Footballers put their hands up for Cork duty, Nemo survive, hurling county final preview.
The Echo Sport PodcastShow Notes
All five Cork county football finals are set after a largely brilliant weekend of club action on Leeside, as the Echo Sport Podcast reviews the games.
Newcestown came close to pulling out a massive upset against Nemo when they charged into a seven-point lead midway through the second half, only to fall short by the minimum after extra time. David Buckley's ability to raise orange flags and a magnificent showing from Cork hurler Luke Meade lit up Páirc Uí Chaoimh but Mark Cronin continued his excellent form for the Trabeg side, who grabbed two crucial goals.
St Finbarr's overcame a slow start against Ballincollig with Steven Sherlock (who else?) guiding them back to the main event. The Barrs, whose camogie team retained their county over the weekend, are capable of more but know how difficult Nemo are to beat in finals.
Knocknagree and Cill na Martra both excelled in the Senior A semis and the potency of their forward units suggests their showdown in two weeks will be a belter.
At Premier Intermediate level, it'll be Aghabullogue, last year's runners-up, against Uibh Laoire in a Mid Cork derby. New Cork U20 football manager Ray Keane has Aghabullogue, in the hunt for a double, producing some superb stuff.
Uibh Laoire, coached by Niall Allen, are ripping it up as well, with Chris Óg Jones as the spearhead of their exciting attack.
Ballinora, under the guidance of former Cork keeper Ken O'Halloran, are the surprise finalists at Intermediate A, though they are drawing from their U21 crop that lifted divisional silverware last spring. They can call on Cork senior Neil Lordan but have a very balanced team.
Ilen Rovers made their first county final since they lost to Nemo at the top grade 17 years ago when they squeezed out Adrigole after extra time. Dan Mac Eoin boomed over a pair of two-pointers to rescue them when four down in normal time.
At Premier Junior, brilliant Buttevant outgunned Canovee and will now be hot favourites against fearless St Nick's, who rallied to edge out Cobh.
The Echo Podcast crew also preview the five county hurling finals this weekend, which have been overshadowed by injuries to some marquee players including Conor Lehane.
They discuss the success of Éire Óg in ladies football and St Finbarr's in camogie, with three Cahalane sisters winning two counties in 24 hours.
Now in its third season, every week Éamonn Murphy will be joined by The Echo team, including Barry O’Mahony, Denis Hurley, Rory Noonan, Jack McKay, John Horgan and more to discuss all the latest Cork GAA news on and off the field.
You can listen to the Echo Sport Podcast every week wherever you get your podcasts or on www.echolive.ie/podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from The Echo Sport Podcast
The Echo Sport Podcast crew breaks down the Premier Senior and Premier Intermediate Hurling finals on this week's show, as well as previewing a busy Bank Holiday weekend as the Cork GAA season hits its thrilling conclusion. The big prizes on Sunday afternoon went to Glen Rovers and Ballincollig. Neither game fully caught fire but the Glen won't care after edging the first county final against the Barrs in 38 years thanks to a pair of Eoin O'Leary goals and a steady showing overall. O'Leary's haul of 2-2 took him to 5-13 for the season and surely on the radar of the Cork selectors. The Glen were just that bit better balanced than the Barrs, who did have a late shout for a penalty to force a draw, and it was a sweet victory after being relegated in 2023. It also atoned for county final losses in 2018, '19 and '20. Barrs were 0-12 to 0-10 up at the break having finished the first half well but O'Leary's opening goal turned the tide. Patrick Horgan finished with 0-3 from play but so too did midfielder Rhys Dunne. Ethan Twomey clipped a staggering 0-5 from play in the second half for the Barrs but it wasn't enough. Ballincollig were a point down at half-time against Dungourney after a slow start but took control in the second half to make up for losing the PIHC final 12 months ago to Ballinhassig. Adam Wills rifled the goal, his brother Stephen Willis picked up Man of the Match for his clinical shooting from play while Theo Morgan and Cian O'Driscoll nailed 0-3 apiece. In defence, James Dwyer, Ross O'Donovan, Barry Coleman and Fenton Denny were also immense. It's a blend of hurling and football next weekend, with the Premier Junior Hurling final on Friday night pairing St Catherine's and Kilshannig. On Sunday afternoon, there's a football double-header, Cobh versus Canovee at Premier Junior, followed by champions St Finbarr's against great rivals Nemo Rangers in a repeat of last year's Premier Senior decider. Now in its fourth season, every Monday, Éamonn Murphy is joined by The Echo team, including Barry O’Mahony, Denis Hurley, Rory Noonan, John Horgan and more to discuss all the latest Cork GAA news on and off the field. You can listen on Echolive.ie/podcast or anywhere you get your podcasts. Don’t forget to log onto www.IrishExaminer.com as well to catch up on their analysis including The Replay, the new highlights show anchored by Seanie McGrath, Dalo’s Hurling Show and The Gaelic Football Show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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