WHEN Jim O’Sullivan, a marvellous Newcestown GAA man, took over his club’s senior footballers last season, having given great service as a dual player, he knew the size of the job.
Newcestown, with Tim Buckley as the football manager, had achieved a wonderful senior A county double, football and hurling, in 2023. So when O’Sullivan took charge, the priority was to establish Newcestown back in the premier senior grade. Survival, really, was the name of the game in 2024. Mission accomplished. This season the start to the league has been encouraging.
‘The year is going well for us so far, two wins from three in football,’ O’Sullivan said.
‘Nemo beat us in one game, we beat Carrigaline and then beat Castlehaven (last Sunday). When you’re playing the likes of Nemo, the Haven, Clon, the Barr’s in the league, it’s tough going. It’s about survival in the league first but the championship is a totally different season again.
‘It’s trying to get fellas back from injury now and getting games into them. We have three or four out at the moment, two lads with cruciate and another with an ankle injury.’
Newcestown's Richard O'Sullivan and Castlehaven's Sean Browne competing for a high ball during the McCarthy Insurance Group FL Division 1 at Newcestown on Saturday.
Despite the strong start, O’Sullivan admits juggling both football and hurling is still a challenge. While larger clubs might have separate football and hurling teams, Newcestown are depending totally on the same group of players for both codes.
‘As usual, it’s a balancing act between the football and the hurling. It’s week on, week off, the hurlers next week against Mallow, the footballers the following week with a game against Clonakilty,’ O’Sullivan said.
‘There are 14 of today’s football team (who played Castlehaven) involved in hurling, the goalkeepers are the only regular change. In my opinion there are too many league games for the dual club. Between both codes, we’ll be playing 18 weeks out of 19, a tough ask. We had planned on rotating players but with limited numbers and players missing, that plan went out the window already.’
Every management committee this season will have to cope not only with the usual problems of training, selecting, caring for injured players, finding form at the right time but will also have to deal with the new rules in football. Team tactics and plans from past seasons will have to be thrown out the window as the players come to grips with the many changes. O’Sullivan is very much in favour of the new rules in general.
‘The new rules are definitely challenging and it’s a much faster game,’ says the Newcestown dynamo.
‘We got a goal there in the first half and the Haven went straight down the field and kicked a two-pointer, goal gone. The goal is not as valuable as it was, but I like the two-pointer in the rules. Maybe not from a free, though.
‘The three back rule causes a lot of confusion but I feel sorry for the referees with fellas shouting at them, from both sidelines. There are so many different new rules, it’s bound to be confusing for a while, trying to keep up to scratch.
‘The game is much faster now and more open, more scores as well. Players have to be fitter now to play the new game, no place for the casual social player on the team anymore.’
