Junior footballers bow out despite brave performance against Ballinacurra
Our junior footballers contested their fourth group game in Cobh on Sunday morning.
Fielding a team without a few regular players, we battled bravely against a physical Ballinacurra side in what was a de facto quarter final.
Our first half effort was spearheaded by Jordan Mannix, Adam Hynes, Luke Harrington, and Cillian O'Sullivan in defence.
Captain Darragh O'Sullivan and John O'Sullivan provided an aerial presence to support our attacks. Our first half scores came from Seamus Ahern, Murat Abdullah, and Frank O'Flynn. However, Rami Gharib was unlucky not to score two majors as he continually worked his way into good positions. Another feature of the half was the hard work and possession winning of Nicky Kelleher at half forward onwards. We trailed by 1.04 to 0.04 at the break and were left to rue a sloppy concession of a goal late on. Still, we were playing well, and with a bit more bravery in breaking ball, we had every chance of overcoming the opposition. Ben Hogan used his experience to highlight the areas we could tighten up on in defence and reassure the team that we needed toughness without the ball and patience with it.
From this point, Ciarán O'Dowd, Ryan O'Callaghan, and Jake Tobin really rose to the task and put their bodies on the line for the team. These small moments made a big difference as Ballinacurra struggled to hold us off. Darragh scored an emphatic point, Nicky knocked over another one, and Rami showed the hottest set of heels and coolest head on the field to finish a great goal to put us back in it. However, entering the last 10 minutes, Ballinacurra called in the reinforcements, and we faded slightly after they claimed a second goal. Across the half, they added 1.06 and ran out worthy winners.
This marks the end of a campaign that began with victory against Fr O'Neills but losses to St. Catherine's, Glenville and now Ballinacurra. The year has seen many new and younger players gain valuable experience that will stand to them in the years to come. Credit to the players for sticking to the task, and representing our club so well in football this year, and just missing out in a semi-final spot. The support received from members of the club more widely will certainly be a point of discussion when we review the year.
Team: Ben Hogan Ciarán O'Dowd Jordan Mannix Jake Tobin Adam Hynes Luke Harrington Cillian O'Sullivan John O'Sullivan Darragh O'Sullivan Ryan O'Callaghan Seamus Ahern Murat Abdullah Rami Gharib Frank O'Flynn Nicky Kelleher
