Barryroe 0-15

Castlehaven 0-9

MATTHEW HURLEY REPORTS

The Barryroe momentum train continues as they now have football and hurling semi-finals to prepare for.

Norman Fleming’s side were comfortable victors over Castlehaven in this Bandon Co-op Carbery Junior A football quarter-final in Ballinacarriga, with a 0-10 to 0-3 half-time lead giving them the platform for victory.

The Sky Blues, after winning county league titles in both codes, are now gearing up for the business end of the year.

‘It’s nice when you get a bit of momentum and winning is excellent. You just gotta keep it going. There are knockout stages now,’ their football boss Norman Fleming told The Southern Star.

‘You get knocked out and next thing you’re nowhere, so it’s great to get a win, reach a semi-final and keep the momentum going. It keeps the hurlers going for next week too, and we wish them all the best.’

A big reason for their victory was the work Barryroe did on turnovers, scoring 0-10 from winning the ball back and 0-2 from Castlehaven’s kick-outs.

Daniel Moloney, Dermot Dineen, Tomas Ó Buachalla, Adam McSweeney and Conn Dineen didn’t score but contributed hugely to the cause.

Conn Dineen of Barryroe breaks free from the attentions of Castlehaven's James Buckley and Niall O'Callaghan. (Photo: Martin Walsh)

‘We spoke to them during the week about turnovers. That’s part of the game. Work rate is vital and the boys tonight were excellent. They applied themselves so well.

‘It is tough going for us. We’re going every second week, hurling and football. It’s just trying to keep the fellas fresh, keeping the momentum going. I thought they were excellent,’ Fleming added.

Castlehaven challenged the 2023 champions early, with Seán Bohane and Conor Nolan (two-pointer) converting, but Nolan’s score on nine minutes has the second string’s last of the opening half.

In the meantime, Barryroe’s lethal forward line of Ryan O’Donovan, Olan O’Donovan and Luke Murphy began to spread their wings.

They had 19 shots compared to Castlehaven’s nine in the first half and made their dominance count, outscoring them 0-8 to 0-0 from the 10th minute to the break to build up a seven-point lead.

‘It’s just great having forwards that can put the ball over the bar, and that’s what it’s about at the end of the day. The lads got their chances and they nailed them. We know that they have that ability in them, and it’s great to see them fulfilling it,’ Fleming said.

Barryroe's Olan O'Donovan slips a tackle from Donal O'Callaghan of Castlehaven. (Photo: Martin Walsh)

Seán Holland was the fourth forward on the Barryroe scoresheet to and by the time David Whelton made it 0-11 to 0-4, there were 38 minutes on the clock.

Castlehaven went 30 minutes without a score and their late fightback with contributions from Whelton, Dan McCarthy and Kevin O’Donovan proved to be in vain.

Haven reduced the gap, 0-11 to 0-7, but Barryroe controlled the game, with Murphy and Holland pointing for insurance scores.

Olan O’Donovan put the final touches on the scoreline in the last 10 minutes to settle the tie.

Tougher tests to come, but there is no denying Barryroe are gunning for just their second Carbery triumph and first since 2023.

‘There is a serious want there. We set out our stall at the start of the year. There’s 16 teams here at the start of the year and there’s a lot of teams there that think that they can win it. We’re no different.

‘We want to win it, no point saying otherwise. We’re into a semi-final now. We’ll have to knuckle down and work hard and we'll prepare for that game,’ Fleming concluded.

OUR STAR: The usual scoring power of Ryan O’Donovan and Olan O’Donovan came through for Barryroe but Dermot Dineen stood out by winning kick-outs and turnovers.

Scorers

Barryroe: Ryan O’Donovan 0-6 (2f, 1 45), Olan O’Donovan 0-5 (1m), Luke Murphy, Sean Holland 0-2 each.

Castlehaven: Daniel McCarthy 0-3 (1f), David Whelton, Conor Nolan (2pt) 0-2 each, Sean Bohane, Kevin O’Donovan 0-1 each.

Barryroe: Liam Colbert; Michael Walsh, Sean O’Riordan, James Moloney; Conn Dineen, David O’Sullivan, Daniel Moloney; Dermot Dineen, Tomas O Buachalla; Olan O’Donovan (captain), Luke Murphy, Adam McSweeney; Mike Collins, Sean Holland, Ryan O’Donovan.

Subs: Aaron Fleming for D O’Sullivan (50), Brian O’Donovan for M Collins (injured, 60).

Castlehaven: Rory Courtney; Donal O’Callaghan, William O’Donovan, Sean Maguire; James Buckley, Conor Nolan, Sean Bohane; Niall O’Callaghan, Mark Crowley; Eamonn O’Donovan, Conor O’Driscoll, Kevin O’Donovan (captain); Donnacha O’Donovan, David Whelton, Eoin Maguire.

Subs: Daniel McCarthy for E O’Donovan, Jamie Walsh for M Crowley (both ht), Fiachra Collins for D O’Donovan (41), Eoin Buckley for S Maguire (49), James Maguire for S Bohane (57).

Referee: Liam O’Shea (Carbery Rangers).