Clon heroics not enough as Sherlock lands 18 points in league final thriller
In Ballygarvan, as the midsummer sun dipped behind the trees, a match unfolded that will live long in the memory of those who treasure the poetry and passion of Gaelic football. On a night that twisted and turned like a winding country boreen, it was the unerring accuracy of Steven Sherlock and the daring of John Wigginton Barrett that lit the path to glory for St Finbarr’s, as they edged a titanic Division 1 League final against Clonakilty after extra time.
Clonakilty had led by six at one stage, seemingly on course to lift the silverware. But football, like fate, is rarely linear. From deep in the Togher soul came resistance, and from Sherlock’s boot came scores as consistent as the tide — 18 in all, each one a stitch in the tapestry of a comeback that defied belief.
The Barrs, trailing by 2-9 to 0-9 midway through the second half, appeared to be hanging by a thread. But the blue wave began to rise. Sherlock, the man whose absence from Cork’s senior ranks still confounds many, took command of the third quarter like a conductor with baton in hand. He hit eight points in a mesmerising spell, turning six-point despair into a single-point lead as the clock ticked towards full-time.
But Clonakilty, too, had fire in the belly. Darragh Gough, relentless all evening, floated a pressure-laden free between the posts in the sixth minute of stoppage time to force an extra twenty minutes from weary legs and anxious hearts.
The exchanges in extra time mirrored the war of attrition that had come before — every inch contested, every possession hard-earned. Dara Ó Sé and Gough again nudged Clon ahead. Sherlock, calm as a man tying his boots before Mass, responded each time, his 18th point a product of clever interplay involving Ian Maguire and Enda Dennehy.
And then, in a moment that crackled with drama, came Wigginton Barrett.
With two minutes remaining, Clon worked a free short. Barrett, sharp and instinctive, read the pass like a scholar with a well-thumbed book. He pounced, intercepting and immediately releasing Maguire. The Cork midfielder, a constant source of energy and vision, spotted Cian O’Sullivan in space. The pass was perfect, and O’Sullivan, knowing his man had continued the run, returned the favour.
Barrett now bore down on goal, the crowd on their feet, the moment suspended like breath held tight. His strike was clean, high and true — the net rippled, and the Barrs led for the final time.
Clon, brave and bold all evening, couldn’t summon another comeback. Their effort had been immense — Griffin’s early goal had tilted the balance their way, and Gough’s second-half finish had seemed to break the Barrs’ spirit. But Sherlock wouldn’t allow it. Nor would Maguire. Nor Barrett.
So it ended in favour of the Togher men, whose battle-hardened win may prove a harbinger of things to come when championship season beckons.
On a night of heroes, two names stood out like beacons in the dark — Sherlock, who made the scoreboard sing, and Wigginton Barrett, who wrote the final line in this most dramatic of chapters.
Scorers:
St Finbarr’s: S. Sherlock 0-18 (0-7f, 1 mark, 2 tap frees), J. Wigginton Barrett 1-0, B. O’Connell 0-2.
Clonakilty: D. Gough 1-3 (0-1f), L. Griffin 1-1, D. Ó Sé 0-3, M. White 0-3 (45s), R. Mannix 0-2, C. Daly, T. Clancy, B. Ridgeway 0-1 each.
Teams:
St Finbarr’s: D. Newman; S. Ryan, A. O’Connor, J. Kennefick; B. O’Connell, J. Burns, E. Dennehy; F. Crowley, E. Comyns; C. Doolan, J. Wigginton Barrett, A. Lyne; C. Barrett, S. Sherlock, I. Maguire.
Subs: L. Hannigan, B. Hennessy, C. O’Sullivan, T. O’Keeffe.
Clonakilty: M. White; C. Kenneally, D. Darragh, D. Lowney; M. Shanley, T. Clancy, J. O’Mahony; D. Ó Sé, B. Ridgeway; R. Mannix, D. Gough, S. McEvoy; L. Griffin, C. Ustianowski, C. Daly.
Sub: B. White.
Referee: Ciarán Murphy (Glanworth)
