Clon Book Quarter-Final Place in Style
Clonakilty booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Premier Senior Football Championship with an emphatic 3-22 to 0-8 victory over Ballincollig in Kilmurry on Sunday.
Clon went into the final group game knowing their championship destiny was in their own hands, and from the opening few minutes there was little doubt about their intentions.
Maurice Shanley got the scoreboard moving after three minutes and Ross Mannix followed almost immediately. By the sixth minute, Clon had their first goal.
Conor Daly supplied the opening and Mannix did the rest, finishing confidently past the Ballincollig goalkeeper to give Clon the perfect start.
Des Kenneally added another point and, while Ballincollig eventually opened their account through Rob Noonan, Clon were already beginning to dictate the terms of the afternoon.
Thomas Clancy was hugely influential from centre-back, reading the game superbly and setting the platform for Clon to attack. Around him, Maurice Shanley was having a strong influence while Mannix and Sean McEvoy were causing all sorts of problems further forward.
Points from Daly, Mannix and Kenneally stretched the advantage to 1-6 to 0-1 midway through the half.
Ballincollig responded through Darragh O’Mahony, but Clon soon struck for goal number two.
A quickly taken free from Sean White started the move. Chris Kenneally moved the ball on and McEvoy arrived to finish to the net.
It was 2-6 to 0-2 and Clon were very much in the driving seat.
Ballincollig substitute Dara Dorgan converted a free with his first involvement, but McEvoy answered at the other end to leave Clon 2-7 to 0-3 ahead at half-time.
There was to be no easing off after the break.
Clancy opened the second-half scoring in some style, landing a two-pointer, before Chris Kenneally, McEvoy and Des Kenneally added further scores.
Clon were now moving the ball with real confidence and finding runners all over the field. Ballincollig tried to find a route back into the contest, but Dan Peet twice produced important interventions when goal chances threatened.
Dorgan kept the Ballincollig scoreboard moving, including a two-pointer from outside the arc, but every time they found a score, Clon seemed to have an answer.
McEvoy was enjoying a particularly productive afternoon. Two more points pushed Clon further clear before he arrived for his second goal, completing an excellent individual contribution of 2-4.
By then the contest was settled, but Clon kept playing right to the end.
Sean White finished strongly with three points, including a two-pointer, while goalkeeper Mark White came forward to land a 45 and put another score on an already impressive total.
When the final whistle sounded, the scoreboard read Clonakilty 3-22, Ballincollig 0-8.
It was Clon’s most complete championship performance of the campaign so far. The defence was secure, the platform around the middle was strong and, once the opportunities appeared, the scores came from all quarters.
Most importantly, the win secured Clon’s passage from the group and sets up an all-West Cork Premier Senior quarter-final against Newcestown.
The summer is over now and the championship road narrows. Clon are still travelling it.
Scorers
Clonakilty: S. McEvoy 2-4, R. Mannix 1-2, D. Kenneally 0-3, S. White 0-3 (1 two-pointer), D. Ó Sé 0-3, T. Clancy 0-2 (1 two-pointer), M. Shanley 0-1, C. Daly 0-1, C. Kenneally 0-1, D. Gough 0-1, M. White 0-1 (45).
Ballincollig: D. Dorgan 0-6 (1 free, 2 two-pointers), R. Noonan 0-1, D. O’Mahony 0-1.
Clonakilty Team
M. White; D. Darragh, D. Peet, D. Lowney; C. Kenneally, T. Clancy, J. O’Mahony; B. Ridgeway, M. Shanley; D. Kenneally, D. Ó Sé, S. White; S. McEvoy, R. Mannix, C. Daly.
Subs: D. Gough for C. Daly (47), E. Deasy for J. O’Mahony (51).
Ballincollig
C. Walsh; JP Murphy, P. Rose, C. Ahern; L. Fahy, L. Jennings, D. Desmond; S. Kiely, B. O’Connell; D. O’Leary, D. O’Mahony, C. Dalton; R. Noonan, D. Miskella, C. Dorgan.
Subs: D. Dorgan for R. Noonan (23), S. O’Donoghue for D. O’Leary (42), P. Kelly for B. O’Connell (47), C. Power for P. Rose (51), B. Moore for C. Dorgan (56).
Referee: Alan O’Connor (Ballygarvan).
