BY KIERAN McCARTHY
MARTIN O’Brien reckons he’ll be in a better position to assess how beneficial Clonakilty’s Division 2 county league-winning campaign was after their derby with Castlehaven this Saturday afternoon.
Clon won nine of their ten league games, including a tight Division 2 final against St Michael’s, to win promotion as champions, and make winning a habit. The reward will be lining up in Division 1 next season, but O’Brien’s side should feel some benefit too as they count down to their McCarthy Insurance Premier SFC Group B opener against Castlehaven on Saturday in Rosscarbery (3.30pm).
‘We needed to get back up playing Division 1 football – you need to be playing Nemo, Castlehaven and the Barrs as much as you can. Look at the rise of Cill na Martra as a club, they are competing in Division 1 consistently, always in around the top four, that helps a team to develop,’ the Clonakilty manager explained.
‘For me, the league was about gaining confidence and we were able to give young fellas experience. We probably have 20 fellas right now who could add value to us in the championship – the likes of Aaron Cullinane, who was a Cork minor, played a lot of league games.
‘Does it give us impetus? I’ll only know that on Saturday evening after the game. But the league final against St Michael’s was a brilliant game, a huge step up from the league matches. The more times you visit the winner’s enclosure, the more used to it you get. Look at Castlehaven winning the county, they were knocking on the door consistently before it, they were building towards that.’
It’s county and Munster champions Castlehaven first up, and these West Cork rivals meet in the group stage for the third season in a row. Clon have lost both games, 0-10 to 1-5 and 1-16 to 1-14, with Castlehaven always finding that little bit extra – can Clon turn the tables in this local derby?
‘I don’t buy into the derby element,’ O’Brien said, ‘but I’m looking forward to the challenge of playing the Munster football champions. From a management perspective, I’m excited to see if we can challenge a team that was in the last four of the All-Ireland and that will show us if we have improved or not. Also to see what challenges will Castlehaven present us and how we can react to that.’
O’Brien was pleased with how his side found solutions to problems in-game against St Michael’s (who they meet again in their final group game) in the league final, and wants to see more of that. Whether it will be enough to get their campaign off to a winning start, he’ll know on Saturday evening.
CLONAKILTY’S PREMIER SFC GROUP 2 FIXTURES: Saturday, July 27th – v Castlehaven in Rosscarbery at 3.30pm; Sunday, August 18th – v Carbery Rangers in Dunmanway at 4pm; Sunday, September 15th – v St Michael’s in Bandon at 4pm.
