BY KIERAN McCARTHY
RIVALRY aside, Mark Collins wants Castlehaven to build on their momentum as the county champions move towards the business end of the McCarthy Insurance Premier SFC.
With their spot in the knock-out stages already assured after two wins in Group 2, victory over Carbery Rangers in Leap on Sunday (4pm) will send Castlehaven directly into a county semi-final next month and bypass the quarter-finals.
‘We would have been happy enough with our performances in the first two games, but there are areas we have to improve on,’ Collins says, with Castlehaven in ominous form so far – a 1-18 to 1-12 win against Clonakilty was followed by a 2-18 to 0-5 hammering of St Michael’s.
‘Going into Leap on Sunday, we want to keep building on the momentum we have and we want to keep improving too.’
This latest installment of Haven v Ross will see the hugely-experienced Collins (33) take on Carbery Rangers in the senior championship for the 11th time since 2009. His record is mixed – there have been five wins, three defeats and two draws, including their stalemate in a group opener in 2023. Collins knows this fixture better than most, and also how to approach a local derby that has a lot riding on it – a semi-final spot for Castlehaven is up for grabs, while Carbery Rangers can still qualify for the quarter-finals or be dragged into the relegation battle.
‘For us this will be just another game, we are trying to improve all the time and working on things all the time,’ Collins says, taking the sting out of the derby element.
‘It was totally different going into the last group game last year when we were playing for our lives against Clon, but we are taking this game just as seriously. We are expecting a right battle against Ross, there’s never much between us – in the first championship game last year they should have beaten us, we were haunted to get a draw that night.’
Castlehaven, under new manager Seanie Cahalane, are building up a head of steam and see Sunday as the next opportunity to step it up ahead of the knock-out stages. There’s an air of authority around a squad that won county and Munster titles last season, and now has the younger generation pushing hard too. Micheál Maguire scored a goal against St Michael’s, Robbie Minihane kicked 0-2 while Jack Cahalane, still only 22 years old, has been purring in the opening two games, kicking 2-5.
‘Their attitude and the way they carry themselves has been very impressive. Look at the effort they are putting in, from gym work to recovery to nutrition, they have become real leaders in the group and that’s what we want to see,’ Collins explains.
‘We went a long way last year and now we have more young fellas putting their hands up – look at Robbie Minihane this season, maybe he was disappointed not to get more game-time last year but he has responded so well and really stepped up. Last year was Micheál Maguire’s first season on the senior panel and he is pushing on again. It's really encouraging to see the young lads making a difference.’
