THIS TIME, ST Finbarr’s were ready for penalties.

It remains a novel way to settle knockout GAA championship matches but shootouts are something that must be embraced.

St Finbarr’s have strikingly had to learn that, losing a Cork senior football semi-final after extra-time on penalties in October 2020 and then facing the same format yesterday at the same high-pressure stage of the championship.

To add an extra twist to the tale, they were remarkably facing the same opposition in both cases, but on this occasion managed to defeat Castlehaven.

Another final appearance awaits for the 2018 champions, after goalkeeper John Kerins became the standout character as he saved a critical penalty and then scored the winning kick.

“We did (practice), you had to after last year,” said St Finbarr’s manager Paul O’Keeffe.

“We wouldn’t have done loads of them, but we did practice them. I still think it is an awful way to bloody well end it. There was nothing between the two teams and you go out and you end it like that, it’s awful.

“I still think we should have a mechanism where we finish the game through some kind of play, even if it was another five minutes of extra-time or golden score or something where at least you feel like, okay, they scored more than us, we were beaten, whereas that is an awful way to do it like. It is easier for me to say it after being on the receiving end of both ways.

“We left it up to the team as to who took them and it was the five lads that put their hands up. There weren’t really any more volunteers after that, so if it went to six I’d probably be stepping up myself! God, it took some balls to (take) that one and fair play to him (John Kerins).

“The lads decided the order. Eoghan McGreevey was definitely going first anyway. He set the tone. It is just luck of the draw, last year we came off the crossbar and they got the better of us. It is nice to come out on the winning end of it for a change.”

The shootout capped a stunning afternoon of pulsating football drama. St Finbarr’s reflected on a game where they coughed up a win in normal time and somehow squeezed out a draw in extra-time.

On a day of brilliant individual showings, there was a clear winner in their forward Steven Sherlock as he amassed 2-10, including the three points in succession that hauled them back from the brink late on.

St Finbarr's Stephen Sherlock (file photo). Cathal Noonan / INPHO Cathal Noonan / INPHO / INPHO

“It was an incredible game for the fans to watch, I’d say, because it was god awful on the sideline,” admitted O’Keeffe.

“I don’t know how many times I thought we were dead and buried. When the Haven went three up in the second period of extra-time and we had fellas dropping with cramp all over the field, I just sat back and said, we we are done.

“Enter Steven Sherlock, he kicked three unbelievable scores at the end of the game just to drag us back in. I couldn’t watch it (Sherlock’s late free to level it), I actually couldn’t watch it. It was an all or nothing kick, it was Roy of the Rovers stuff. It wasn’t good for the nerves. He is just having a phenomenal year. If he can continue it for another game, we’ll be happy.

“I was actually joking with Steven before the game and I said, I’ll settle for 2-10. I was only joking but maybe I’ll say it to him again the next day. That’s a phenomenal return. Every fella played to their absolute maximum. We are lucky that we have depth on the bench, a few of the hurlers who have come back to us had huge games for us. That all adds up.”

O’Keeffe didn’t feel Castlehaven should have been awarded a ’45 in injury time in normal time, which Brian Hurley converted to tie the game, but he did hail the performance of the Cork forward as he struck 2-9 for his West Cork team.

“I don’t know where the call came from, to be honest. But it certainly didn’t look like a 45. I was behind it, I didn’t see any contact. But when you saw the reaction of the Haven players, particularly Brian Hurley, he’s not one to bluff it, I then had a doubt in my own head because as far as I was concerned it had just gone wide.

“Listen he (Brian Hurley) had an unbelievable game. He showed his class. He was very hard to contain. It looked like he was going to goals every time he got the ball, no matter what we did. Look, I think some of it was due to the way we set up. It was very much man on man. We were a bit porous down the middle, especially when we were very vulnerable to that long ball in, once he gets the ball on the 14, he’s lethal.”

After a marathon, energy-sapping encounter, St Finbarr’s must get themselves set for a final in a fortnight against Clonakilty, a repeat of the 2009 decider.

They also meet a team that they defeated 1-12 to 1-5 in the group stages last month.

“You’ve seen the number of guys that were cramping out there, the effort the lads put in was enormous,” said O’Keeffe, who managed UCC to win the Cork senior title a decade ago.

“So look, hopefully that brings us on. The only sad part is there’s no silverware at the end of it. We’ve to do it all again and I’m sure Clon will be lying in the long grass for us after that. There’ll be a lot of talk about this game for the next couple of weeks. There probably won’t be too much said about Clon but we’ll know they’ll be waiting for us in two weeks time so we’ll take nothing for granted.”

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