Corn Uí Mhuirí: Late Patrician rally denies De La Salle big win in Millstreet
Tackled Hourihan Jamie And Tom Browne Cian By Salle's De La Is Patrician's Cooney
Patrician Academy reeled off three late frees to deny De La Salle, Macroom, a major scalp in an entertaining Corn Uí Mhuirí contest at Millstreet.
Both sides remain neck and neck at the top of Group 4 on three points apiece, with Patrician having the four-point edge on score difference.
They face third-place Mitchelstown CBS in a winner-takes-all final-round clash, while De La Salle can secure their progress with a result against already eliminated Intermediate School Killorglin.
This felt more like a point dropped for De La Salle. The Macroom school were never headed with outstanding performances from the likes of Seán O’Leary, Seán Hennigan, and Ryan Sabas at the back, while Tom Browne (0-5), Denis O’Mullane (0-4), and Tim Sweeney (1-1) ran up a score.
Patrician Academy, however, have the experience of a Corn Uí Mhuirí semi-final behind them and they finished stronger with Ben O’Shea’s bench impact, Gearóid Daly’s leadership, Dylan O’Connell’s two-goal blast, and Cathal Mullins’ nerveless equaliser.
Goalkeeper Denjoe O’Riordan also played a vital role when the game was going against them. Their perfect shooting in the second half was equally crucial as they landed seven points from seven attempts.
De La Salle won the toss and chose to play up the hill. It certainly worked out in the first quarter as they raced into a seven-point lead.
Browne landed three points and had a dropkick at goal saved by O’Riordan’s outstretched leg.
Their goal arrived in the ninth minute after Sabas secured a midfield turnover. Browne’s kick pass found O’Mullane, who turned down the mark to round his opponent and lay off for Sweeney to apply a lethal finish. The corner-forward tagged on a point to make it 1-5 to 0-1.
Patrician Academy worked their way back into contention with a Michael Murphy point followed by O’Connell’s 16th-minute goal which saw the full-forward coolly profit from a defensive blip.
O’Connell, uniquely, curled over his next point off the ground in open play after a diving block by Hennigan.
In response to O’Mullane and Browne’s scores, the Kilshannig dangerman struck for goal again in the 27th minute after incisive build-up play from Mullins and Pádraig Britton to unlock the defence.
It was back to a point but O’Leary, who had already assisted 0-3, came forward from wing-back to kick one of his own to leave it 1-8 to 2-3 at the break.
Patrician eked their way back level with kicks from Mullins and Colin Ruby. They had their keeper to thank for keeping them in it. After O’Leary’s point attempt hit the crossbar, Sweeney’s volley was met by a phenomenal O’Riordan save.
Sam Kelleher-Leavy and Billy Murphy twice pushed De La Salle ahead but O’Connell and O’Shea levelled, the latter with a superb long-range effort while falling to the turf.
A three-point burst from De La Salle looked likely to seal it. Substitute Jack Browne laid on a score for Tom Browne before winning the next kick-out for a converted O’Mullane mark. Another O’Mullane free had the look of an insurance score.
Patrician Academy kept plugging away. O’Shea nailed a huge free and Mullins tapped over the next. Then, in the fourth added minute, De La Salle were pinged for handling the ball on the ground and Mullins ensured a share of the spoils.
T Browne (0-5, 1 free, 1 45); T Sweeney (1-1); D O’Mullane (0-4, 3 frees, 1 mark); S O’Leary, S Kelleher Leavy, B Murphy (0-1 each).
D O’Connell (2-2, 0-1 free); C Mullins (0-4, 2 frees); B O’Shea (0-2, 1 free); M Murphy, C Ruby (0-1 each).
C Desmond (Kilmurry); I Wood (Kilmichael), C Bourke (Macroom, capt), S Hennigan (Kilmichael); S O’Leary (Kilmurry), R Sabas (Macroom), E Healy (Macroom); M Condon (Macroom), R McKenna (Macroom); S Kelleher-Leavy (Macroom), T Browne (Kilmichael), B Murphy (Macroom); T Sweeney (Uibh Laoire), D O’Mullane (Kilmurry), J Hourihan (Clondrohid).
J Browne (Kilmichael) for Hourihan (28, inj), J O’Shea (Macroom) for McKenna (39).
D O’Riordan (Kilshannig); A Murphy (Mallow), P Murphy (Mallow), M O’Riordan (Kilshannig); C Cooney (Clyda Rovers), G Daly (Mallow) E Walsh (Mallow); E Sheehan (Mallow), P Britton (Mallow); M Murphy (Kilshannig), C Ruby (Kilshannig), J Murphy (Mallow); C Mullins (Mallow), D O’Connell (Kilshannig), C Corbett (Clyda Rovers).
R Crowley (Kilshannig) for M Murphy (48), B O’Shea (Mallow) for Ruby (51), J Roche (Mallow) for Sheehan (54), D Carroll (Mallow) for P Murphy (58, inj).
D Hickey (Millstreet).