BY SEÁN HOLLAND
FAMILIAR faces, same stakes. Castlehaven and Nemo Rangers will renew their fierce rivalry once more this Sunday, in the Premier SFC final in SuperValu Pairc Ui Chaoimh (4pm).
Castlehaven’s journey to this year's final has been one marked by game after game of impressive performances. There’s a job to do and they get it done. Clonakilty, St Michaels, and Carbery Rangers were all disposed of with ease to allow them to bypass the quarterfinals and progress straight into the semis. A clinical display against old foes St Finbarrs brought a four-point victory that felt a lot more comfortable than the scoreline suggested.
Nemo were also very proficient in their group stage displays, dispatching of Ballincollig, Éire Óg, and Newcestown. In the quarter-final, they were met with their toughest challenge. Clonakilty threw everything they had at the Trabeg side but Nemo came out on top via penalties. In the semi-final, it was far easier as they easily cruised past Mallow but now they face their biggest test yet.
The Haven have plenty of talent up top, with Brian Hurley, Michael Hurley, Jack Cahalane, and Cathal Maguire all having worn the county jersey. Their combination of pace, skill, and accurate shooting makes the Haven the most feared forward line in the county. Briain Murphy usually gets the task of handling Brian Hurley. The Nemo man did as well as expected last year confining the Haven star to one point from play but Hurley did play a deeper role in the final last year. If they keep him closer to the scoring zone this time around, Murphy will have his hands full.
Castlehaven will look to their leaders in defence to shut down Nemo’s forward line. Rory Maguire picked up Paul Kerrigan straight away once introduced in last year’s final so you’d imagine they’ll repeat the trick this year. Ronan Walsh, if fit, should be the man for Mark Cronin. All fascinating match-ups will have a big bearing on the outcome.
Another area that interests will be kickout strategies. Last year only two out of 36 kickouts were turned over. Nemo went a perfect 20/20, while Castlehaven got off 14/16. In Nemo’s quarterfinal against Clon, they were forced to go long when Clon set out two banks of four along the full forward line and half-forward line. Interestingly Castlehaven deployed this tactic once, at the start of the second half last year and it yielded a Nemo score. That brief scare made them resort to plan A. So you’d expect them to return to the retreat tactic Sunday.
In the final last year, Nemo tried pressing on the Haven kickout in the second period but Darragh Cahalane was near perfect with his distribution, which was essential for Haven's late kick. It’s a key area that will have a huge bearing on Sunday’s outcome.
Nemo have a remarkable ability to perform when it matters most but this Haven team is on a roll. The men from the West will be hard to beat.
