Can it be fifth time lucky for Goleen in county final?

BY TOM LYONS

WHEN Goleen regraded from junior B to junior C in 2016 and won their first-ever county title by beating Abbey Rovers in the final, the joy and emotion outpoured from almost 60 years of endeavour on the football field that had previously yielded just two South-West junior B titles.

That 2016 victory should have kick-started a golden era for the club as they went on to contest four county B finals. All four finals were lost: two in 2019, a third in 2021, and a fourth in 2023.

Further frustration for the gallant men from the Mizen peninsula but this generation of players are nothing if not resilient. Undaunted, they have kept coming back pushing to win that elusive title. Will it be fifth time lucky for Goleen when they face city side, Ballyphehane, in the county confined junior B football final in Páirc Uí Rinn on Saturday at 6pm?

As a junior B club, Goleen are entitled to play in two county championships. This final is part of the county B championship which is confined solely to junior B clubs in the county. Later in the season, an open county B championship will be run for the winners of the divisional B championships but that is open to the second or third teams of bigger clubs. So, win or lose Saturday’s final, Goleen will get another chance to win that elusive title, if they succeed in retaining their Carbery B title.

There is a steely determination about Goleen this season, a feeling that 2024 is a defining year for this squad of players following so many heartbreaks.

Having won the Carbery title last season, Goleen were entitled to upgrade to A for 2024 but the players themselves decided against that move, arguing that they had unfinished business in B and that they only wanted to upgrade as county B champions.

In an effort to go the extra step, following a defeat by St. Oliver Plunkett’s in the confined county B semi-final last season, manager of the team, Patrick Hodnett decided it was time for a change so he stepped aside after some tremendous work in that position.

Goleen turned to neighbours Bantry Blues for help and struck gold when they acquired the services of the experienced Shane O’Neill, son of the late, legendary Terry and brother of the great Damien, as manager. O’Neill approached former Blues’ player, Donal McGrath, to come in as coach.

‘Patrick Hodnett had done great work as coach and manager and we found a very professional, organised system when we arrived,’ said Shane O’Neill. ‘Donal has his own way in doing things and he brought in some changes which the players bought into.’

With locals Kieran O’Sullivan and Jerry Cullinane as selectors, success under the new management was instant, beating Oliver Plunketts to reclaim the Carbery title, though they would endure heartbreak again in the county final against Douglas.

‘Most of the players had been there since 2016 and were totally committed to winning a county title’ said Shane. ‘Of course, there was great disappointment at losing the county final to Douglas, especially as we led in that game for much of the hour. Douglas introduced some young, lively subs in the last quarter and beat us by a point. That was in December and we held a meeting of the players early in the new year and quickly put that defeat behind us. It was all systems go for 2024 and, with a few players extra, we knew we were in a good place for the season.’

Goleen have shown scintillating form in the county championship. In four games to date against Glengarriff, Muintir Bháire, Doneraile, and St. Catherine’s they have amassed a staggering 11-67, while conceding only 2-22. That is an amazing average of 3-17 to 0-7.

It looks likes county-winning form but O’Neill sounds a warning note. ‘We can’t complain about our form so far and the statistics show it. But our main worry now is that we haven’t really been tested and we know that Ballyphehane are going to really test us. They are a strong, physical side and were only beaten by a point in the final last season. They won a great semi-final against Clann na nGael and the question is, how will our lads stand up to a close game?’

And do those final defeats bring extra pressure on the players?  ‘We haven’t even mentioned the four finals to the players in training,’ said O’Neill. ‘We don’t want to dwell on anything negative, concentrating on the positives of the championship so far. Maybe we will mention it this week, but only as an incentive to the players. They know what it’s like to sit in the losers’ dressing room, they certainly won’t want that again on Saturday.’

Goleen lost to Ballyphehane in last season’s group section, 1-10 to 2-6, but are stronger now and playing much better football.  ‘We’re much better balanced this season but there are players we look to as leaders and will hope for big performances from them on Saturday,’ said O’Neill. ‘You’d be looking to Jack O’Driscoll at full back to set the tone for the full-back line, he’s been playing very well this season. Then there’s Patrick Reidy at wingback, a marauding player with a blistering turn of pace. We’d expect to be very competitive around the middle of the pitch and up front, we’d hope for top-class displays from our marquee forwards, Darren O’Donovan and Michael O’Reilly.’

Ballyphehane are one of the small clubs that manage to survive under the shadow of giants like St Finbarr’s, Nemo Rangers, and Douglas. In last season’s group game, the city side won by a point, 1-10 to 0-6. Ballyphehane are themselves on an upward curve following a battle to survive. In the county championship, they had wins over Doneraile, Lismire before edging Muintir Bháire by 0-9 to 1-4 and then staging a great last-quarter comeback in the semi-final to beat Clann na nGael by 2-13 to 2-10. On top of that last weekend they beat Douglas in the final of the Seandún league 2. Their second team were due to meet Nemo Rangers in the league 4 semi-final on Tuesday evening last.

‘We were beaten in the final last year by St Oliver Plunkett’s by a point, 1-10 to 1-9, so we have been on a mission of atonement so far this season’ said Ballyphehane co-manager, Paul Mullins. ‘We’re up a grade since three years ago, three county finals in three years. It’s mighty for a small club like ours in the city. We’re definitely progressing. Three or four years ago we were nearly gone as a club, now we have a minor team, an U13 team, two junior teams, so we’re going well.

‘We know how tough Goleen are. We played them last year and we know all about their club, like ourselves, struggling to get numbers. It would be a huge achievement for us to win this county and get up to junior A level. This bunch of lads deserve it. That’s why we committed since last January to winning this championship, out running the roads, running beaches. We hardly saw a ball for three months this season, it was all about fitness and conditioning. The attitude of the lads has been fantastic.’

So, there you have it in a nutshell, two small clubs struggling for survival in different environments and circumstances, both knowing that a county final win and promotion to junior A could guarantee the future of the club. For the honour of the parish, what the GAA was founded for, and there for all to see on Saturday next in Páirc Uí Rinn.

It promises to be a real thriller.