Barryroe GAA

Rosscarbery, 16:00PM

Match Report 'Cois Farraige' Souther Star 19th October 2002

Barryroe laid early foundations

Barryroe 1-11 St. Mary's 0-11

A marvellous start in which they scored the crucial goal of the game and led by 1-03 to nil after only eight minutes was the foundation for Barryroe's victory in this highly entertaining junior B football final in Rosscarbery on Sunday last. Many were expecting it to be third time lucky for St. Mary's who were contesting their third junior B football in a row, losing the previous two but for much of the first half it seemed Mary's were going to be at the end of a drubbing as Barryroe erupted from the traps at full pace while Mary's were still trying to wind up.

When Gearoid Whelton buried the ball in the net as early as the third minutes Barryroe were totally on top but few imagined that the game would eventually go down to the wire and that Whelton's goal would remain the most crucial score of the hour. There was one other major pivotal happening and that came in the 13th minute.

Barryroe were awarded a penalty and a second goal then would have put them ahead. The game could have been over inside the first quarter but for the heroics of goalie Christopher Daly who brought off a great save from the penalty shot. That save inspired Mary's to raise their game but their recovery was slow rather than spectacular.

They did succeed in stemming the flow of scores and brought the lead down to a manageable three points in the second quarter. A late spurt, which in hingsight was to prove the difference between victory and defeat, saw Barryroe again increase the lead to five by the halftime break.

The second half provided tons of excitement as improving Mary's set about redeeming the game with the advantage of the breeze. At times they looked capable of doing just that but Barryroe were in no mood to surrender their early lead and hung on grimly, playing some stylish football into the bargain. Still Mary's chipped away at the lead and by the 53rd minute, it was down to a single point and Ross was no place for the faint-hearted. It is a sign of great champions that when the going is at its toughest they respond most and that is just what Barryroe did. Amid great excitement, the Blues increased the lead to two points again and Mary's cut it back to one with a single minute on the clock. It would surely end in a draw now, or so we all thought. Bang on the hour Barryroe struck again to open a two point gap, showing great courage under fierce pressure. Amazingly, referee Frank Quill was to add five minutes injury time during which Barryroe's hearts must have suffered palpitations but with their backs simply outstanding they closed off all avenues to their goal and the last flag of the match was again in favour of the Blues who more than deserved this win. They had earned the celebrations that followed, their first title since 1998, and it was ample compensation for their junior a hurling defeat a few weeks ago.

St. Mary's were shattered by this third final defeat in a row but they left themselves with a mountain to climb after their bad start. That they nearly succeeded is to their credit and they contributed enormously to a most enjoyable game. Referee, Frank Quill, was handling his first major S.W. final and, despite comments to the contrary from the losers' camp, he did very well all through in a thoroughly sporting contest. The Carbery Rangers' club had everything in top condition and this game enjoyed the best of the day with the sun shining for most of the hour.

Barryroe won this game because they were much better balanced all round than the opposition and had a lovely blend of big central men and speedy wingers. However, one player emerged as the key contributor all through, Denis Harrington has promised, and delivered, much since his exciting under age days in football and hurling but this final had his class stamped all over it. Lining out with number 14 on his back, he spent most of the hour as a roving corner forward a succession of opponents, scoring four points from play and opening up the Mary's defence with great pace. He was a class act and didn't want for help. The Barryroe forwards were invariably first to the ball for much of the game with Kevin McCarthy providing great leadership on the forty. The strong Jason Fleming and the lightning fast Gearoid Whelton tormented the Mary's full back and wingers Ger Keohane and Clive Cahalane were beavers for work. As expected, Barryroe's two big men at midfield, Ger Coleman and the high fielding Daniel Whelton dominated for much of the game and their strength was crucial in the closing minutes. For most of the first half the Barryroe half back line was like the Berlin wall as they repulsed all attacks. Ger O'Leary was an inspiring captain in the centre, with Kieran Griffin outstanding on the left and John O'Regan not far behind on the other side. When the pressure was at it's height in the closing stages, the full back line came to the rescue. Tim Carroll was flying at full back with corner men Kevin O'Donovan and Bernard O'Brien covering well. Switching Jason Fleming back near the end was a great decision. Behind them, goalie Damien O'Leary never looked like conceding a goal and this was a day when every single player in a blue shirt contributed to a great victory.

