The Bantry Blues GAA Club

By Aidan Power 

The buffalos were stampeding, the cowboys shooting and the Indians were on the rampage as Bantry took to the field to face Duhallow in the Cork County SFC on Sunday last.

Having lost twice already to Saint Nicks and Nemo Rangers, the men in blue found themselves stranded in the last chance saloon of the second round. Duhallow,though bereft of their considerable contingent of Kiskeam players, were thought to be one of the leading divisional sides and they showed their potential in a tight and entertaining first half. Buoyed by the return of Padraig Cremin and the on form Sean McCarthy, Bantry started brightly with Jeremy Canty kicking over the opening point from a first minute free.

Further points were exchanged as the game ebbed,flowed and struggled to settle down and with seventeen minutes gone, the score was 0-4 to 0-3 in Bantrys favour. Corner forward Gearoid Murphy burst onto the scene at this juncture, beating the otherwise exceptional Ted Hurley to a long John Buckley pass, before firing past the stranded Des McAuley for a goal that was as uncomplicated as it was effective.

The livewire that was Declan Barron slotted over five of his teams seven points, with the aforementioned Jeremy Canty and Damien o'Neill scoring the other two, as two late Roger Casey points from distance for Duhallow left the scoreline at the interval 1-6 to 0-6 in favour of the team in orange and black.

Although Bantry had worked hard to stay in contention, it was evident that more would be needed to beat a Duhallow side that attacked with speed and intensity throughout the eventful first thirty minutes. With Andreas o'Sullivan used to good effect as a target man at centre forward and Roger Casey firing on all cylinders at the edge of the square, the threat of conceding further goals always loomed. Two further points at the restart complements of brothers Niall and Andreas o'Sullivan left Bantry trailing by four and facing a summer of inactivity.

The prospect of a triumvirate of championship losses finally seemed to spur the blues on at this stage and their reaction was typically gallant, scoring five points without reply. The reasons for this resurgence were as much tactical as they were psychological. Paul o'Rourke replaced Padraig Healy, providing a fresh impetus in the half forward line and perhaps most crucially, Mark o'Connor switched with Andy o'Shea. O'Shea proceeded to marshal full forward Roger Casey with utmost efficiency, whilst o'Connor, now operating at the less restrictive position of centre back, helped turn the flow of the game in Bantrys favour.

Three points by Sean McCarthy coupled with a brace from o'Rourke coincided with the coming to prominence of Damien o'Neill in midfield where together with the outstanding Graham Canty, he dominated for the games remainder. Gearoid Murphy and the ever lively Niall o'Sullivan narrowed Bantrys advantage to a single point and a draw looked a distinct possibility. However, with Niall Canty in sublime form foraging forward to great success down the right wing and McCarthy and Barron causing all sorts of problems up front, Bantry seized the initiative and pressed on to score two further points. A late pointed free was only of academic importance for Duhallow, as referee Pat o'Leary called time on an entertaining match that knocks Duhallow out of the championship and offers renewed hope for a seemingly rejuvenated Bantry side.

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