CATHAL Maguire is embracing the prospect of a quiet Christmas period because he knows the possible riches lying in wait in the new year.
His heroics in the Munster final triumph against Dingle fired Castlehaven into an All-Ireland club semi-final against Connacht champions St Brigid’s on Sunday, January 7th in Semple Stadium – and Maguire is counting down the days.
‘I can’t wait,’ he says, ‘I will train as many days as it takes. Whatever the management puts on we will turn up. Personally I have no problem being quieter over Christmas, you do whatever you can for the chance to play in an All-Ireland semi-final.’
The trainee accountant at KPMG on the South Mall in the city has looked at the maths and mulled over the sums to come up with his verdict that the Haven are in the middle of the perfect routine. Train, play, win, and repeat.
‘I hope this season never ends,’ Maguire tells the Star Sport Podcast.
‘It’s the perfect routine. We are lucky with the way the championship is structured here in Cork, and since we have been in Munster, because you are playing a game almost every two weeks. Every game has been a huge game. The pattern has emerged – you build up and play the game, and we have been lucky to come out the right side, and then it’s back into the same routine. I hope it never ends.’
For some of his team-mates, Maguire’s four-point haul and performance against Dingle was his best yet, and his two late points in extra time that forced the penalty shoot-out justify the assertions it was the game of his life. His last-gasp fourth – and final – point sailed over the bar two minutes and 36 seconds into injury time at the end of extra time.
‘Brian was cramping and, to be honest, I’d prefer to give the ball to him because he has a higher shooting percentage,’ Maguire notes, but he delivered when it mattered.
Still, he’s quick to play down his man-of-the-match showing.
‘Generally, I always think my role is to get the ball to Brian, Michael, Mark, Jack, the fellas who are the top scorers in the team,’ he says. ‘After that, and like everyone else, it’s to work as hard as possible. The way I am, I think about the negatives first, I gave away two bad turnovers, but that was going to happen in those conditions.
‘It didn't matter how it happened or how much you played, whether it was 80 minutes or just one, it was all about getting Mark to walk up those steps to lift the cup.’
‘Shooter’ lived up to his nickname against Dingle, even though he wasn’t christened Shooter for his accuracy….
‘That probably goes back to 2015, that was my first year on the senior/junior panel. In the eyes of other people maybe I took some ill-advised shots, and I think it was Stephen Hurley who will be the one to take credit for that one,’ he laughs, and it was another Hurley brother, Michael, who suggested Maguire needs to be handed an opportunity with the county team.
‘Any player who loves their club and county would love to make that breakthrough, but all I am only focussed on is Brigids on January 7th. We will deal with that as it comes, but the priority now is Brigids,’ he says.
‘That’s the next game, it’s a level that we haven’t played at before, none of this squad has played in an All-Ireland club semi-final, so it’s massive for the parish, the club, the squad.’
