Super sub Shane Ó Duinnín's late heroics sees Cill na Martra land Cork PIFC title
CHAMPIONS: Cill Na Martra captain Gearóid Ó 'Goillidhe raises the Billy Long after defeating Bantry Blue's during the Bon Secours Premier IFC final at Pairc Ui Chaoimh. Picture; Eddie O'Hare
Cill na Martra are the Bons Secours Cork PIFC champions after they kicked the last four points of the game to pip Bantry Blues in a thriller of a final played in Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Sunday afternoon.
Trailing by 2-13 to 3-7 with five minutes to play, the Gaeltacht men seemed destined for disappointment as a sensational third quarter from Bantry saw them wipe out a six-point deficit before taking the lead.
A free from Dan Ó Duinnín brought the Gaeltacht men to within two points, and then it was time for substitute Shane Ó Duinnín to steal the show. He popped over his first point after Mike Casey had brilliantly saved from Micheál Ó Deasúna to make it a one-point game.
He then levelled the game for the third time after good work from Maidhcí Ó Duinnín. We were now into the final minute of the allotted added time and the game was surely destined for a draw. But there was one more burst in Cilln a Martra as Seán Ó Fóirréidh powered forward before laying the ball of to Ó Duinnín who kicked his third point to write himself into Cill na Martra folklore.
An explosive start from both sides gave those in attendance the impression that neither team were going to die wondering as the commitment to attack at pace led to a highly entertaining contest.
Shane Keevers had the game’s opening score for Bantry after 67 seconds but 48 seconds later his goalkeeper, Mike Casey, was picking the ball out of the net. Seán Ó Fóirréidh and Ciarán Ó Duinnín twice exchanged passes before Ó Duinnín squared the ball to Criostóir Ó Meachair who tapped the ball into the net.
The West Cork men’s response was impressive. Dara McCarthy, Seanie O’Leary and Keevers combined to set up Arthur Coakley and their star man cleverly clipped the ball to the net off his knee. Coakley followed it up with a trio of points, two of which were from placed balls and though Maidhcí Ó Duinnín opened his account for the Gaeltacht side in the interim, they trailed by 1-4 to 1-1.
Cill na Martra did seem to have more purpose to their play, however, and that intent led to their second goal on the quarter hour. Danny Ó Conaill floated a dangerous ball across the square and Maidhcí Ó Duinnín was there to take advantage of some hesitancy to put the ball to the net.
They then controlled the rest of the half, outscoring Bantry by 0-4 to none and could have even had two more goals. It’s not that the Westerners went out of the game, it was just that the Muskerry men were more clinical as Ciarán Ó Duinnín was on target twice with Maidhchí Ó Duinnín and Ó Conaill also raising white flags to give their side a healthy 2-5 to 1-4 interval lead.
Damien Ó hUrdail extended that lead on the resumption but points from Seanie O’Leary and Ruairi Deane soon brought Bantry to within goal. Their chances then seemed to suffer a mortal blow as Cill na Martra once again hit them on the break. Ciaran Ó Duinnín put Dan Ó Duinnín into open space, and he powered through the Bantry rearguard before blasting the ball to the net.
In the face of adversity, Bantry revealed their true character. Arthur Coakley popped over a free, the outstanding Kevin Casey kicked a superb point from play before Paddy Cronin set up Ruairi Deane for their second goal and Cillian O’Brien stormed forward from corner-back to level the game for the second time.
Deane and Coakley then added further points and incredibly, from being two goals down, they were now two points up going into the final quarter, 2-11 to 3-6.
What followed was enthralling. Ó hUrdail brought Cill na Martra back to within one but points from Coakley and Cronin pushed Bantry three clear, and they seemed to have the wind in their sails. Cill na Martra, however, were not to be denied as their storming finish brought them to glory.
M Ó Duinnín 1-2, D Ó Duinnín 1-1 (0-1f), S Ó Duinnín 0-3, C Ó Meachair 1-0, C Ó Duinnín, D Ó hUrdail 0-2 each, D Ó Conaill 0-1 each.
Coakley 1-6 (0-3f), R Deane 1-2 (0-1f), S O’Leary, P Cronin, K Casey, S Keevers, C O’Brien 0-1 each.
P Ó Críodáin; C Mac Lochlainn, G Ó Mocháin, F Ó Faoláin; D Ó Conaill, S Ó Fóirréidh, C Ó Fóirréidh; A Ó Cuana, G Ó Goillidhe (c); F Ó hÉalaithe, D Ó hUrdail, C Ó Duinnín; C Ó Meachair, D Ó Duinnín, M Ó Duinnín.
S Ó Duinnín for Ó Goilllidhe (blood, 14 – 16), M Ó Deasúna for Ó Meachair (44), S Ó Duinnín for Ó Cuana (47), D Mac Lochlainn for C Ó Fóirréidh (55).
M Casey; T Cronin, S Thornton, C O’Brien; M Óg O’Sullivan, E Minehane, J O’Neill; B Foley, S O’Leary (c); D McCarthy, K Casey, S Keevers; P Cronin, R Deane, A Coakley.
C Cronin for Minehane (39), D Daly for McCarthy (56), S Coughlan for Casey (61).
Cormac Dineen (Douglas)
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