CASTLEHAVEN captain Mark Collins has evolved as a footballer during a glittering career but remains primed and ready to lead his club into battle against Nemo Rangers. Sunday’s Premier SFC county decider sees two familiar foes come face to face at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
Mark Collins has been there, done that, during his senior club playing career in the famous blue and white jersey. Now the Castlehaven captain is ready to go to war once again. ‘You can never take a county final for granted,’ Collins told The Southern Star. ‘We were absolutely ecstatic after getting over the Barrs in the semi-finals. Everyone is really looking forward to another final against Nemo. We have had some great battles with them over the last few years. I’m really looking forward to another one on Sunday.’
Castlehaven emerged from a tough qualifying group including Clonakilty, Carbery Rangers, and St Michaels to gain automatic qualification for the Premier SFC semi-finals where they beat old rivals St Finbarr’s on the back of Brian Hurley’s standout individual display.
‘What this management team has been excellent at this year is getting the analysis done on every opponent,’ said Collins. 'From Clonakilty the first day out, up to the Barr’s the last day, every match has been treated with its own separate identity. We have been preparing as best we possibly can thanks to our management team. It will be the exact same on Sunday.’
Castlehaven hold themselves to the highest of standards. That means, despite winning last year’s Premier SFC and Munster SFC titles, a decade without getting their hands on the Andy Scannell was something akin to a famine.
Now, a new Castlehaven team is emerging with the likes of Sean Browne, Thomás O’Mahony, Robbie Minihane, and Jamie O’Driscoll becoming as important as the Cahalanes, Collins, and Maguires. Donoughmore got the better of the Haven in last week’s Rebel Óg minor county final. Yet, the next generation of Haven seniors are coming through while others are already making their mark in the Premier SFC.
‘We have a lot of big personalities in our group that really drive this thing,’ Collins commented. ‘Younger lads had really stepped up and produced massive displays for this year. That has been great to see.’
Now 34 years of age, Collins was part of the 2012 and 2013 county-winning panels before helping the Haven win Premier SFC and Munster titles last year. He has evolved as a senior footballer since first appearing in his club’s colours 16 years ago.
Gone are the days of galloping forward in every attack to either provide the assist or finish off a Castlehaven move. Evolving from a half-forward to midfielder and now a roving defender come sweeper, Collins is found at the genesis rather than the completion of his team’s attacks.
Whatever the role, he just wants to do what is best for a Castlehaven setup that puts as much onus on keeping clean sheets as scoring at the opposite end. ‘Football was a completely different game when I first came on the scene,’ Collins admitted. ‘It was every man winning his own possession, one on one, completely different. Football has evolved and positions have too.
‘In Castlehaven, we felt that over the last three or four years, we maybe didn’t get over the line as often as we would have liked to. Conceding a lot of big scores in some big games, we always felt we had the forwards to put up a score. Now, we have tried to become more defensively solid.
‘That’s something we looked at over the last couple of years. Concede less goals and let the lads up top do the damage.’
Few teams transition the ball at pace as well as Castlehaven in the premier senior grade. That has not happened by chance and is something Castlehaven hope to put to effective use once again against Nemo Rangers.‘That’s huge for us and I think Páirc Uí Chaoimh is made for transitioning football,’ the Castlehaven stalwart added.
‘It is a huge (pitch) and there is plenty space. If you can move the ball quickly then it will give your forwards opportunities. Nemo will be well set and are a very hard team to break down. Moving that ball quickly will be key.’
