Harrington hoping hectic schedule will pay off

THE hectic schedule has begun on a bright note and Mark Harrington is hoping that winning run will continue.

Douglas senior footballers’ triumph in the fourth round of the Cork SFC over Carbery on Tuesday night kick-started matters with Harrington shooting six points.

There is little time for respite on the club front as they face UCC on Monday night in the Cork SHC but before that Harrington’s focus is firmly trained on Semple Stadium this evening as he captains Cork in their All-Ireland IHC final battle against Kilkenny.

Factoring in night shifts this week increases the pressure for the Anglesea Street based Garda yet he is relishing the non-stop action.

“It’s tough both mentally and physically but you’re just going to have to gear yourself for each game at a time. To be fair, the lads in work cater for me a lot as the sergeants in Anglesea Street are great towards me with the GAA.

“Look it’s a great complaint to have overall. A lot of fellas are out of action at this time of the summer with their clubs out of championship. It’s great to still be going strong with the club in senior hurling and football. But all I’m thinking about now is the Kilkenny game with Cork.”

Douglas have been plying their trade at senior level in recent years but their intermediate sojourn last season made Harrington eligible for inter-county intermediate fare. When he was contacted earlier this season, he had no hesitation about signing up and being appointed captain sweetened the deal.

“This is my first year involved in intermediate and I was delighted to be asked to play. Then to be asked to be captain after that was a fantastic honour for myself, my family and my club. It’s an extremely important grade. Any fella that has ambitions has to view this as a stepping stone going forward in Cork hurling.

“Plus it’s a big thing for me, as it’s my first time playing in an All-Ireland hurling final with Cork. I got to three Munster finals, an All-Ireland quarter-final and an All-Ireland semi-final with Cork at under-age hurling in minor and U21. But this is the first final. It’s a massive occasion for the club with myself and Barry Fitzgerald involved, and they’ve shown us great support this year when it came to club training and challenge games.”

Cork have endured some hectic battles to date this season, requiring extra-time to defeat Limerick in the Munster semi-final and narrowly overturning Waterford in the provincial decider.

“You don’t want any easy games as they can give you a false perception in your mind. We’ve had three very tough battles but we’ve showed absolutely great character the whole time. To defeat Limerick was massive after extra-time. Then against Waterford, they were ahead for long stages but we came back at them.

“The strength of our panel showed that night in Dungarvan. It’s all about the panel in the modern game, you saw that last week with the senior footballers against Dublin. If you can bring on good subs, it makes a big difference. We’re thoroughly looking forward to it now.

“My only concern is the poor start that we’ve had to our last three games. We need to up the performance at the start. We know Kilkenny are a great side and they have five or six senior panellists to call on. It’ll be a big challenge for us.”