Rockies can deliver title
COUNTY IFC FINAL Rockchapel v Bandon Sunday, October 16 Pairc Uí Rinn, 1.45pm IT’S testimony to Rockchapel’s admirable consistency that they will be contesting a third county final in five seasons next Sunday.
Crowned junior champions in 2012, they qualified for the intermediate decider two years later when they were on the receiving end of an eight-point hammering from Éire Óg.
It was generally accepted that Éire Óg were a cut above the ordinary at intermediate level in 2014, so Rockchapel’s defeat was by no means unexpected and they are entitled to feel they are in with a much stronger chance of lifting the title when they throw down the gauntlet to Bandon in Pairc Uí Rinn.
Bandon are on the crest of a wave at the moment of course, with the majority of their players having shared in their county PIHC final win over Fermoy last Sunday.
They won the junior football title last year, and, given that everything has gone according to plan for them in both codes so far this season, they are bound to be oozing in positivity.
True, they didn’t begin their football campaign on an auspicious note, enduring a baptism of fire in the opening round against Kilnamartyra, who controlled the game from the outset and weren’t in the least bit flattered to run out winners by 0-13 to 1-7, with the Bandon goal coming in the dying seconds.
They have ticked all the right boxes since then, however, accounting for Clonakilty, 2-16 to 0-6, Ballydesmond, 3-8 to 0-14, Glanworth, 3-8 to 0-11, and Mitchelstown, 4-15 to 1-6, en route to the semi-final where they renewed rivalry with Kilnamartyra.
It’s a measure of their improvement since their initial encounter with the Gaeltacht side that they were able to turn the tables in no uncertain manner, building up an eight-point lead before the break and comfortably maintaining the whip-hand in the second half to finish 2-13 to
2-8 to the good.
Having eliminated the championship favourites, they will enter the fray in buoyant mood on Sunday, hell-bent on availing of the opportunity to complete a unique double.
A feature of their progress to the decider has been the scoring exploits of Mark Sugrue, most notably in the quarter-final against Mitchelstown when he contributed 4-9, 4-4 from play, to their resounding victory.
But it would be foolish to think Sugrue has almost single-handedly steered Bandon past all the obstacles up to now, notwithstanding the enormity of his personal tally in every game, and that keeping him someway in check would be enough to guarantee the glory for Rockchapel
To qualify for a county final at any level, a team has to be well-balanced, and such as Alan Johnson, Darren Crowley and particularly full forward Barry Collins have more than paid their way up front for Bandon this season and last.
Rockchapel were disappointing last year, shipping a heavy defeat from Mayfield in Round 4. It meant they went into this year’s championship under a bit of a cloud, even if Mayfield’s progress to the 2015 final, which was lost, after a replay, to Fermoy, would have helped to soothe their dented pride to some extent.
Whether or which, Rockchapel have put their best forward this season, producing a string of compelling displays which, arguably, surpassed any they served up during their march to the final two years ago.
Unflattered by their 0-13 to 1-7 win over Youghal in Round 1, they went on to register equally smooth victories over Glanworth, 1-11 to 0-7, and Aghabullogue, 2-12 to 0-12, before really turning on the power to dispatch Millstreet, 1-12 to 1-4, in the semi-final.
That they are back in a county final is no major surprise, as most of the teams in this grade are evenly-matched, and they were always likely to measure up against any opposition if they performed to their full potential.
Based on how they have shaped up so far, they appear to be a more formidable outfit now than they were when they reached the 2014 final, and the experience gained from their involvement in the showpiece two years ago will obviously be no load as they attempt to go one better at Bandon’s expense.
In Seamus Hickey, they possess a full forward who is virtually unmarkable at this level when on song, and he has been going great guns all year. He has been ably supported up front by such as Liam Collins, Daniel Curtin and Barry Cahill, while the tireless William Murphy, in terms of linking play effectively between defence and attack, has been a revelation as a roaming wing-forward.
Conor Keppell and Maurice Stack should be capable of keeping their end up well at mdfield, and the Rockchapel rearguard, backboned by DJ O’Callaghan and Kevin Collins, looks a very solid unit, but it’s going to be facing the acid test on Sunday, bearing in mind what Mark Sugrue, Barry Collins and Co will bring to the table for Bandon.
Following their semi final win over Kilnamartyra, Bandon have been installed as slight favourites by the bookies, but that brings its own pressure, although, with a hurling county title already in the bag, it isn’t as severe as it might have been.
Indeed, it’s probably bonus territory now as far as Bandon are concerned, as they could hardly have expected to get this far in their first year up from junior ranks.
Rockchapel must cope with the fear of losing a second county final in three seasons of course, but if they can manage that, and settle into the game quickly, it can be taken for granted they won’t be easily foiled.
Verdict: Rockchapel
Rockchapel must cope with the fear of losing a second county final in three seasons, but won’t be foiled