Michael Barrett: 'We're learning over the years. We're getting a bit wiser'

Irish Examiner

13 hours ago

Cork SAHC Group 3 round 2: Blarney 3-24 Watergrasshill 0-12
Blarney have learned the lessons of previous campaigns to build a score-difference cushion while the going is good.
Having entered this Cork SAHC encounter at risk of elimination, they left it with a 21-point boost after a dominant second-half showing against the wind at Grenagh.
Approaching half-time, they were anything but safe. They led Watergrasshill by two, having played with a strong diagonal breeze, but finished with a 1-2 burst.
The conditions brought no benefit to the Hill after the break. Blarney broke down their long puck-outs and held them scoreless from play for the entire half. Mark Coleman was everywhere, accumulating 0-9 (three from play), while Cathal McCarthy poached 2-3. The second half finished 2-11 to 0-3 in their favour.
'We're learning over the years. We're getting a bit wiser,' said Blarney boss Michael Barrett. 'It's very easy to sit back and do a bit of showboating, but we realise that when you have a chance (to build score difference), our attitude is drive on.'
A win against Courcey Rovers would guarantee Blarney's progress. Having seen their 10-game winning streak snapped, the Hill require an upset against Bride Rovers.
Both teams were missing big talents in Dáire O'Leary and Pádraig Power, but in Cian Barrett and Conor Power, Blarney had a couple more players coming right after their first-round loss.
On the other side, Kevin O'Neill manfully kept tabs on Shane Barrett, but was visibly hampered from midway through the first half, while Seán Desmond took a heavy blow later on.
'The more games we can get into these fellas, the better. That's the bottom line,' Barrett added.
'They have a three-week break now. That's going to bring them on more.
'The first game out is always a dodgy one. That's the one you want to win. But if it doesn't happen, like two years ago, we lost our first game to Newcestown and ended up in the county final. We gained momentum.
'It's all about getting the result, and we got one here this evening.'
Adam Murphy put in a major shift in the first half for the All-Ireland intermediate champions. He got off 11 shots into the tricky wind, converting eight, with five from play. However, he lacked support. Desmond's point was their only other from play.
Amid a clap of thunder and a flash of lightning in the distance, Blarney slowly established an upper hand in the opening quarter to construct a five-point gap. Coleman had an early pair from play, while influential wing-backs Alan McEvoy and Conor Power came forward to score.
Murphy reeled off four quickfire points, including a fabulous score from the sideline where he juggled the sliotar back over his head to escape a tackle.
Leading 0-11 to 0-9, Blarney brought Shane Barrett out to centre-forward. He flashed over a low-trajectory point before Eoghan Kirby's second.
Then, in the second added minute, Denis McSweeney swooped upon a dropped puck-out and fed McCarthy, who handpassed to Cian Barrett for the tap-in finish. 1-13 to 0-9 at half-time.
A Murphy free from the throw-in opened the second-half scoring, but his side wouldn't raise another flag until the 50th minute.
They withdrew the full-forward line to target the space behind with long puck-outs. It worked to good effect against Courceys, but Stephen Mullane and Patrick Crowley kept bringing the ball to ground and gobbling up the supply.
Blarney reeled off 1-5 without reply, including a crisply-struck Coleman brace from distance. Substitute Jerry Murphy made a swift impact, laying on McCarthy's first goal, finished with a deft sidestep, and tapping over two points.
The Hill had converted just one of seven shots in the half until goalkeeper Aidan Foley landed a long-range free. But Blarney hit another 1-5 without reply, crowned by McCarthy's goal in the first added minute.
Coleman even went for goal from a late 21-yard free. Foley saved, but the countyman slotted the 65.
The 2023 and '24 runners-up are back up and running.
Scorers for Blarney: C McCarthy (2-3); M Coleman (0-9, 4 frees, 2 65s); C Barrett (1-0); D McSweeney, S Barrett (2 frees) (0-3 each); E Kirby, J Murphy (0-2 each); A McEvoy, C Power (0-1 each).
Scorers for Watergrasshill: A Murphy (0-9, 4 frees); A Foley (free), S O'Regan (65), S Desmond (0-1 each).
BLARNEY: P Hallissey; S Mullane, S Crowley, D Murphy; C Power, P Crowley, A McEvoy; O Hegarty, M Coleman; S Mulcahy, D McSweeney, E Kirby; C McCarthy, S Barrett, C Barrett.
Subs: J Murphy for Kirby (43), C Hegarty for C Barrett (52), D Hanlon for Mullane (53), W Crowley for McSweeney (55).
WATERGRASSHILL: A Foley; D Roche, K O'Neill, D McCarthy; J Gowen, I O'Callaghan, S O'Regan; C O'Leary, A Spriggs; P Cronin, B Lehane, L Foley; A Murphy, S Desmond (capt), P O'Leary.
Subs: A Cronin for L Foley (h-t), C Healy for Gowen, C Cronin for P Cronin, R Loftus for P O'Leary (all 43), L Foley for O'Neill (60, inj).
Referee: I McCarthy (Bandon).