Carrigaline on the cusp

(JJ Hurley)

Carrigaline face a defining moment on Sunday when they step out onto Páirc Uí Rinn to meet St Finbarr’s at 4.30pm in the McCarthy Insurance Group Senior Football Championship.

Back among Cork football’s elite, the South East club have already claimed two significant scalps, overcoming Carbery Rangers before stunning Clonakilty. Their return to the top tier has been anything but tentative.

For team manager Michael Meaney, the mood in the camp reflects a side eager to build on last year’s progress.

‘In terms of the momentum from last year, we have carried that into this year, obviously the league result wasn’t great, but we knew that a few fellows were away and we had a few injuries at the start of the year, and we were under a bit of pressure in terms of that,’ he said.

‘But look, we were quite happy going forward in terms of what we were doing in the league and training, and we knew it would come together when it mattered, and that was the start of the championship and that was when it mattered.’

Respect for St Finbarr’s pedigree is clear, but so too is Carrigaline’s belief.

‘St Finbarr’s are decorated with county and All-Ireland medals for many years, and they are the team that have set the standard over the last number of years from a football perspective,’ Meaney noted.

Yet Carrig will not be overawed. Their confidence has been reinforced by strong championship form, not least the historic win over Clonakilty.

‘You talk about the Clonakilty game, and everybody being shocked by the result, but we weren’t. We were ready for both games and at the end of the day we know where we are at,’ he said.

‘As you know, when you see fellas training Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturday mornings and being around them, it was no shock to us, but at the end of the day we performed at the level required to defeat Clon.’

Reaching a county semi-final at senior level for the first time in the club’s history is now within touching distance — a prospect that excites both players and management.

‘People looked at our group and thought we wouldn’t come out of it, but we are not surprised and that’s not being arrogant,’ he said.

‘Being involved for the last four years, we have taken our share of knocks so we know what we are about.’

Meaney is also keen to acknowledge the contribution of coach Kevin O’Sullivan from Kilnamartyra, who has been a constant presence on the sideline for the past three years.

Whatever the outcome this weekend, Carrigaline’s season will continue. Victory or defeat, they will progress to the next round of the football championship, joining their hurlers, who last week sealed a knock-out place in the Co-Op Premier Intermediate with a win over neighbours Ballymartle.

Carrig 60 minutes away from a County Senior Semi Final on Sunday (Bernard Laverty)