THE HARD WAY: Haven boss James McCarthy insists there’s no such thing as a ‘soft’ county title, each is hard won, but we’ll put forward that this county success will rank up there as one of the hardest won. It was ten years since Castehaven last won this title (2013), and in this run to glory they played all the teams that won the Andy Scannell Cup in those intervening years – and didn’t lose to any of them. They drew with 2016 champions Carbery Rangers, beat 2014 kingpins Ballincollig, then 2018 and 2021 champs St Finbarr's before beating serial winners Nemo Rangers (2015, ’17, ’19, ’20 and ’22 champions) in the final. Add in a victory over a strong Clonakilty team (2021 beaten finalists), as well as Valley Rovers, and this route back to the top was paved with challenging hurdles that they jumped each time. A sweet one to win.
THE FANTASTIC FOUR: It’s been a decade-long wait for Castlehaven to add to their Cork senior football title haul, and four men who featured in the 2013 county final win against Nemo Rangers also played starring roles in the club’s latest success over the city side, ten years on. In 2013 Mark Collins, Brian Hurley and Damien Cahalane all started and Michael Hurley, a Cork minor, came off the bench. A decade on, last Sunday Collins (33) captained the Haven to glory, Brian Hurley (32) kicked 0-5 as did his brother, man-of-the-match Michael Hurley (27), while Damien Cahalane (31) is a rock in this team.
FOUR-MIDABLE: They are two of the elder statesmen of this Castlehaven team, but Tomás O’Leary and Shane Hurley’s longevity needs to be applauded, as does their bulging medal collection. On Sunday, the duo won their fourth county senior football medals, having been part of Haven’s senior successes in 2003, ’12, ’13 and now 2023. That’s an incredible record. O’Leary and Hurley have now won as many county senior football titles as the Carbery division (4).
GIVING YOUTH ITS FLING: ‘The future's looking good for us as a club; we have good numbers,’ Haven boss James McCarthy said during this championship campaign – and the stats back that up. Jack Cahalane, Thomas O’Mahony, Jack O’Neill and Sean Browne all started against Nemo, while Jamie O’Driscoll and Robbie Minihane both came on; all are 21 or under. Michael Maguire is another young gun to play senior football, too, this season. Then you have the likes of Joseph Bohane, Shane O’Connell, Fiachra Collins, Cian O’Sullivan, Oisin Daly and Tiarnan Collins who played junior football this season and also train with the seniors. The production line in the Haven looks in good health.
MAGIC MIKE: When Michael Hurley opted to step back from the Cork senior football panel ahead of the 2022 season, he was only 25 years old, but it had felt he was around a lot longer; he was a Cork minor when Castlehaven won the 2013 county title. Hurley’s reasoning for not going back in with the county team was to put his full focus on his club – and it’s a decision that has paid off. He was man-of-the-match in the county final, scoring 0-5 from play, and he was also the best player in the semi-final win against the Barrs, a day he scored 0-7 including six from play. According to @gaelicstatsman on X, Hurley finished the championship as the joint second top scorer from play with 0-17, alongside club-mate Jack Cahalane (2-11), but it’s Hurley’s performances in the semi-final and final that will turn the spotlight on him again. Will fellow Haven clubman – and current Cork football manager – John Cleary try and persuade the youngest Hurley brother to throw his lot in with the Rebels again?
