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Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Michael Barrett: 'We're learning over the years. We're getting a bit wiser'
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).
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Blarney turn on second-half style to roar into Senior A contention
Cork SAHC: Blarney 3-24 Watergrasshill 0-12 Blarney entered this Cork SAHC encounter at risk of elimination. They left it with a significant boost to their score difference 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 as Cian Barrett punished a dropped puck-out. 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 two goals for a 2-3 total. The second half finished 2-11 to 0-3 in their favour. Watergrasshill's Adam Murphy tries to get away from Blarney's Stephen Mullane, during their Senior 'A' HC clash at Grenagh. Picture: David Keane. 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 to escape this group of death. 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. That included five excellent points from play. However, he lacked support. Seán 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 build a five-point gap. Coleman had an early pair from play, while wing-backs Alan McEvoy and Conor Power, wearing 2 and 3 on their backs, came forward to score. Aiden Foley bravely saved a Cian Barrett goal chance and absorbed a loose pull to prevent a rebound. The Hill sideline were unhappy with a couple more frees as Shane Barrett tapped two momentum-builders over from close range. Watergrasshill's best period of play followed. Murphy clipped four of the next five 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 and he flashed over a low-trajectory point before Eoghan Kirby's second. Then, in the second added minute, Denis McSweeney robbed a puck-out to the left wing and fed McCarthy, who handpassed to Cian Barrett for the tap-in finish. 1-13 to 0-9 at half-time. 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 Desmond took a heavy blow later on. 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 long puck-outs which worked to such 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 quick impact, laying on McCarthy's first goal, finished with a deft sidestep, and tapping over his first of two points. The Hill had converted just one of seven shots at the posts in the half until goalkeeper Foley landed a long-range free. But Paul Hallissey saved from Murphy, and Blarney hit another 1-5 without reply, including McSweeney's third and 1-1 for McCarthy. The goal arrived in the first added minute after Cathal Hegarty turned over possession. Coleman even went for goal from a late 21-yard free to build the score-difference cushion. Foley saved, but the Corkman 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).
Irish Examiner
03-08-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Brian Roche the difference as Bride Rovers gain revenge on Blarney in Cork SAHC
Bride Rovers 1-22 Blarney 1-15 Bride Rovers recorded a deserved win over Blarney in Group 3 of the Co-op Superstores Cork SAHC in Pairc Uí Rinn on Sunday afternoon. Blarney had gotten the better of Rovers in the semi-final of this competition the past two seasons, but this day belonged to the Rathcormac/Bartlemy outfit. In Brian Roche they had the game's best player as he hit 0-7 from play, his twin brother, Eoin, was excellent in defence alongside Cillian Tobin while Adam Walsh's performance against the wind in the first have gave them the platform they needed. Mark Coleman, operating at centre-forward, gave Blarney the lead with an early free. He then made that start even better when he broke on to a Paul Hallissey puckout before finishing smartly past Cian Hogan for the game's opening goal. The following ten minutes were pedestrian enough, Adam Walsh, David Barry, Shane O'Connor and Conor Barry pointed for Rovers, Coleman and Alan McEvoy clipped a couple of scores for Blarney, and they led by 1-3 to 0-4 at the end of the opening quarter. Walsh had showed his potential for destruction when assisting David Barry's point after a mighty fetch, and in the second quarter Bride Rovers hit him early and often, with Cillian Tobin freed up to supply the missiles. He hit 0-4 off play, went close to a major and Blarney just could not handle him. His menace freed up Brian Roche for a couple of points while Conor Barry and Louie Roche also found their range as Bride Rovers looked far the more convincing team. Eoin Roche was curtailing the influence of Shane Barrett, and all Blarney could muster were points from Cathal McCarthy, Jerry Murphy and a Coleman free to leave them trailing by 0-13 to 1-6 as they turned to play into the breeze in the second half. Points from Walsh and McCarthy sandwiched a Walsh free on the resumption before Bride Rovers struck for a crucial score. Another Tobin delivery landed around the D, and this time Conleith Ryan broke on to it before slipping it past Hallissey for an excellent goal. That put six between them, and that was still the margin when the game entered the final quarter with McCarthy, McEvoy and Eoghan Kirby on target for Blarney, while Brian Roche had two and Walsh one for Rovers to make it 1-17 to 1-11. Three points from Coleman then outdid two from the outstanding Roche before a Denis McSweeney point left four between them with seven to play. That man Brian Roche was on hand again for Bride Rovers though, as his seventh of the day brought the margin to five before a monstrous free from 'keeper Cian Hogan made it a six-point game again with five to play. From there, the game petered out to its inevitable conclusion. Shane O'Connor put a cherry on top of a great day for the Rovers with his second of the day, as his side will go into their next game against Courcey Rovers with two points on the board, while Blarney will seek improvement before their clash with Watergrasshill who also had a win in their opening game. Scorers for Bride Rovers: A Walsh (0-8, 0-4 f), B Roche (0-7), C Ryan (1-0), C Barry and S O'Connor (0-2 each), D Barry, L Roche, C Hogan (free) (0-1 each. Scorers for Blarney: M Coleman (1-7, 0-5 f), C McCarthy (0-3), A McEvoy (0-2), E Kirby, D McSweeney, J Murphy (0-1 each). BRIDE ROVERS: C Hogan; D Cashman, E Roche, J Peters; C Hazelwood, C Tobin, S O'Connor; C O'Sullivan, D Barry; C Ryan, B Roche, K Kearney; C Barry, A Walsh, L Roche. Subs: K Cotter for Peters (blood, 44-45), R O'Connell for Kearney (48). BLARNEY: P Hallissey; D Murphy, D Quill, S Crowley; S Mullane, P Crowley, A McEvoy; O Hegarty, S Mulcahy; D McSweeney, M Coleman (c), E Kirby; C McCarthy, S Barrett, J Murphy. Subs: C Power for Quill (inj, 8), C Barrett for Murphy (46), W Crowley for Kirby (48), D Manlon for Mulcahy (60). Referee: Ciaran O'Regan (Ballyhea).
