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Currow 0-13
St Brendan’s 3-13
THE odds were stacked against St Brendans before this ‘losers’ round clash against Currow in the Super Valu County Senior Football Championship.
In the lead up to the game, due to a number of circumstances, the divisional outfit lost six starting players since their opening round loss to Laune Rangers. Through great determination and a goal blitz in the second half of extra time, they ran out nine point winners to seal a great victory.
A sun-drenched Currow was the venue where conditions were difficult for the players out on the pitch who took on a lot of water throughout.
The game began with a flurry of points, five scores being notched up between the two sides inside the first eight minutes, with Currow leading by a point 0-3 to 0-2.
A huge lull in the game followed, no doubt brought on by the heat. It was a further eight minutes before there was another score, Currow wing back Garrett O’Connor getting on the board. Brendan’s answered back a minute later with a score from Ardfert’s David Griffin.
Both sides were proving to be wasteful, Brendan’s in particular who were suffering from very poor shot selection, though cracks were beginning to show in the Currow rearguard.
A goal came for Brendan’s with five minutes left in the half, Churchill’s Ivan Parker rounded his man and coolly slotted it home to put the visitors two points ahead, 0-4 to 1-3.
The industrious Brendan Poff for St Brendan’s tries to evade the tackle of Currow’s John O’Connor
Currow’s answer was swift; they scored five points on the bounce to go into the break two points ahead, 0-8 to 1-3.
A switch was made at the beginning of the second half, that proved to be the springboard to St Brendans victory. Na Gaeil’s Jack Barry was moved into midfield and what he gave was an utterly dominant display that Currow could not cope with.
Currow began the second half with a point from full forward Ian Somers to put them three points in front, this would be the furthest they would get away from St Brendan’s.
What followed was a half where the sides traded the lead on four occasions, both teams involved in a sequence of going down one, equalizing and going ahead.
With ten minutes remaining Currow finally pulled two points ahead, they fought to maintain their advantage, but Brendan’s were even more determined not to go down without a fight.
The marauding Jack Barry lays off a hand pass in the Senior Football County Championship match between St Brendans and Currow. Photo by Gavin O’Connor.
Jack Barry was at the forefront of the comeback, it was his driving run that set David Griffin up for a point that brought them within a score, though for a second, a goal was on.
With a minute left on the clock St Pat’s Micheal O’Sullivan, who was an excellent addition from the bench, drew the sides level.
Normal time finished on a scoreline of 0-13 to 1-10. Extra time beckoned.
With exhausted bodies littered on the deck in both sides huddles before the beginning of extra time, this was going to be decided by the team that wanted it more.
The resounding answer came from the Brendan’s corner. With only one score in the first half half of extra time going to the divisional side, Currow simply capitulated in the second as Brendan’s hit the net twice.
Right at the beginning of the half a wave of Brendan’s attacks yielded the first goal from St Pat’s Kieran Hurley and a second goal for Ivan Parker to see them comfortable nine point winners on the night.
To hell with the naysayers was the cry from the St Brendan’s faithful. Given what they’ve had to go through in the lead up to this game, who can argue with that?
Currow: Shane O’Leary, John O’Connor, Dan O’Sullivan, Mike Hanifin, Garrett O’Connor, Pat O’Sullivan, Timmy O’Leary, Seamus Scanlon, Pat O’Sullivan, Seamus Brosnan, John Daly, Mike McCarthy, Ian Somers, Kevin Daly.
Scorers: Mike McCarthy (0-5, 2f), Ian Somers (0-2), John O’Connor (0-1), Garett O’Connor (0-1), Seamus Flynn (0-1), Seamus Brosnan, (0-1), Paudie Collins (0-1), Kevin Daly (0-1),
Substatutes: Kevin Fitzgerald (Paudie Collins), Eugene Cronin (Seamus Brosnan), James Galway (Garrett O’Connor)
St Brendans: Paudie Bailey, PJ O’Mahony, Kieran Dineen, Rory Horgan, Jack Barry, Mickey Brennan, Fionan Horgan, Liam Poff, David Griffin, Ciaran Crowley, Brendan Poff, Ivan Parker, Kieran Hurley, Kevin Shanaghan.
Scorers: Ivan Parker (2-2), Kieran Hurley (1-4), David Griffin (0-3), Micheal O’Sullivan (0-2), Mickey Brennan (0-1), Liam Poff (0-1)
Substitutes: Micheal O’Sullivan (Ciaran Crowley), Paul McMahon (PJ O’Mahony), Andy Byrne (Mikey Brennan)
Black Card: Micheal O’Sullivan (Ciaran Crowley, reintroduced)
