Iveleary's Dominance: Chris Óg Jones' Hat-Trick Leads to Victory Over Glanmire

Iveleary 4-16 Glanmire 3-10 (Iveleary 4-2-12, Glanmire 3-3-4)

Chris Óg Jones hits hat-trick as ruthless Iveleary lay down early marker

The hurt of 2025 is still close enough to touch in Iveleary. You can feel it in how they tackle, how they chase lost causes, how they finish. On Friday evening in Kilmurry, that pain powered them to a wild, breathless win over Glanmire that screamed one thing: this group is not done with the McCarthy Insurance Group PIFC just yet.

They didn’t just edge their opening championship outing. They imposed themselves, lost control, stared down a comeback that would have broken softer teams, and then ripped the game away again to win by nine.

At the heart of it all, inevitably, was Chris Óg Jones.

Three goals, four points. A Cork senior forward playing like a man intent on dragging his club into the Senior A ranks by force if necessary.

Cagey start, then Iveleary ignite

Both sides flashed early goal chances but fluffed their lines. It took 10 minutes for the scoreboard to stir, Tiernan Hourihan finally nudging Glanmire in front with the first point of the evening.

That was the cue for Iveleary to settle. Sean O’Riordan clipped over, Sam Pickering followed, and suddenly the Muskerry men were 0-4 to 0-1 ahead, beginning to find their patterns, their runners, their rhythm.

Glanmire, last year’s Cork IAFC champions and already hardened by a Premier Intermediate quarter-final run, were never likely to roll over. Midway through the half they struck with real authority. Harry Browne stepped up to a penalty and buried it into the corner, a flawless finish that hauled them level and rattled Iveleary’s early composure.

The response was sharp. Iveleary edged back in front, Pickering landing a classy two-pointer to restore daylight. Still, Glanmire were growing into the contest. They moved the ball with purpose, picked their shots smartly, and on 27 minutes a fine two-pointer from Shane O’Driscoll had them 1-5 to 0-7 ahead. They had turned the game on its head and looked the more assured side.

Then came the sting.

Deep in first-half stoppage time, Iveleary forced a turnover. One quick surge, one ruthless decision, and Jones was in. He didn’t hesitate. He lashed the ball to the net and flipped the mood of the entire evening. Instead of trailing, Iveleary jogged to the break 1-7 to 1-5 in front, a psychological blow that lingered long after the whistle.

Iveleary surge clear

That late goal seemed to release something. On the restart, Iveleary played like a team determined to remove doubt.

They hunted in packs, turned Glanmire over high up the pitch, and began to stretch the defence. Sean O’Riordan capped a strong spell with a composed finish to the net, widening the gap and tightening Iveleary’s grip on the tie.

Jones then struck again. His second goal, added to his growing points tally, gave the scoreboard a brutal look from a Glanmire perspective. With eight minutes of normal time remaining, Iveleary led 3-10 to 2-8. The contest looked gone. Done and dusted. A solid, professional win to open the campaign.

It was anything but.

Glanmire’s stunning fightback

Almost without warning, the game exploded.

Glanmire, staring at defeat, flicked a switch. Jeremy Kingston crashed home a goal. Brian Galvin followed with another. Iveleary, who had been striding towards the line, suddenly looked rattled, dragged into a frantic, end-to-end shootout they hadn’t planned for.

Then came the leveller. Harry Cogan stepped up with a vital two-pointer, and in a blur Glanmire were back on terms. The Iveleary lead, painstakingly built over 50 minutes, had vanished in seconds. The crowd in Kilmurry knew they were watching something chaotic and gripping. So did the players.

For a moment, the Muskerry men were on the ropes. Their eight-point cushion gone, their control shattered, their season opener hanging in the balance.

Jones and Iveleary finish the job

That was as far as Glanmire got.

Stung by the collapse, Iveleary snapped back into life. They steadied themselves around the middle, won the key breaks, and trusted their shooters.

Ian Jones stepped forward with a pair of crucial points, the kind of scores that don’t dominate headlines but decide championships. Each one pushed Glanmire back a step, each one reasserted Iveleary’s authority.

Then, fittingly, it was left to his brother to slam the door.

In second-half stoppage time, with Glanmire chasing shadows and the game stretched, Chris Óg Jones pounced again. His third goal sealed the hat-trick, sealed the win, and underlined exactly why he is regarded as one of the sharpest finishers in Cork football. Iveleary finished with 4-16 on the board, their attack humming, their statement made.

Power, depth and a warning shot

This was not a flawless performance. No side that coughs up a big lead and allows three Glanmire goals could claim that. Yet that, in its own way, makes Iveleary’s night even more telling.

They showed they can absorb a punch. They showed they can respond when panic threatens to creep in. And they showed that when the game turns wild, they still have enough quality – and enough scores in the legs of players like Jones, O’Riordan, Pickering and Ian Jones – to finish the job.

The supporting cast played their part too. John Sweeney chipped in with points, the defence produced key turnovers at crucial times, and the bench was called on early, with B Cronin and B O’Riordan contributing to the effort.

For Glanmire, there is frustration but also plenty of encouragement. Browne’s penalty, Kingston and Galvin’s goals, and those well-taken two-pointers from C Hackett, O’Driscoll and Cogan showed a team with punch and ambition. They refused to die when many would have accepted their fate.

But this night belonged to Iveleary.

Next up is Bantry Blues, another test, another chance to turn the pain of last year’s defeat to Aghabullogue at Páirc Uí Chaoimh into something more productive. It is still only July, the road to the knockout stages still long and full of traps.

Right now, though, it will take a very good team to derail this Iveleary machine.