Blackrock 1-12

Courcey Rovers 2-8

NOEL HORGAN REPORTS

SO near and yet so far. That’s how it was for Courcey Rovers last Sunday at the MTU Grounds, where their bid to book a place in the SE Systems Senior Camogie final was foiled by a better-balanced Blackrock side in a thriller.

While it would be hard to argue the laurels didn’t rest where they belonged at the finish, there could have been a different outcome had not Blackrock ‘keeper Anna Kearney proved equal to a shot from close-range by Courceys’ Jacinta Crowley in the 58th minute.

Trailing by two points at the time, Courcey continued to press hard in the closing stages, but a point from Saoirse McCarthy was their sole return before this gripping semi-final feached its conclusion.

For most of the hour, Blackrock looked the more convincing outfit, enjoying a territorial edge thanks primarily to the dominance of their half-back line.

It meant that Courceys’ key attacker, Linda Collins, was forced to exist on scraps at full-forward for long periods.

Yet, despite her limited possession, Collins was the primary reason why Courceys finished the first-half 2-2 to 0-7 to the good.

As well as bagging 2-1, Collins created the opening that allowed Jacinta Crowley to get Courceys off the mark in the 11th minute.

That came in reply to a Blackrock point from Cliona O’Callaghan, who was to prove major thorn in the Courceys reaguard throughout.

Linda Collins of Courcey Rovers in action against Blackrock's Mairead Kennedy. (Photo: David Ribeiro)

In fairness, the overburdened Courceys defence resisted stoutly as a unit in the first half, with such as Aisling Moloney, Grainne Hannon and Orlagh O’Mahony especially defiant.

As a consequence, Blackrock found openings hard to come by, and they fell behind for the first time after Courceys midfielder Saoirse McCarthy completed a defence-splitting run with a smart layoff to Linda Collins, who goaled to make it 1-1 to 0-3 in the 15th minute.

An absolutely stunning strike from Collins in the 28th minute left Courceys leading by 2-2 to 0-5, but a brace of late points shared by free-taker Hayley Ryan and the ever-menacing Cliona O’Callaghan enabled Blackrock to trim the deficit to the minimum before the interval.

Saoirse McCarthy drew first blood for Courceys on the resumption, and she later chipped in with two more from frees, the second of which – a superb effort from distance – nudged them ahead at 2-5 to 0-10 entering the last quarter.

Courceys ‘keeper Katie Crowley did well to prevent Cliona O’Callaghan from finding the net for Blackrock earlier in the first-half, and it took some heroic defending to deny the Rockies a major breakthrough more than once as the game aged.

In the 48th minute, for instance, Edel Moloney – who had been moved from midfield to full-back in a bid to curtail Cliona O’Callaghan’s impact – emerged from a ruck of players in the Courceys goalmouth to deliver a relieving clearance that led to Linda Collins pointing at the other end.

That put Courceys 2-6 to 0-11 in front, but impressive corner-forward Erinn Curtin equalisied for the Rockies before their persistent probing finally paid off when substitute Jess Murphy bagged an opportunist goal after a scramble developed in the square inside the last five minutes.

Courcey Rovers' Saoirse McCarthy breaks a tackle. (Photo: David Ribeiro)

It speaks volumes for Courceys’ admirable resolve that they made a gallant bid to pull the game out of the fire in a nail-biting finale - so much so that Blackrock’s relief was almost tangible when the proceedings eventually came to a halt.

In the final analysis, the essential difference between the teams was that Blackrock carried a more widespread threat in attack, where Cliona O’Callaghan was ably supported by Erinn Curtin and Bronagh O’Shaughnessy. Centre-back Katelyn Hickey and midfielder Hayley Ryan were numbered among the winners’ leading lights elsewhere.

Tasked with reflecting on how the game unfolded from a Courceys perspective was ace midfielder Saoirse McCarthy, who certainly emerged from the fray with her reputation intact. The Cork senior star was obviously disappointed with the outcome, but at the same time she expressed satisfaction with the progress made by the team this year.

‘I thought we didn’t perform as well as we can today, but the girls left it all out there, and it came down to very fine margins in the end,’ she said.

‘The last couple of years have been a struggle but we’re building again, and to reach the county semi-final was a definite step in the right direction.

‘We’ve a lot to think about now for the rest of the year, but it’s been a fairly successful season in our eyes, and hopefully we’ll be able to push on again next year.’

OUR STAR: Full-forward Linda Collins scored 2-2 for Courceys, but Cliona O’Callaghan was a key figure at 14 for Blackrock.

Scorers

Blackrock: C O’Callaghan 0-4, E Curtin 0-3, J Murphy 1-0, B O’Shaugnessy 0-2, H Ryan 0-2 (f), K Hickey 0-1 (45).

Courcey Rovers: L Collins 2-2, S McCarthy 0-4 (2f), J Crowley 0-2

Blackrock: A Kearney; K Lyons, M Kennedy, M Cashman; A O’Farrell, K Hickey, O Grimley; A Hegarty, H Ryan; A Leahy, B O’Shaugnessy, S McCarthy; E Curtin, C O’Callaghan, M Murphy.

Subs: J Murphy for McCarthy (38), M Coffey for O’Farrell (injured, 42).

Courcey Rovers: K Crowley; G O’Reilly, A O’Reilly, J Helbrow; O O’Mahony, A Moloney, G Hannon; E Moloney, S McCarthy; E Maguire, F Keating, D O’Reilly; A O’Donoghue, L Collins, J Crowley.

Subs: C Foley for D O’Reilly (25), L Nield for O’Donoghue (58).

Referee: N O’Neill (Midleton).