA Chairman David Whyte presents the cup to St Colum's Anthony O'Sullivan. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

It was all square entering the last quarter, 1-10 each. The vital score came in the 52nd minute when Seán Cronin blocked an attempted clearance by the Bandon goalkeeper and forced the ball over the line for a two-point lead.

Realising another final was slipping from their grasp, Bandon responded with a superb outside-of-the-boot two-pointer from Cullinane to level the scores in the 59th minute. Extra time loomed until O’Brien struck in the 61st minute to take the title west to Kealkil again.

‘We’re not finished yet, there’s a county to come,’ said O’Connell.

‘Last year we played St Nick’s here in Ballinacarriga and led by ten points but Nick’s came with a last-kick goal to win it. They went on to win the county, so we’ll be having a good cut off it this time.’

Liam Hourihane, St Colum’s, was named ‘The Quay’s Bar, Bantry’ man-of-the-match. There was great excitement as chairman of the Carbery Board David Whyte presented the Matt O’Sullivan Cup to St Colum’s captain Anthony O’Sullivan.

Scorers

St Colum’s: Kian Kelleher 1-4 (1-0 pen); Tom O’Donoghue 0-5 (3f); Seán Cronin 1-0; DJ O’Brien 0-3 (1 2pt); Liam Hourihane 0-1.

Bandon: Jack Cullinane 0-6 (2f, 1 2pt); Cormac O’Flynn 1-1; Kevin Hannon 0-4; Denis O’Mahony 0-2 (2pt); Daniel Murphy, Michael Foley (45) 0-1 each.

St Colum’s: Tom Conlon; Darragh Coppinger, Shane Murnane, Anthony O’Sullivan; Christopher O’Shea, Killian Hurley, Fachtna O’Connell; Cathal McCarthy, Liam Hourihane; Stephen O’Sullivan, Dan Andrews, Seán Cronin; DJ O’Brien, Kian Kelleher, Tom O’Donoghue.

Sub: Donncha Murnane for C O’Shea (56).

Bandon: Michael Foley; Charlie Kendellan, Aidan O’Driscoll, Danny Crowley; Gearóid Murphy, Ciarán Twomey, Seán Ahern; Michael O’Donovan, Denis O’Mahony; Adam Barry, Jack Cullinane, Kevin Hannon; Ronan Ahern, Cormac O’Flynn, Daniel Coughlan.

Subs: Daniel Murphy for R Ahern (ht), Richard Tarrant for D Coughlan (45).

Referee: Gavin Daly (Randal Óg).