Irish Daily Mirror
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Tipperary player ratings as they blitz Cork to win All-Ireland Hurling final
Tipperary are All-Ireland Hurling Champions for 2025 after blitzing Cork in the second half in Croke Park. Going in six points behind at the break, Liam Cahill's side held Cork to just two points in a remarkable second half. There were a number of star performers such as Darragh McCarthy, who scored a flawless 1-13 while his full forward partner John McGrath was equally as impressive. Here is how the players rated. Tipperary Player Ratings 1 Rhys Shelly- 8Second choice goalkeeper at the outset, rounded off a brilliant campaign with a point from play and penalty save. Superb. 6 Ronan Maher - 9 Handed the task of keeping tabs on Hurler of the Year contender Brian Hayes and did just that, limiting him to a point. 2 Robert Doyle - 8 Was paired off with Alan Connolly, who hit 3-2 in the semi-final, but Doyle conceded just 0-1 and got forward for a point himself. 4 Michael Breen - 8 Brilliantly set up a point for Darragh McCarthy before half-time and won a free for McCarthy to convert in the second half. Snuffed out Patrick Horgan. 3 Eoghan Connolly - 6 Shifted out to wing-back, he fired over a trademark long-range point though blazed a goal chance wide. Struggled with Diarmuid Healy. 5 Craig Morgan - 6 Played at centre-back but found Shane Barrett difficult to handle, with the Blarney man Cork's standout player with 1-4. 7 Bryan O'Mara - 7 Was given a sweeping role and performed it well for the most part before being forced off with injury in the 50th minute. 8 Willie Connors - 8 Was the other central player in an interesting tactical ploy by Tipp as he dropped deep and nullified Declan Dalton. Chipped in with a point. 9 Conor Stakelum - 7 Crucial point at the start of the second half to get Tipperary going. More than held his own against Cork's highly rated midfield. 12 Sam O'Farrell - 7 Failed to get on the scoreboard but put in a hefty shift, with his hard running leading to a couple of scores. 11 Andrew Ormond - 8 One of many who really raised their game in the second half, hitting 0-2 and troubling Robert Downey. Also won a converted free. 10 Jake Morris - 7 Mixed the good with the bad, hitting two first half points to go with three wides, but didn't hide and was always busy. 13 Darragh McCarthy - 9 Came into the game under a cloud, with a question mark over his discipline, but put on an exhibition of striking with 1-13 from 14 shots. 14 John McGrath - 9 Rounded off a brilliant return to form this year by hitting 2-2 and winning the penalty for Tipperary's other goal. 15 Jason Forde - 7 The least prominent of Tipperary's inside trio but still chipped in with a couple of points and got through plenty of work. Subs: Seamus Kennedy for O'Mara (50) 6 Alan Tynan for Morgan (56) 6 Noel McGrath (0-1) for O'Farrell (59) 7 - fitting end to the game with a point for his fourth All-Ireland medal. Darragh Stakelum for Stakelum (64) 6 Oisín O'Donoghue for Ormond (66) 6
The 42
18-07-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Harnedy and O'Brien back on bench as Cork name unchanged team
CORK HAVE named an unchanged team for Sunday's All-Ireland SHC final against Tipperary (throw-in 3.30pm). The starting XV is the same as the one that defeated Dublin in the semi-final, while Séamus Harnedy and Cormac O'Brien rejoin the match day panel following recent injuries. Advertisement Ethan Twomey and Jack O'Connor are the players to make way. The game will feature 14 out of 15 from last year's final side, with Diarmuid Healy, who is selected at wing forward, the only newcomer. Cork 1. Patrick Collins (Ballinhassig) 2. Niall O'Leary (Castlelyons), 3. Eoin Downey (Glen Rovers), 4. Seán O'Donoghue (Inniscarra) 5. Ciarán Joyce (Castlemartyr), 6. Robert Downey (Glen Rovers), 7. Mark Coleman (Blarney) 8. Tim O'Mahony (Newtownshandrum), 9. Darragh Fitzgibbon (Charleville) 10. Diarmuid Healy (Lisgoold), 11. Shane Barrett (Blarney), 12. Declan Dalton (Fr O'Neill's) 13. Patrick Horgan (Glen Rovers), 14. Alan Connolly (Blackrock), 15. Brian Hayes (St Finbarr's) Subs:
