JAMES O’Donovan hopes the experience of winning Cork and Munster titles will stand to his O’Donovan Rossa team in Saturday’s All-Ireland junior football semi-final.
The Skibb manager’s phone stopped working whilst over in Glasgow following last weekend’s All-Ireland quarter-final victory over Glasgow Gaels. It was only when he connected to a Wi-Fi area in Glasgow airport that he received yet another reminder of the groundswell of support behind his all-conquering panel.
‘My phone stopped working coming back from Glasgow until I got a bit of Wi-Fi in the airport,’ O’Donovan explained. ‘As soon as I got it going, the phone absolutely lit up. Ping, ping, ping, just a constant stream. Hundreds of messages wishing us well and congratulating us on reaching an All-Ireland final.’
Now, all roads lead to O’Donovan Rossa Park on Saturday where an All-Ireland semi-final meeting with Wexford’s Gusserane is expected to attract a huge attendance.
There is a massive buzz around the town of Skibbereen right now. Why wouldn’t there be? A year on from losing a Cork junior A final, O’Donovan Rossa have blazed a glorious run that has yielded a county junior A title, Munster championship trophy and an All-Ireland quarter-final victory in Scotland.
‘We have done it all year, just approached each game one at a time and Saturday will be no different,’ O’Donovan said.
‘It sounds like a bit of a cliché but it is the only approach you can take. We didn’t think about Gusserane once before heading over to Glasgow. From Monday on, we did.
‘We know they are a very good side and won this year’s intermediate championship in Wexford. That would put them a grade above us. They have some exceptional players who have played at inter-county intermediate level. They are a very strong side and are going to be a huge challenge for us the next day.
‘We will prep for the game, do our best and have the girls ready.’
Playing the game and not the occasion – that’s another well-worn cliché players might be tired of hearing but it still holds credence.
The logistics surrounding last weekend’s visit to Glasgow could easily have distracted a young Rossa panel. Instead, the Skibbereen club coolly got the job done, winning 2-14 to 2-0, and are now preparing for Saturday’s All-Ireland semi-final.
Éabha O’Donovan top scored for the winners with 0-6. Cork senior Laura O’Mahony and Emma Hurley contributed 1-1 each. Aoife O’Driscoll, Fionnuala O’Driscoll (0-2 each), Kate O’Donovan and Jessica Beechinor (0-1 each) completed Rossa’s total.
Unsurprisingly, James O’Donovan and his management team’s admiration for their players is as apparent as the day they defeated Dohenys to become Cork JAFC champions.
‘These girls are fantastic and this All-Ireland semi-final means an awful lot to the club, our underage players, everybody,’ the O’Donovan Rossa manager admitted.
‘These girls are role models. The way our players behave and carry themselves, they are an exceptional group.
‘We had 30 supporters over in Glasgow with us. We also saw a bit of footage of the Tanyard (Bar) watching the live steam early on Saturday morning back in Skibb. That just shows how much people are behind this team.
‘Around Skibbereen, there is a great buzz and it is fantastic to be a part of it. The girls are a credit to the town. The supporters are behind them, love them and are looking forward to being a part of the All-Ireland semi-final.’
