Carnaross: 0-10   St. Brigids: 0-05

Carnaross overcame a stern St.Brigids’ challenge in difficult conditions down in Ballinacree on Sunday morning. Storm Dennis threatened to postpone the game but the pitch was in immaculate condition and credit must go to the St. Brigids club who now possess one of the finest pitches in the entire county.  There was a gale force wind blowing across the pitch throughout this war of attrition that made playing conditions testing, to put it mildly.

The game began evenly with both teams sharing a point after Frank O’Reilly kicked a long distance free sweetly off the ground.  Indeed 18 minutes had elapsed before Carnaross took the lead through the trusty left boot of Shane O’Reilly who maintains his remarkable record of scoring in every adult game that he has played for the club. St. Brigids’ accuracy began to let them down as they spurned numerous scoring opportunities until the watchful guidance of the Carnaross rear-guard. They eventually landed a free but the visitors dominated the final 5 minutes of the half. Shane Casserly evaded several markers before clipping over a smart score as weather conditions deteriorated. Frank’s free kick effort rebounded back to him and he split the uprights with a powerful outside of the boot effort. This was the final score of the half before the heavens opened and the referee blew the proceedings to a halt leaving supporters, players and match officials scurrying for cover. 

The game was won in the first and last 5 minutes of the second half by Carnaross. They exploded out of the blocks lead by the dynamic duo of Luke Gillic and Cian McGlynn in midfield, who were running at their opponents at any affordable opportunity. Paddy McDermott began to make his presence felt landing a well-taken point where he judged the wind to perfection.  Then Luke Gillic pounced on a loose ball in the square to rocket over a point after a Frank O’Reilly delivery.  Frank completed this trio of scores in short succession, by kicking another long range point off the ground. St. Brigids rallied however with 2 points in a row and managed to contain Carnaross in their own half using the elements to their advantage. Not to be outdone by the physicality of the Ballinacree men, Jack Roche steamrolled his opponent in pursuit of the coveted O’Neills much to the delight of the rain-sodden crowd. Paddy McDermott, fresh from his trip down to Wexford with the u20s yesterday, went on a trailblazing run down the heart of the Brigids’ defence only for his powerful effort to rebound off the crossbar. He made amends moments later with the score of the game, kicking high from an acute angle straight over the posts to leave 4 points in it. The spirited performance of St. Brigids ensured the game remained in the balance as they registered another free, reducing the margin to 3 with 5 minutes remaining. However, the Hoops seized the initiative at this crucial stage and kicked on to register the final two scores of the match. Dillon Fox popped over a crucial score before Frank kicked another fine free to end the contest. 

Carnaross grabbed the lead after 15 minutes and held Brigids at arm’s length for the remainder of this encounter. The men from Ballinacree refused to lie down and both teams served up an intriguing encounter despite the inclement weather. Carnaross now advance to the Tailteann Cup final where they meet St. Vincents, a repeat of the 2018 final. 

Carnaross: Shane McNiffe, Ian Donoghue, Tomás Plunkett, Jack Roche, Daniel Roche, Cian O’Reilly, Cian Gillic, Luke Gillic(0-1), Cian McGlynn, Paddy McDermott (0-2),Shane Casserley (0-1), Dillon Fox (0-1), Shane O’Reilly (0-1), Niall McDonnell, Frank O’Reilly (0-4, 0-3fs). Subs: Dermot McGee for Luke Gillic, Killian Porter for Shane Casserly,  Shane Yore for Niall McDonnell.

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