Cork Premier SFC semi-final: Mallow dream dies as Nemo Rangers affirm title credentials

It was a somewhat chastening experience for Mallow in the Páirc on Sunday, but progress has been made this year

McCARTHY INSURANCE PREMIER SFC SEMI-FINAL: Nemo Rangers 2-11 Mallow 1-5

Mallow’s bid for a place in the McCarthy Insurance Group PSFC Final came up well short in Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Sunday afternoon as the aristocrats of Cork football, Nemo Rangers, just strangled the Avondhu side into submission.

You don’t get to have the pedigree that Nemo have without knowing how to make the most of your opportunities and, while the City side were not perfect, they were in the main clinical with and without the ball. Mallow, by contrast, didn’t make the most of their limited opportunities.

Paul Kerrigan was the game’s main threat and top scorer with Ronan Dalton and Mark Cronin also constant threats to Mallow’s much heralded rear-guard.

For the vanquished side, Matty Taylor at the back, Seán McDonnell at wing-forward and Shane Merritt in the middle all did well enough, Sam Copps, Kevin Sheehan and half-time sub Seán Hayes also had impacts on the game. Jack Dillon was another that put in a credible shift throughout without ever getting the rewards his efforts deserved.

The sides seemed intent to feel each other out in the opening exchanges, barely an effort towards either post in the opening five minutes, but like buses, when the chances came they came together.

Nemo were first on the board with a pair of points in the fifth and sixth minutes, Mark Cronin and Brian Murphy on the board to settle the nerves of a side that were contesting their 19th semi-final since 1998 (16 wins in that stretch).

Mallow broke their duck with a classy score from Sheehan – nice linkup play from Merritt creating the opportunity.

A free from Paul Kerrigan had Nemo back in charge, but the City side received a wakeup call moments later when Dillon nearly broke the crossbar with a powerful drive.

Nemo, now settled, went down the pitch and looked to raise the game’s first green flag only for Kerrigan’s looped effort bounce from the Mallow bar. This game had come to life as both sides looked to open up a bit more.

The game’s opening major did finally come, McDonnell cut in from the left, escaped the challenge of a couple of defenders to squeeze the ball to the Nemo net. Mallow surprisingly in front by a point, Nemo looking like a side that received a slap when they least expected it.

But credit to Robbie Dwyer’s side, they responded to the setback as quality sides do with five of the next seven points, a Kerrigan brace as well as a pair of minors from Ronan Dalton lifting them back on top as Mallow began to struggle.

Nemo went in at the break leading by two, 0-8 to 1-3, but this one far from done at the midpoint. Mallow, however, would need to be a little more forthright in their approach as that seemed to be the only place they got joy from.

Mallow started the second half brightly with a couple of half chances and plenty possession, but with nothing to show on the scoreboard for the first 13 minutes of the third quarter this one was always going to go the way of Rangers.

In the meantime, Dalton managed to pinch a ball from Taylor on 36 minutes and when the ball made its way to Kerrigan there was only going to be one outcome. Mallow not on the ropes and nowhere to hide.

That goal, really did put the seal on this win, with the second Nemo goal on 61 minutes nothing more than a very rusty nail in an already well-sealed Mallow coffin.

Mallow would plug away late on and a brace of really good points from substitute Seán Hayes kept them going in the right direction, but Nemo are too well-schooled in how to close games like this one out and credit to the city side they had Mallow chasing their shadows for the last 10 minutes. This one well to bed before the final whistle was blown.

Mallow players received a rash of cards in the closing minutes as they tried to get the ball from Nemo players that were content to keep possession – Ryan Harkin got two and had to leave, but it mattered not a jot, the much better side took the spoils.

Mallow’s adventure ends on the worst stage of all, but their main goal now has to be to build on this season and see what the future brings. Plenty time to reflect from now till the start of the 2025 campaign, but no question that there was significant progress made in 2024.

NEMO RANGERS: M Aodh Martin; E Nation, C Molloy, B Murphy 0-1; K O’Donovan, K Fulignati, S Cronin; A O’Donovan, B Cripps; C Horgan, R Dalton 0-2, J Horgan; R Corkery, M Cronin 1-3, P Kerrigan 1-5 (3f) Subs: B Hayes for R Corkery (ht), C McCarthy for C Horgan (58), A Cronin for E Nation (63)

MALLOW: K Doyle; B Myers, P Lyons, E Barry; P Hennessy, M Taylor, S Copps; S Merritt, S O’Callaghan; M Tobin 0-1, R Harkin, S McDonnell 1-1 (1f); K Sheehan 0-1, J Dillon, M Kelleher Subs: S Hayes 0-2 for M Kelleher (ht), J Loughrey for K Sheehan (40), E Stanton for S O’Callaghan (49), L Walsh for E Barry (54)

REFEREE: Conor Lane (Banteer/Lyre)