PCD and The Sem into Corn Uí Mhuirí final
NOT a final scoreline that anyone would have predicted when Pobalscoil Corcha Dhuibhne appeared to be leading comfortably at 0-9 to 0-0 after 40 minutes. However, the warning signs were there that the matter was far from a done deal when Rochestown missed three clear cut goal scoring chances, one in the first half when defender Seamus Ó Loinsigh took no chances in denying Josh Honohan in the ninth minute and two in the second half when Gearóid Ó Leidhinn acrobatically cleared an Adam Cantwell effort away and goalkeeper Deividas Uosis denied Rochestown with his feet.
Eamonn Fitzmaurice never had a sense his side were entirely comfortable though in being as ahead on the scoreboard as they were.
“Rochestown had enough chances to trouble us and a goal was always going to make a difference in a low scoring game like that. Conceding one goal you can cope with, another in quick succession gives the opposition great energy like they took from it and we are relieved the boys pulled through in the end,” the Pobalscoil boss said. Conor Russell missed a free for the Cork school to force extra-time, but this all seemed a world away in the first period when the defending champions were picking off scores and punishing their opponent’s wastefulness in front of the posts.
Ruaidhrí Ó Beaglaoich was their main scoring threat as Deividas Uosis came forward for a free having had to step into goal for Gavin Mac Cárthaigh who picked up a knee injury prior to the game. 0-7 to 0-0 at half-time suggested Pobalscoil were in control as Colm Ó Muircheartaigh was impressing and they added two further points to start the second period as the latter was a fine free from 35 metres out by Uosis from the terrace side of Fitzgerald Stadium.
A Conor Russell free in the 41st minute changed the course of the game though. It dropped short, but Adam Cantwell fisted in to finally put Rochestown on the scoreboard as their charge grew legs from there.
A poor kick-out by Uosis was pounced upon as substitute Ray O’Halloran put in a second goal and when Russell put over their first white flag, the score was 0-9 to 2-1 after 44 minutes. Uosis, Ó Beaglaoich, Cillian Ó Failbhe (his second) and substitute Stiofan Ó Conchúir appeared to have weathered the storm in pushing Pobalscoil’s advantage out to 0-13 to 2-2 in the 56th minute but then came four consecutive Rochestown points as extra-time now looked a real possibility!
Russell’s free went wide in the four additional minute of injury time as although he said that extra-time would not have fazed them, Fitzmaurice said he looked forward to another meeting with St Brendans College in the Final. “It’s great that we have three weeks to work on some of the things that went wrong for us. We look forward to playing the Sem, it’s always a huge game for us and there is a healthy rivalry and respect between the schools.” PS CHORCA DHUIBHNE: Deividas Uosis (0-3, 3f); Conchúir Ó Flannúra, Tomas Ó Dubháin, Séamus Ó Loinsigh; Pádraig Ó Cathalláin, Gearóid Ó Leidhinn, Seán Óg Ó Móráin; Seamus Ághas (0-1), Colm Ó Muircheartaigh, Criostóir Ó Catháin, Cillian Ó Failbhe (0-2), Colin Ó Muircheartaigh; Dylan Ó Géibheannaigh (0-2, 1f), Cathal Ó Beaglaoich, Ruaidhrí Ó Beaglaoich (0-4, 1f) Sub: Stiofan Ó Conchúir (0-1) for Ó Catháin
ST FRANCIS ROCHESTOWN: Max White; Patrick Vaughan, Brian O’Neill, Thomas Murphy; Shane Downey, Nathan O’Connell, Sean Andrews; Pierce O’Halloran (0-1), Shane Aherne; Conor Russell (0-4, 3f), Stephen Fenton, Josh Honohan; Alan O’Hare, Adam Hennessy, Adam Cantwell (1-0) Subs: Ray O’Halloran (1-0) for Aherne, Joe O’Connell for Vaughan, Sean Harrington for Fenton, Aaron Sheehy (0-1) for Honohan and Mark Harrington for Downey
REFEREE: Michael Meade (Limerick)