Battle-hardened Macroom all out to end 20-year wait

LONG bouts of summer inactivity are now a common trend for club players and, after Macroom’s Cork IFC first round victory over Ballydesmond in May, manager Noel Twomey realised he needed to tackle that problem.

With Fintan Goold and Sean Kiely involved with the county senior football squad, Macroom’s fixtures were set to be stalled and Twomey had to find a way to keep his squad interested over the coming months.

“It’s the biggest problem you have as a manager, trying to keep them interested for three months. So I decided that we’d take a complete break for a month. I told the players go away on holidays, relax and do whatever you want.

“The deal then was when we come back that there’d be no excuses about training and we’d start working hard. I think the players really respected that. They were a bit unfit but they put in a great effort afterwards. The break made sure they stayed enthusiastic and it was a big help.”

That hiatus preceded a run that saw them claim the scalps of Fermoy and Castletownbere, to ensure they will contest tomorrow afternoon’s decider against Kildorrery in Páirc Ui Chaoimh. Twomey is well-versed in Kildorrery’s capabilities after they knocked Macroom out of last year’s championship.

“In the last two years, we’ve met them on three or four occasions, and Kildorrery have won each game. They know us well and that will stand to them. It’s going to be a savage battle. I’ve been very impressed with them and they really are a strong, physical and mobile team. Despite their final defeats they haven’t gone away, so you’d have to be impressed.”

Macroom will not be lacking in motivation with the core of their side having suffered final defeats at minor and U21 level in recent seasons, and the club having endured a long wait since their last intermediate success in 1990.

“The excitement in the town has been fantastic”, says Twomey. “People are really looking forward to it now. It’s 20 years since our last final, I was corner-forward that day, so it’s been an awful long time. The club has been starved of success. We lost two U21 finals and a minor final, so these players won’t be lacking in motivation.”