Newtown reflect on ‘sweetest victory’

NEWTOWNSHANDRUM was a village en fete yesterday, as for the fourth time this decade, the Seán Óg Murphy cup named in honour of the Cork hurling legend and awarded to the winners of the Cork SHC, was once again on view.

On Sunday, after a four-year hiatus, Newtownshandrum came again, claimed their fourth Cork senior title. Ever-present through all of that is centre-back and man-of-the-match on Sunday, Pat Mulcahy, one of four (Ben and Jerry O’Connor and Phillip Noonan the others) who were there when Newtown made the transition from to senior ranks with the intermediate title win of 1996.

Yesterday, Pat was back in the bosom, relaxing with his team-mates, family and friends in Herlihy’s, the only pub in the village, soaking it all in.

“This is the sweetest,” he said; “2000 was the best, our first one, but this is definitely the sweetest. People didn’t rate us at the start of the year, but more than anything it’s great for the young fellas. The likes of William Biggane, Seán Riordan, Mikey Bowles, Ryan Clifford, Jamie Coughlan – they’ve come in for some very unfair criticism in the last few years but they were all outstanding yesterday.

“Jack Herlihy is another one, couldn’t start yesterday because of injury – they all came on the team at 17 and 18, but you have to allow them make their mistakes. Remember, Ben and Jerry didn’t win their first senior county ‘til they were 21. These are great lads to train, they have a great attitude, a great future – they were the difference yesterday.”

Two of those mentioned by Mulcahy, Ryan Clifford and Jamie Coughlan, combined for 1-5 between them, all from play. Jamie is just 17, a minor again next year and still at school, thus precluded from the festivities yesterday; Ryan is of age, however, and there he was, at the heart of it.

An accidental wing-forward (full-forward was his underage position), his three first-half points did much to keep Newtown just in front, against a strong breeze, and it was his pass that set up young Jamie for what will surely be one of TG4’s goals of the season, early in the second-half.

“Ah, I was just trying to get rid of it, flicked it over my head – thank God it went to Jamie! But ever since I was a young fella I’ve looked up to these fellas – Ben, Jerry, Pat, you couldn’t get better role models. In 1996 my father (Seánie) was playing, and I was the mascot, and now, to be playing alongside them – but I’ve still got an awful lot of work to do, I know that.

“Wing-forward wouldn’t be my favourite position but anywhere I can play with Newtown I’ll take it. You get handy passes out on the wing – the four points I got yesterday, I could do nothing but score.”

This Sunday, in Semple Stadium, Thurles Sarsfields and Drom & Inch meet in the Tipperary senior final, with Newtown slated to meet the winners in the Munster club championship a fortnight later.

Enjoy the moment, but keep the focus, that has to be the message for Newtown. “Big-time, big-time,” agrees Ryan. “We want to be the best we can. Thurles or Drom & Inch, it will be very tough, two very good teams, and whoever wins that will go a long way.”

” Thurles seem to have a more balanced team, but Callanan is unreal – he’s a bit like Cathal, he ghosts, scores, very pacy.” That would be Cathal Naughton, Newtown’s jet-fuelled midfielder. “We have several very fast players – Jamie looks like he’s loping along but he’s a rocket, so is PJ (Copse), and everyone knows about the twins. I’m lagging behind them all in training, looking at their arses, thinking, ‘Ryan, what the hell is going on here, why are you so far behind everyone?’, but Cathal is fastest of all, by a country mile.”

For one man in particular, the next round will be interesting. Team captain is Dermot Gleeson, from little Ballinahinch in north Tipperary – what’s it going to be like for him, leading a team representing Cork against his native county? No problem: “It’s unreal, something you wouldn’t even dream of, but I’ll be treating it like I was meeting them in the Tipp championship, really. These are fellas I grew up with, played hurling with and against – I’d love to meet them again in competition.”

Regardless of which Tipp team they meet, Newtownshandrum will be up against it, in a major way, but with the influx of the new players, they are better equipped to take on that challenge now than they were in 2005/06, reckons Dermot, not as reliant anymore as they were on the twins, well as both are playing.