CLON INTO SEMIS

Along with Carrigaline, Clonakilty are the only side left standing with an unbeaten record after their 1-17 to 2-13 victory over Newcestown. In a tense encounter, Clon just about deserved it and sealed their place in a premier senior semi-final for the first time since 2021. As well as a draw to Castlehaven, Clon have beaten Knocknagree, Ballincollig and Newcestown thus far and are now carrying momentum. They will fancy their chances against St Finbarr’s in the semi-final on Saturday, October 10th in Pairc Ui Chaoimh if players like Chris Kenneally, Sean White and Conor Daly can maintain their form.

HAVEN FALTER

Castlehaven went into their county quarterfinal against Nemo Rangers as slight favourites but a 1-12 to 0-9 half-time deficit was too much to claw back in the end. It was a spirited fightback, with Jack Cahalane getting a late goal and Brian Hurley scoring 0-10, but the day wasn’t to be for the Haven, who bow out at the quarter-final stage for the second season in a row. To be fair to Nemo, they recorded a 100 percent shot accuracy in the first half and their forwards, particularly Ross Corkery and Bryan Hayes, were too hot to handle. On the plus side, the Haven have a county U21 campaign to prepare for given their Carbery victory so they can look forward to that.

LACK OF GAMES

The Carbery divisional side’s 4-23 to 1-11 defeat against premier senior holders St Finbarr’s might have been down to the gap in quality but a lack of match sharpness is a big reason for the result too. Before the game, Carbery hadn’t played a competitive clash in over two months, and even then it was only two matches before their county quarter-final. Manager Gene O’Donovan emphasised the importance of divisional teams. ‘We really want this competition for those boys to put them on a stage where they can play better football,’ O’Donovan said. There is clearly a want there for divisional teams to succeed so it would be of benefit to the likes of Carbery to play more games.

SKIBB DROP DOWN

For the first time since 1985, O’Donovan Rossa will play intermediate football following a 1-16 to 0-13 loss against Clyda Rovers. Ultimately, injuries to key players proved to be too much for Liam Hurley’s side. The club hadn’t won a group stage game since 2024 and fell into two relegation play-offs in succession. However, now is the chance to rebuild in premier intermediate for 2027. They can take inspiration from the way Carbery Rangers have rebounded from premier senior relegation to reach a senior A semi-final. Skibb have good players coming through such as Luca Harte and Frank Hurley so, hopefully, they can bounce back to the senior ranks.

BEARA BOYS STAY UP

Castletownbere and Urhan both suffered difficult group stage campaigns but pulled through to survive in their grades. For Castletown, a sizable half-time advantage over Glanmire was wiped out by the Seandun club’s goals but Declan Dunne provided some clutch scores to get Castletown the win, 0-17 to 3-6, to preserve their premier intermediate status. For Urhan, it was a similar story as they led well at half-time against Na Piarsaigh. They were pegged back but held out for a 0-16 to 0-11 victory. That result was vital for Urhan as there would have been no championship game until November 2027 if they had lost.

Barryroe's Ryan O'Donovan. (Photo: Martin Walsh)

BUSINESS END

The Bandon Co-op Carbery Junior A Football Championship quarter-finals threw up more entertaining ties. With the exception of Barryroe’s comfortable win over Castlehaven’s seconds, the other three games were close encounters that went right down to the wire. Tadhg MacCarthaigh needed a late penalty save from Niall Kingston and an exceptional display by Luke Shorten to take down Carbery Rangers. St Mary’s and St James are two sides that are rated highly in this championship but one-point wins over Goleen and Kilmeen respectively shows how competitive this competition is. In the semi-finals, Barryroe take on Caheragh while St Mary’s play St James. Bring on the last four.