Cork Premier SFC: Nemo Rangers 0-16 Éire Óg 2-6 There were no alarms and no surprises for Nemo Rangers in Ballincollig on Friday evening as they put themselves in pole position to qualify from Group 1 of the McCarthy Insurance Group Cork PSFC with a straightforward win over Éire Óg. They led from pillar to post – doing most of the heavy lifting in an excellent first half display - kicking 0-15 from play and had all of their forwards on the board after twenty-one minutes. The one blot on their copy book was the lack of goalscoring opportunities they created, and the two goals they conceded.
That number could have been more were it not for a smart double save from Micheál A Martin when he denied Rian O’Flynn and Dylan Foley ten minutes into the second half. Éire Óg, who were shorn the services of Daniel Goulding and Mark Griffin, did get a second goal through Conor McGoldrick a few minutes later, but they never really looked capable of turning things around. All in all, there was plenty for Nemo manager, Robbie O’Dwyer, to mull over after the final whistle.
“Job done. Hard work in the second half. I thought we might have pushed on after half time, but in fairness to Éire Óg, they put it up to us in the second half.
It was a battle, and we knew it was going to be a battle. They were fighting for their lives, needed the win. So, we’re happy with the result and to get over the line.
I was happy with the first half performance, not the second half one, but there are things to work on, at least.” Nemo bossed the opening quarter of the game as they played with poise and purpose, moving the ball at pace and making life very uncomfortable for the Éire Óg defence. Points from Ross Corkery and Oisín Whyte gave them an early lead before the same players combined to create the chance for Paul Kerrigan’s opening score.
Kerrigan then raised consecutive white flags to make it 0-5 to 0-0 after fourteen minutes. Mark Cronin then extended the lead before Éíre Óg finally got off the mark. Colm O’Callaghan, who was well marshalled by Barry Cripps, in general, claimed a kick-out before setting Eoin O’Shea free with a good kick pass.
O’Shea then zigged and zagged before finishing it to the net. Game on? No. The Nemo response was emphatic, with points from Corkery, Ronan Dalton and Conor Horgan quickly cancelling out the goal before Horgan’s second made it 0-10 to 1-0 with five minutes to the break.
A point from O’Shea and a Daniel Healy free brought Éire Óg closer, but Nemo finished the half with a commanding 0-12 to 1-2 lead as further points from Corkery and Horgan put them in total control. Corkery’s fourth then gave them the perfect start to the second period before O’Shea went close to bagging his second major only for his shot from a tight angle to come back off the post. Jack Sheehan then had the Ovens based side’s first score of the half.
A bit of niggle was creeping into the game, with both sides giving as good as they got, but Martin’s double-save then brought events on the ball back into focus. Cronin clipped over his second point before Éire Óg struck for their second goal, Daniel Herlihy combining with Healy and Sheehan to set up McGoldrick. This time they managed to back it up with a Chris Kelly free, but Nemo then began to control possession and suck the life out of the game.
Horgan’s fourth and a beauty from Kevin O’Donovan made the game safe, before late points from Donnacha Kelly and Jack Murphy brought proceedings to a close. Éire Óg will now need a favour from Ballincollig to keep their season alive when they play Newcestown on Saturday, while a Newcestown win would ensure Nemo’s safe passage. Scorers for Nemo: C Horgan and R Corkery (0-4 each), P Kerrigan (0-3, 0-1 free), M Cronin (0-2), O Whyte, R Dalton and K O'Donovan (0-1 each).
Scorers for Éire Óg: E O'Shea (1-1), C McGoldrick (1-0), D Healy (free), D Kelly, C Kelly (free), J Murphy and J Sheehan (0-1 each). NEMO RANGERS: MA Martin; E Nation, C Molloy, C McCartan; K O'Donovan, K Fulignati, S Cronin; A O'Donovan (c), B Cripps; C Horgan, R Dalton, O Whyte; R Corkery, M Cronin, P Kerrigan. ÉIRE ÓG: C Kelly; M Corkery, C Clifford, D Herlihy; A McCarthy, D Dineen, C McGoldrick; C O'Callaghan, D Kelly; R O'Flynn, E O'Shea, D McCarthy (c); D Foley, D Healy, J Murphy.
Subs: J Sheehan for Dineen (h/t), D Goulding for O'Flynn (52), H Murphy for Healy (56) Referee: Liam O'Shea (Carbery Rangers). A collection of the latest sports news, reports and analysis from Cork..
