On Saturday, the 28th September, the Blarney U14 Footballers came out on top in the county football final against a gallant Midleton outfit at the MTU GAA Stadium. On a beautiful day for football, the Blarney boys showed their full array of skills, with no end of teamwork to pull away from Midleton in the second half.
Coming into the game, Blarney were aware that Midleton had scored eight goals in their semifinal win against Carbery Rangers so this had the Blarney defence on high alert. Blarney suffered an injury blow the day before the final with the news that Blarney goalkeeper Bobby Byrd was out with a shoulder injury. Fear not, Ryan O’Leary from the U13s stepped in and had a magnificent game. Ryan’s kickouts constantly hit the target and, along with
some great saves, he proved to be a real cool and settling presence behind the defence.
There was a familiarity between the Blarney and Midleton squads from regular meetings in P1 hurling over the last few year and so, looking at the weapons Midleton had in their full forward line, Blarney knew they had to match their strength and speed. This they did, with James Forrest, Ben O’Reilly and Greg McCarthy all having great games. At centre back, the lynch pin of the Blarney defence is Mati Delea who, no matter what he is asked to do, does it without fuss and to perfection as he did again in the final. Storming up from the wing back positions was Mikey Cairns and Conor O’Sullivan, with Conor contributing 1-1 on the scoreboard.
The Blarney midfield is one of the best in the county at any level. The strength, speed and ball handling of Eoghan O’Keeffe is perfect for the midfield roll. Lochlann O’ Donoghue is the engine of this team, he never stops running! Lochlann’s ability to spray passes and free kicks into space for Blarney’s half forwards was the key to unlocking the Midelton defence. In addition, the Blarney defence was provided with the security of having Eoghan and Lochlann constantly there to support and give an outlet for passes from the back.
The Blarney half forward line is simply magic. The Midleton team had no answer to the footwork, speed and constant running of Sam Hassett, Bobby Fitzgerald and Daniel McAuliffe. What Mati Delea is to the defence, Sam is to the forward line. A nightmare to mark, he’ll turn on a sixpence, and had a hand in nearly every score Blarney got. Bobby is the fastest player in Cork which, allied to his ball skills, accuracy, movement and willingness to work so hard for the team, is what made the difference and it is no surprise he finished as top scorer with 2-03 to his name. Daniel is another that just never stops running and is constantly fouled as he is so hard to nullify. Daniel is also a fantastic free taker and had five points on the scoreboard at the end.
The full forward line is as big and physical a unit as you could wish to have. Sean Lynch got his hands on a lot of ball and linked up very well with the half forward line coming in. Harry Hogan tackled as though his life depended on it, the Midelton full back line could never settle on the ball as they knew Harry was coming for them! Harry was very intelligent in possession, again laying off ball to the outside runners to generate scores. Jack Lynch set the tone from the off with a sweetly curled effort in the opening minutes of the game which settled the Blarney nerves.
The bench press came in the second half when lads started to get tired. Josh O’ Brien, Fionan O’ Sullivan, Rian Forde, Jack Ahern and Oran Kelly all came on and contributed to the win. A special mention for Josh O ‘Brien who scored a very well taken goal which was the final strike to end Midleton’s hopes of a comeback.
The opening half was a very tight and tense affair. Jack Lynch’s point settled the nerves and a pass as good as you will see from Sam Hassett to Bobby Fitzgerald unlocked the Midleton defence for a brilliantly taken goal. Blarney were rocked with a goal from the very powerful Midleton full forward shortly after and they started to get a foothold in the game. Blarney responded by keeping the scoreboard ticking over with well taken points but then were rocked with another goal from Midleton, this time from their corner forward. Knowing what Midleton did in their semi-final, Blarney had to readjust to ensure they prevented any further goal opportunities being given up. The half time score read Blarney 1-06 Midleton 2-02.
The half time team talk was a confident one. Blarney now had the wind to their backs so the boys were told to keep playing the football they were playing, keep the attack wide to create space and deny Midleton the ability to play long ball into their forward line. It all worked to perfection. The defence didn’t give an inch, only conceding two points in the second half. The midfield ran themselves into the ground while the half forward line supplied the magic to engineer the scores that left the final scoreboard reading Blarney 4-12 Midleton 2-05.
The Blarney parents ran a car parade through the village with the kids displaying the cup to the locals and tourists alike. Afterwards, the boys were treated to a pizza party back in the clubhouse, allowing them to savour this fantastic achievement together. There will be many great days ahead with this fantastic bunch of boys. An Bhlarna abú!
Blarney: Ryan O’ Leary, Greg McCarthy, James Forrest, Ben O’ Reilly Michael Cairns, Mati Delea (0-01), Conor O’ Sullivan (1-01), Lochlann O’ Donoghue, Eoghan O’ Keeffe, Bobby Fitzgerald (2-03), Sam Hassett (0-01), Daniel McAuliffe (0-05), Sean Lynch, Harry Hogan, Jack Lynch (0-01), Josh O’ Brien (1-00), Fionan O’ Sullivan, Jack Ahern, Rian Forde, Oran Kelly.
