Barryroe GAA

06 August, 2017

The tweet from GAA reporter John Tarrant read "Co. IHC FT Barryroe 2-18 Meelin 4-11 last ditch goal in 64th min by Barryroe's Ger O Leary wins epic .@OfficialCorkGAA".

Those Barryroe supporters who didn't travel to Cloughduv and saw the tweet were in shock. Those who did travel and were present were even more shocked. Not by the result, because it was thoroughly deserved, but by the nature in which it happened. At two points down and 3 minutes injury time played, a last ditch free for the Blues 20 yards out by Tadgh Harrington was stopped on the line but an unexpected surge and block from club veteran Ger O'Leary resulted in the ball hitting the Meelin net. For a player who rarely passed the halfway line, no one still knows where he came from. In his near-30 years playing with Barryroe, we have reason to believe this was his first ever goal. And what an important goal it was. 

The goal capped a hearty display by the blues on the night. Going into the game against a heavily fancied Meelin who were 1/10 with the bookies, few believed this result was possible. However, the players and management saw it differently and smelt blood early on. 

The game opened at a blistering pace when Dave O'Sullivan burst through the Meelin defence and sank the sliotar into the bottom corner. The one goal lead was relinquished almost instantly with the men from Meelin hitting the net on the opposite end. Barryroe moved into a 1-3 to 1-0 lead through 3 Tadgh Harrington points (2 from frees). Meelin came back to level but the blues again moved into a 3 point lead through further points from Harrington, Ciaran Hurley and Johnny O’Donovan. With the score now at 1-6 to 1-3, things were looking promising. The next 10 minutes however turned the game on its head with Meelin scoring 3 goals in quick succession. Space seemed to open up for their forwards and it didn’t look good for the blues. Meelin at one stage moved into a seven point lead. Sean Holland and Harrington added two further scores in the first half and reduced the deficit to 6 points going into the break with a scoreline of Meelin 4-5 to Barryroe’s 1-8.

Barryroe supporters were scratching their heads over the fact their team were 6 points down despite playing some great hurling. While they were dominating play, the concession of 4 goals was a major worry. On the resumption however, Dave Kiely moved into the full-back line and tightened things up, picking up loose ball and making sure his presence was felt by the incoming Meelin forwards.

The second half saw Barryroe out-score Meelin 1-10 to 6 points with the critical score coming last puck of the game via Ger O’Leary. Harrington continued his fine form adding 6 further points with 4 of those from frees. Jack Murphy added two great points from play with Johnny O’Donovan and Ciaran Hurley making up the other scores.

Keeper Billy O’Donovan had a solid night despite sustaining an ankle injury in the first half. Corner back and minor Eoin Sheehy on his championship debut gave a faultless performance, picking up a lot of loose ball around the full back line and using it well. A wiry Conor O’Regan completed the full back line and was very consistent throughout. Jason Fleming gave a commanding display at centre back with an uncanny ability to read the game and be in the right position at critical moments. John Whelton and Ger O’Leary completed the half back line and nullified the opposition in the second half whilst also being very efficient in possession when under pressure. In the centre, Johnny O’Donovan and Ted Kearney played excellent linking roles between the backs and forwards and always made themselves available for the pass. Jack Murphy had a fantastic night and as well as his two key scores in the second half, manufactured many other scores through some very intelligent use of the ball. Dave Sullivan gave a resounding 60 minutes of hard work and while he was a constant threat during attacks, he never stopped harassing when Meelin were in possession. Tadgh Harrington finished with 11 points and its fair to say his influence on the game was gigantic. The score of the night was when he picked up the ball 65 yards out by the sideline and under pressure launched it over the Meelin crossbar. Darren Mccarthy at corner forward worked like a Trojan and use his physicality to win many frees. Sean Holland’s brain and quick thinking at full forward was a joy to behold and makes him a key asset in the full forward line. While the other corner forward Ciaran Hurley was kept quiet by his own standards for a lot of the game, he still stepped up with two critical scores at key moments. His injury late on resulted in the introduction of Lislevane powerhouse Conor Madden who made his presence felt by the Meelin full-back and caused havoc under the high ball in the concluding minutes.

Overall, this was a performance we will remember for a long time. Whilst still only a Round 3 game, the way it was won and the fact it was against all odds made it feel like a final. It was encouraging to see so many young players stand up to the challenge put before them and bodes very well for the future. Well done to all panel members, coach Brendan Coleman and his selectors Kevin Mccarthy and John Mcsweeney for overcoming this seemingly impossible task. All roads now point to 19th August where we face Sarsfields in Round 4.