Cloyne bid to become heroes on biggest ‘little’ stage of all

IT WAS called the little All-Ireland back in the days when Cork club hurling was seen as the ultimate.

In those heady days it was also the exclusive domain of the big clubs in Cork, the days when Ring led the famous Glen Rovers to a phenomenal 11 titles in 26 years.

Lately however, the little clubs have gatecrashed the party.

Last year, Newtownshandrum, with probably the smallest pick of any hurling club in the county, won their second senior championship in four years. This year, the likes of Killeagh, Bride Rovers and Castlelyons all had serious and justified ambitions at the start of the season.

So had Cloyne, but unlike their rival clubs from East Cork, their ambitions are still very much on track.

So great credit due to that little club, acknowledgment of the fact that they are fighting way above their weight? Spare them the pity; that’s the attitude of no-nonsense corner-back Declan Motherway.

Far from over-performing, Cloyne are long overdue on this stage.

“This will be our first final ever. It would be a huge thing to the town if we do manage to win it.”

Of course the plaudits for reaching their first senior final are welcome, but the win would be more appreciated.

Last year they lost to Blackrock late in the semi-final, a game they could and should have won.

It might have set back teams of lesser character, but the team regrouped and are back to fight another day.

Motherway says: “It wasn’t difficult to come back from that, we got most of our motivation from the defeat. Taking everything together, aside from Diarmuid’s (O’Sullivan) last minute penalty hitting the crossbar, we reckoned we left the game after us, it shouldn’t have come down to that. We actually went training again the week after that, said we’d give it a good lash for this year. So far, so good ...”

It’s on the training pitch that players like Motherway are most valuable to a team. It’s not that their match contributions are insignificant, but Motherway is a motivator who, even when there’s no one in the stand to note what’s happening, lifts all those around him to greater effort.

Think Roy Keane with a hurley in his hands and you’re getting close.

“There’s no secret about what we’re doing. If you’re going to the trouble of training, you might as well do it right, no point in it otherwise. We did change things around a bit, especially during the long wait between the Midleton game and the Barrs game. We thought we’d get a week or two off during that period but if anything, training got even more intense. You lose a bit if you take your foot off the pedal, so we went out there for a few mornings early, did a couple of miles, and it kept things fresh.”

That’s how Cloyne got to this year’s Cork hurling final and that’s why they should be treated with respect.

Rest assured, they’ll get that respect from their opponents, Na Piarsaigh.

All season however, they haven’t been getting it from the bookies.

They were foolish of course, the moneymen, lost a few bob for their misjudgments. Declan didn’t collect, but Cloyne gained from it.

“We were underdogs all year, 33/1 at the start of the championship. Even before the Barrs game we were 5/2, 2/1 before Newtownshandrum, ridiculous odds, we thought. I didn’t bet anything on it, but you might get a bit of motivation out of that alright, try to prove people wrong.

“The structures are all in place, we’ve all spoken about that. We know it’s a county final, but it’s also just another match, another hour. There’s a great prize at the end of it, but you can’t start anticipating that. If you get too tensed up and let it get to you, that’s counter-productive. Na Piarsaigh have been there already, they have a good few Cork lads there also, Seán Óg, Setanta, Mark Prendergast, they know what it’s about. We’re confident enough, but we know what we’re up against, they have the experience and will be a major challenge.”