St. Mary's will be wondering what happened in the first quarter when they just were not at the races. Daly's save finally woke them up and the switch of Anthony Quinn to the troublesome fullback position steadied the whole side with young Stephen Cronin benefiting greatly from his move outfield. Darragh O'Driscoll again performed heroically at corner back and saved a certain goal with one great tackle. Mike Godley tried hard at wingback all through. Gearoid O'Flynn and John Paul Quinn came up against tough opponents at midfield but never stopped trying and for a while in the second half gained the upper hand and almost swung the game. John Caulfield found it hard to get involved in the first half but was stuck in everything after the break. Likewise, Timmy Buckley began very slowly but was a tower of strength in the comeback. Conor Murphy took a lot of minding on the edge of the square and kicked a couple of fine points and midway through the second half Tadhg Sheenhan in the corner threatened to win the game for Mary's.

The game was only a minute old when Kevin McCarthy lofted over the first Barryroe point as they played into the dressing room goal with the aid of slight breeze. It was all Barryroe and in the third minute they struck the most vital blow of the game when outstanding wing back Kieran Griffin, set up Gearoid Whelton for a cracking goal along the ground. Three minutes later, the flying Denis Harrington kicked his first point and Mary's were reeling. When Ger Coleman pointed a free in the eighth minute, the ball hardly passing the Barryroe halfback line, we thought it was going to be a runaway win. The turning point came in the 13th minute, shortly after Denis Harrington had blazed across the Mary's goalmouth. The dangerous Gearoid Whelton was pulled down in the square and Jason Fleming stepped up to take the kick. It wasn't struck particulary hard but was aimed right at the bottom corner. A flying dive by goalie Chris Daly turned it out for a 45 and Mary's breathed a hugh sigh of relief. Barryroe seemed to lose concentration after that, kicking some bad wides and with Anthony Quinn's move to fullback tightening up the Mary's defence, the Black and Amber slowly awoke from their slumber. They finally got on the scoreboard in the 16th minute with a Conor Murphy point and quickly followed with another from a John Paul Quinn free. Mary's were clearly over the hump now with J.P. Quinn doing well in midfield but it was Denis Harrington who raised the next flag to open a five point gap again. Mary's hit a good patch then as John Caulfield at last broke free to point and Quinn added his second. After all their superiority Barryroe were only three ahead approaching half-time but then they struck again for two fine points from Ger Coleman, set up by Jason Fleming and Harrington, and from Ger Keohane with Fleming again doing the spade work. In between Darragh O'Driscoll had done extremely well to prevent a Barryroe goal with a marvellous tackle.

It was 1-06 to 0-04 at the break and the game was far from over with Mary's playing into the scoring goal in the second half. They set about the job quickly and J.P. Quinn pointed a free. Again it was tormentor Harrington responded with a point for Barryroe. The improving Timmy Buckley pointed a great free from an awkward angle and another free from Quinn closed the gap to three points by the 43rd minute. Mary's were showing much more urgency now and we saw glimpses of the side that almost won the title last season as the hardworking Tadhg Sheenhan closed the gap to two points in the 47th minute. Barryroe were hanging on now as Mary's surged forward in search of scores but once again, the Blues showed how good they were at breaking away for vital scores when Clive Cahalane pointed. Ten minutes left and the excitement was at fever pitch as battling Mary's refused to accept another final defeat. Gallantly, they fought back and when John Paul Quinn pointed a free and Conor Murphy kicked a super score the margin was down to the bare minimum and it looked all over a draw. Enter that man Harrington again with a crucial point in the 56th minute, but back came Mary's to cut it to one again with a Quinn free. Surely it would finish level now with only a minute left on the clock. A mighty Barryroe cheer rent the air when Ger Keohane kicked over a sweet point and the gap was again two. Watches were being scanned nervously as the game entered injury time and referee Quill added on five minutes. It was heart attack time all around but the Barryroe backs were magnifient in those closing minutes and when Ger Coleman pointed a free in the 64th minute, it was all over. There were great scenes of excitement as Tim Whooley chairman of the S.W. Board presented the trophy to Barryroe captain, Ger O'Leary.

Barryroe: Damien O'Leary, Bernard O'Brien, Timmy Carroll, Kevin O'Donovan, John O'Regan, Ger O'Leary (Capt.), Kieran Griffin, Daniel Whelton, Ger Coleman 0-03 (0-02f), Clive Cahalane 0-01, Kevin McCarthy 0-01, Ger Keohane 0-02, Gearoid Whelton 1-00, Denis Harrington 0-04, Jason Fleming. Sub: Padraig Collins.

St. Mary's: Christopher Daly, Darragh O'Driscoll, Stephen Cronin, Aidan O'Donovan, Mike Godley, Anthony Quinn, Tiernan O'Driscoll, Gearoid O'Flynn, J.P. Quinn (0-06f), Timmy Buckley (0-01f), John Caulfield 0-01, Brian Brady, David O'Donovan, Conor Murphy 0-02, Tadhg Sheenhan 0-01. Sub: John Hennessey.