Coming into the game, Blarney were aware that Midleton had scored eight goals in their semifinal win against Carbery Rangers so this had the Blarney defence on high alert. Blarney suffered an injury blow the day before the final with the news that Blarney goalkeeper Bobby Byrd was out with a shoulder injury. Fear not, Ryan O’Leary from the U13s stepped in and had a magnificent game. Ryan’s kickouts constantly hit the target and, along with
some great saves, he proved to be a real cool and settling presence behind the defence.
There was a familiarity between the Blarney and Midleton squads from regular meetings in P1 hurling over the last few year and so, looking at the weapons Midleton had in their full forward line, Blarney knew they had to match their strength and speed. This they did, with James Forrest, Ben O’Reilly and Greg McCarthy all having great games. At centre back, the lynch pin of the Blarney defence is Mati Delea who, no matter what he is asked to do, does it without fuss and to perfection as he did again in the final. Storming up from the wing back positions was Mikey Cairns and Conor O’Sullivan, with Conor contributing 1-1 on the scoreboard.
The Blarney midfield is one of the best in the county at any level. The strength, speed and ball handling of Eoghan O’Keeffe is perfect for the midfield roll. Lochlann O’ Donoghue is the engine of this team, he never stops running! Lochlann’s ability to spray passes and free kicks into space for Blarney’s half forwards was the key to unlocking the Midelton defence. In addition, the Blarney defence was provided with the security of having Eoghan and Lochlann constantly there to support and give an outlet for passes from the back.
The Blarney half forward line is simply magic. The Midleton team had no answer to the footwork, speed and constant running of Sam Hassett, Bobby Fitzgerald and Daniel McAuliffe. What Mati Delea is to the defence, Sam is to the forward line. A nightmare to mark, he’ll turn on a sixpence, and had a hand in nearly every score Blarney got. Bobby is the fastest player in Cork which, allied to his ball skills, accuracy, movement and willingness to work so hard for the team, is what made the difference and it is no surprise he finished as top scorer with 2-03 to his name. Daniel is another that just never stops running and is constantly fouled as he is so hard to nullify. Daniel is also a fantastic free taker and had five points on the scoreboard at the end.
The full forward line is as big and physical a unit as you could wish to have. Sean Lynch got his hands on a lot of ball and linked up very well with the half forward line coming in. Harry Hogan tackled as though his life depended on it, the Midelton full back line could never settle on the ball as they knew Harry was coming for them! Harry was very intelligent in possession, again laying off ball to the outside runners to generate scores. Jack Lynch set the tone from the off with a sweetly curled effort in the opening minutes of the game which settled the Blarney nerves.
The bench press came in the second half when lads started to get tired. Josh O’ Brien, Fionan O’ Sullivan, Rian Forde, Jack Ahern and Oran Kelly all came on and contributed to the win. A special mention for Josh O ‘Brien who scored a very well taken goal which was the final strike to end Midleton’s hopes of a comeback.
The opening half was a very tight and tense affair. Jack Lynch’s point settled the nerves and a pass as good as you will see from Sam Hassett to Bobby Fitzgerald unlocked the Midleton defence for a brilliantly taken goal. Blarney were rocked with a goal from the very powerful Midleton full forward shortly after and they started to get a foothold in the game. Blarney responded by keeping the scoreboard ticking over with well taken points but then were rocked with another goal from Midleton, this time from their corner forward. Knowing what Midleton did in their semi-final, Blarney had to readjust to ensure they prevented any further goal opportunities being given up. The half time score read Blarney 1-06 Midleton 2-02.
The half time team talk was a confident one. Blarney now had the wind to their backs so the boys were told to keep playing the football they were playing, keep the attack wide to create space and deny Midleton the ability to play long ball into their forward line. It all worked to perfection. The defence didn’t give an inch, only conceding two points in the second half. The midfield ran themselves into the ground while the half forward line supplied the magic to engineer the scores that left the final scoreboard reading Blarney 4-12 Midleton 2-05.
The Blarney parents ran a car parade through the village with the kids displaying the cup to the locals and tourists alike. Afterwards, the boys were treated to a pizza party back in the clubhouse, allowing them to savour this fantastic achievement together. There will be many great days ahead with this fantastic bunch of boys. An Bhlarna abú!
Blarney: Ryan O’ Leary, Greg McCarthy, James Forrest, Ben O’ Reilly Michael Cairns, Mati Delea (0-01), Conor O’ Sullivan (1-01), Lochlann O’ Donoghue, Eoghan O’ Keeffe, Bobby Fitzgerald (2-03), Sam Hassett (0-01), Daniel McAuliffe (0-05), Sean Lynch, Harry Hogan, Jack Lynch (0-01), Josh O’ Brien (1-00), Fionan O’ Sullivan, Jack Ahern, Rian Forde, Oran Kelly.
