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Watergrasshill’s Adam Murphy tries to get away from Blarney’s Stephen Mullane, during their Senior ‘A’ HC clash at Grenagh.\u00a0Picture: David Keane.<\/p>\nBlarney entered this Cork SAHC encounter at risk of elimination. They left it with a significant boost to their score difference after a dominant second-half showing against the wind at Grenagh.<\/p>\n
Approaching half-time, they were anything but safe. They led Watergrasshill by two, having played with a strong diagonal breeze, but finished with a 1-2 burst as Cian Barrett punished a dropped puck-out.<\/p>\n
The conditions brought no benefit to the Hill after the break. Blarney broke down their long puck-outs and held them scoreless from play for the entire half. Mark Coleman was everywhere, accumulating 0-9 (three from play), while Cathal McCarthy poached two goals for a 2-3 total. The second half finished 2-11 to 0-3 in their favour.<\/p>\n
Watergrasshill’s Adam Murphy tries to get away from Blarney’s Stephen Mullane, during their Senior ‘A’ HC clash at Grenagh.\u00a0Picture: David Keane.<\/p>\n
A win against Courcey Rovers would guarantee Blarney\u2019s progress. Having seen their 10-game winning streak snapped, the Hill require an upset against Bride Rovers to escape this group of death.<\/p>\n
Adam Murphy put in a major shift in the first half for the All-Ireland intermediate champions. He got off 11 shots into the tricky wind, converting eight. That included five excellent points from play.<\/p>\n
However, he lacked support. Se\u00e1n Desmond\u2019s point was their only other from play.<\/p>\n
Amid a clap of thunder and a flash of lightning in the distance, Blarney slowly established an upper hand in the opening quarter to build a five-point gap. Coleman had an early pair from play, while wing-backs Alan McEvoy and Conor Power, wearing 2 and 3 on their backs, came forward to score.<\/p>\n
Aiden Foley bravely saved a Cian Barrett goal chance and absorbed a loose pull to prevent a rebound. The Hill sideline were unhappy with a couple more frees as Shane Barrett tapped two momentum-builders over from close range.<\/p>\n
Watergrasshill\u2019s best period of play followed. Murphy clipped four of the next five points, including a fabulous score from the sideline where he juggled the sliotar back over his head to escape a tackle.<\/p>\n
Leading 0-11 to 0-9, Blarney brought Shane Barrett out to centre-forward and he flashed over a low-trajectory point before Eoghan Kirby\u2019s second.<\/p>\n
Then, in the second added minute, Denis McSweeney robbed a puck-out to the left wing and fed McCarthy, who handpassed to Cian Barrett for the tap-in finish. 1-13 to 0-9 at half-time.<\/p>\n
Both teams were missing big talents in D\u00e1ire O\u2019Leary and P\u00e1draig Power, but in Cian Barrett and Conor Power, Blarney had a couple more players coming right after their first-round loss.<\/p>\n
On the other side, Kevin O\u2019Neill manfully kept tabs on Shane Barrett, but was visibly hampered from midway through the first half, while Desmond took a heavy blow later on.<\/p>\n
A Murphy free from the throw-in opened the second-half scoring, but his side wouldn\u2019t raise another flag until the 50th minute.<\/p>\n
They withdrew the full-forward line to target the long puck-outs which worked to such good effect against Courceys. But Stephen Mullane and Patrick Crowley kept bringing the ball to ground and gobbling up the supply.<\/p>\n
Blarney reeled off 1-5 without reply, including a crisply-struck Coleman brace from distance. Substitute Jerry Murphy made a quick impact, laying on McCarthy\u2019s first goal, finished with a deft sidestep, and tapping over his first of two points.<\/p>\n
The Hill had converted just one of seven shots at the posts in the half until goalkeeper Foley landed a long-range free.<\/p>\n
But Paul Hallissey saved from Murphy, and Blarney hit another 1-5 without reply, including McSweeney\u2019s third and 1-1 for McCarthy.<\/p>\n
The goal arrived in the first added minute after Cathal Hegarty turned over possession. Coleman even went for goal from a late 21-yard free to build the score-difference cushion. Foley saved, but the Corkman slotted the 65.<\/p>\n
The 2023 and \u201824 runners-up are back up and running.<\/p>\n
\n Scorers for Blarney: C McCarthy (2-3); M Coleman (0-9, 4 frees, 2 65s); C Barrett (1-0); D McSweeney, S Barrett (2 frees) (0-3 each); E Kirby, J Murphy (0-2 each); A McEvoy, C Power (0-1 each).<\/p>\n
\n Scorers for Watergrasshill: A Murphy (0-9, 4 frees); A Foley (free), S O\u2019Regan (65), S Desmond (0-1 each).<\/p>\n
\n BLARNEY: P Hallissey; S Mullane, S Crowley, D Murphy; C Power, P Crowley, A McEvoy; O Hegarty, M Coleman; S Mulcahy, D McSweeney, E Kirby; C McCarthy, S Barrett, C Barrett.<\/p>\n
\n Subs: J Murphy for Kirby (43), C Hegarty for C Barrett (52), D Hanlon for Mullane (53), W Crowley for McSweeney (55).<\/p>\n
\n WATERGRASSHILL: A Foley; D Roche, K O\u2019Neill, D McCarthy; J Gowen, I O\u2019Callaghan, S O\u2019Regan; C O\u2019Leary, A Spriggs; P Cronin, B Lehane, L Foley; A Murphy, S Desmond (capt), P O\u2019Leary.<\/p>\n
\n Subs: A Cronin for L Foley (h-t), C Healy for Gowen, C Cronin for P Cronin, R Loftus for P O\u2019Leary (all 43), L Foley for O\u2019Neill (60, inj).<\/p>\n
\n Referee: I McCarthy (Bandon).<\/p>\n
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