This team who would do the Business in any decade!
âđť Finbarr Buckley
đ° 5 minute read
AS the Cork Business League enters its eighth decade in 2020, never in its illustrious history has the last ten years produced as many new trophy winners achieved with an array of talent that would do justice to any era in the past. Therefore, selecting a team of the past decade has never been more difficult but using the criteria of achievement, consistency and skill to pick an eleven worthy of selection should certainly fuel the debate even further when it comes to who gets it and who loses out.
The choice as goalkeeper goes to Satellite Taxisâ Cian Hammond who fended off stiff opposition from outstanding candidates like Paudie Morris (Marlboro Trust), Brian Burke (UCC United ), Mickey Heitmann (MiDaza Rebels), Ian Casey (EMC), James Murphy (Doolanâs Cow), Eric Higgins (Abtran) and Aaron Spriggs (Quinlanâs Bar). Cian has been central to his teamâs four cup triumphs over the past five years producing many top-quality saves none more crucial than in the penalty shoot-out Mooney Cup victory over ALPHA SĂźD in 2018.
The full-back berths belong to Diarmuid Kenneally (Quinlanâs Bar) and Michael Meighan (Cork Airport/EMC) who combined defensive stability with attacking flair. Both looked comfortable on the left or right and were solid in the air under pressure. But other players to have been in the running included Alan Monaher (Doolanâs Cow), Mark Mullaney (Tile King), Tom Herdman (Dell EMC), Damien OâSullivan (Planet Entertainment), Joe Normyle (Abtran/UCC United) and Andy Fitzpatrick (Marlboro Trust).
Long-serving UCC United captain Cathal Doherty, the first JSK Eco Cleaning Solutions player-of-the-year winner in 2017, and Kevin Murphy (Quinlanâs Bar) fill in the central defensive positions. Others to be considered include John Murphy, currently with Abtran but prominent in Bru Centraâs league and cup campaign of 2008/09, Mark OâDonnell (Marlboro Trust) and Brian Darcy (EMC).
Darren Geraghty (Doolanâs Cow) captains the team from the centre of the park as he had done so effectively with his club in their double and quadruple winning seasons of 2016 and 2017. Heâs accompanied on the right in a 4-3-3 formation by Marlboro Trustâs Tom Frawley and by Tile Kingâs Keith OâRiordan. Geraghtyâs gritty tackling and ball-winning retention make him an ideal leader. This is complemented by Frawleyâs experience of over twenty years in the league with MCM and later Marlboro Trust having won every honour in a glittering career to date. OâRiordanâs astute passing, evident in his schoolboy days with Avondale United, was a feature of Tile Kingâs play in their successful double title triumphs of 2011 and 2012.
Many other candidates like Richie Wallace (Anglers Sports Lounge/MiDaza Rebels), Arainn McGrath (MiDaza Rebels/OBS), Arek Szklarczyk and Gregorz Sienicki (Cork Eagles), Decky White (Deady Security), Danny OâDonoghue (Quinlanâs Bar), David “Spooky” McCarthy and Jason Coughlan (both Marlboro Trust), Aaron Hennessy (Doolanâs Cow), Paul Aherne (Abtran)  and  John Harris (Satellite Taxis) also vied for inclusion and would surely grace any dedicated eleven if selected.
The trio selected to lead from the front have been continuously among the goals whenever they played and two, Tony OâReilly of Doolanâs Cow and UCC Unitedâs Eric Montgomery, continue to do so this season. OâReilly was the premier divisionâs top scorer on two occasions and along with his strike partner James Cotter, the two have claimed the majority of Doolanâs goals since their partnership flourished in 2015. Montgomery came to prominence with Marlboro Trust and recently with UCC United. He began the decade by winning the treble and scoring one of the decisive penalties in the 2010 Mooney Cup Final shoot-out. Markus Gustavvson, in his brief sojourn with Aesseal, shone brightly and would be the ideal provider for OâReilly and Montgomery.
The following are worthy of consideration and could so easily have occupied the strikerâs roles in the team: Joe Monaghan (Marlboro Trust),Michael Sadik (Tanner Celtic),  GearĂłid Collins (Tile King/CPL), Stuart Howard (Cork Airport/EMC), Tomasz Bajkowski (Cork Eagles), Aaron OâSullivan (Abtran/MiDaza Rebels/Satellite Taxis, UCC United ), CiarĂĄn Taylor (Lakelands Celtic), Eric OâDonovan (EMC),Francis OâCallaghan (Healy OâConnor Solicitors), Breffni McCarthy and  Shane Hennessy (Satellite Taxis), James Cotter (Doolanâs Cow), Shane Bowles (Abtran) and Damien OâMahony ( Mi Daza Rebels and Quinlanâs Bar).
Cork Business League Team of the Decade:
Cian Hammond (Satellite Taxis)
Diarmuid Kenneally (Quinlanâs Bar), Cathal Doherty (UCC United), Kevin Murphy (Quinlanâs Bar), Michael Meighan (Cork Airport/EMC);
Darren Geraghty (Doolanâs Cow) (capt.), Tom Frawley (Marlboro Trust), Keith OâRiordan (Tile King)
Tony OâReilly (Doolanâs Cow), Eric Montgomery (Marlboro Trust), Markus Gustavvson (Aesseal).
First appeared in The Echo print edition on Monday 30th December 2019
Click on each photo to enlarge (Credit: Finbarr Buckley, Nicky Mulcahy & Facebook đ)