McCarthy’s loss should prove too much for Newtown
Corner-back and captain John McCarthy, who led Newtown to the county title, tore a tendon in his ankle in the final. He will be joined in the spectator capacity by wing-forward Donal Mulcahy who ripped ligaments in his knee in that dethronement of Blackrock last month.
Yet, and in typical Newtown fashion, it’s an excuse centre-back Pat Mulcahy refuses even to consider.
“The injuries are a setback but we have Alan T O’Brien to come in for John McCarthy. He has won three county U21 championships with Newtown, played in the senior championship last year, so we’d have no worries about him.
"Diarmuid Naughton came in for Donal in the county final and while I don’t want to make assumptions about the team for Sunday, again Diarmuid did a great job for us that day.
“The lads are a big loss, but we have a bigger squad this year, a lot more quality in the panel and I’m sure whoever comes in will do a job for us.”
Focus on the positive then, and to hell with the negative? “Okay, we’re losing our captain, our most experienced player, but this team is experienced enough itself now to take those hits, move on.”
This is Newtown’s second venture into the Munster club championship, but it’s been a very different approach. In 2000, the little parish had less than a week to recover from the celebrations of their first Cork senior title before they lost by a point to Mount Sion in a Waterford mudbath.
This time they’ve had three weeks to prepare and the game will be played in Thurles, a pitch made-to-measure for the Newtown style.
“In 2000 it was very difficult, but this time we’re a lot more focused. Thurles will suit us, though it will also suit Toomevara, who also have a good bit of pace up front.
“They’ve got the two O’Briens up front, but it’s not just those two, they’ve got unbelievable talent by all accounts, including a couple of inter-county underage players on the substitutes bench.
“Once you get to this level, however, you expect to be meeting nothing but the best. We’d have preferred to have had a few extra games since the county final but at this time year it’s very difficult to get good challenge games. From a training point of view everyone is fresh, everyone is ready.”
The problem of course is that Toomevara are even more ready. While they’ve been picking up Tipperary titles at their leisure, success in Munster has proved a lot more elusive.
Last year they even lost their Tipperary title and that seems to have stimulated them, given them the kick in the arse they needed. Now they’re back, fresher, hungrier, better than ever, and Newtownshandrum could certainly have done with an easier first hurdle.
“If you look at their forwards, every one of them seems to be an inter-county player.
“But once you get to this level, Cork county champions, you should be thinking of doing well in Munster. Everyone knows the record Cork has in the last decade or more, not one that’s particularly impressive.
“That’s all part of it, but ultimately we’re only going out to play another team, another competition, with only one winner at the end.”
Given the loss of the inspirational McCarthy and Donal Mulcahy, that winner is likely to be from the Premier County.
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