BY MATTHEW HURLEY
COURCEY Rovers’ full focus is on Castle Road this Saturday at 2.30pm as they face St Catherines in the SE Systems Cork Senior Camogie Championship Preliminary quarter-final.
The Ballinspittle club suffered a disappointing 4-22 to 1-5 defeat to Sarsfields in Brinny in their final Group C game last weekend, meaning they finished third behind Sars and Killeagh.
The Carrigdhoun club were 1-10 to 0-1 down after 20 minutes, and it didn’t get any better from here. Fiona Keating goaled for Rovers but Sars pushed on for a comfortable win. Courceys’ boss Sara Hayes was frustrated by their display.
Courcey Rovers manager Sara Hayes.
‘Disappointing, no performance on our part. We just seemed to be a bit slack but they (Sars) were probably at their best too. We didn’t look fresh,’ Hayes admitted.
Knowing that they were guaranteed at least a preliminary quarter-final might have played a role in Courceys looking off the pace.
‘There could have been that (element) but we tried not to focus on it. We just got over-run all over the field. Sars were very clinical but we were flat-footed and second to every ball,’ the manager said.
Their preliminary quarter-final opposition, St Catherine’s, ran out 4-7 to 2-9 victors over Éire Óg in Group A. The East Cork side have inter-county defender Laura Hayes in their ranks.
‘We’re going to try and rally around again and get some positivity back. Hopefully we’re up for it. We’ll go again and get our mindset right. Do it all or you’re out, that is the attitude you have to go in with,’ Hayes explained.
‘The Newcestown game was the style we were capable of playing, plenty of movement and hard work. The tiredness did come through against Sars. We need to get playing like that again.’
Cork star Saoirse McCarthy scored 0-5 against Sars but Courceys will need more than her and Keating firing to win on Saturday.
‘We need the best out of everybody. Eight out of fifteen performing isn’t enough. We need to be at our best to beat Catherines,’ Sara Hayes added.
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Also in Group C, Newcestown finished bottom of the table after their 3-17 to 0-4 defeat against Killeagh in Castle Road. Newcestown now face a relegation play-off against the losers of the first play-off between Aghabullogue and Éire Óg, the former lost 3-12 to 0-13 against Blackrock in Group B.
The West Cork side will be away from home against whoever they play with Aghabullogue getting home advantage in the first play-off. The loser of the game involving Newcestown will be relegated from the senior grade.
Newcestown captain Maria Kenneally was disappointed with their recent defeat.
‘The fact we only got four points on the board, we didn’t play to our full potential whatsoever. When you put in all the training, get riled up for championship games and then not show up for it, we were really disappointed with it,’ Kenneally said.
‘We were pleased enough with our performance against Sars. We weren’t too happy with our performance against Courceys. Then when it came to the Killeagh game, they are a seasoned camogie side and they were always going to be a tough opponent. They had Laura Tracey, Hannah Looney and Chloe Sigerson. It is very hard to compete with multiple players in adult panels with Cork.’
This is still a young Newcestown side. The oldest player in the team is 24 years of age. To stay in the senior grade for a sixth season running would be a massive plus.
‘We are 100 percent going to give it our all and try our best to stay up. We’d love to stay up in senior, that’s where you want to be. We won the intermediate in 2017 but the whole grading system changed so we had to go and win it again in 2019. We have worked so hard in getting up there and a lot of us were playing back in 2019. We know how great an achievement it is playing amongst the best,’ Kenneally explained.
Elsewhere, St Finbarr’s maintained their 100 percent record in Group A with a 3-15 to 1-5 win over Glen Rovers. Orlaith Cahalane, daughter of Castlehaven legend Niall, scored 2-3, while her sister Meabh and Kilbrittain’s Kate Wall also started for the Barrs.
In Group B, Cloughduv joined the Barrs and Sars in having won every group game with a 1-10 to 0-9 victory over Inniscarra. Cloughduv finished top of the group and, despite defeat, Scarra still finished second because they conceded less than Blackrock (41 to 49). The city side play in the other preliminary quarter-final against Seandun, the second of a Castle Road double header on Saturday at 5.30pm.
The six sides automatically through to the quarter-finals are Sarsfields, Killeagh, Cloughduv, Inniscarra, St Finbarrs and Glen Rovers.
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