Oh captains, our captains: O’Neill’s share the load
Not too many teams tend to operate with joint-captains.
The captaincy, and the responsibility that comes with the role, is typically entrusted to one individual, rather than two.
Even less frequent is to see a team led out by joint-captains of such a relatively young age.
Mark O’Keeffe, at the ripe old age of 24, is the older of Fr O’Neill’s joint-captains. He shares the job with Dan Harrington, two years his junior.
The latter is five years lining out for the club’s adult team and was surprised when asked to step into the role at the beginning of the year.
So far, so good, mind, the hurlers from Ballymacoda and Ladysbridge standing one hour from provincial intermediate glory.
“I’m not too long on the scene, but when Mark and I were asked to be joint-captains earlier on in the season, I just said I’d see how I get on for the first few weeks because, on the pitch, I’d be a quiet enough fella.
"I just get my job done, I wouldn’t be a roaring or shouting kind of guy. But I do feel I have grown into the role,” says Harrington.
“Mark lines out in the forwards and I’m further back so if anything is going wrong, I’d take the backs aside and he has a word with the forwards.
"With our team being a savage young team and we being relatively young captains, the fellas, in a way, they look up to you. Having not known how it would go at the start, I am enjoying being joint-captain, to be honest.”
The pair, just to be prepared and all, scripted an acceptance speech on the Monday before their PIHC county final win over Kilworth and the hope is that they’ll have to dig out the same piece of paper come 3pm tomorrow.
Having won the Munster junior club championship back in 2005, the class of 2019 are bidding to secure the club’s second provincial title.
Harrington, nine at the time, remembers well that junior run, culminating in All-Ireland glory at GAA HQ in February of 2006.
“The All-Ireland final in Croke Park, it was a massive day out for everyone.
“My brother was on the panel so when you have someone from the family involved, it leads to great excitement. We, too, want to go as far as we can.
“I was talking to one of the boys the other day and we were saying how we were savage nervous during the last couple of games in the county championship, but when you get to Munster, and even though you are looking to win more, everything is a bonus, really.
If you’re still involved at this stage of the year, it means you are doing things right. There is real excitement around the parishes, we are all looking forward to Sunday.
Should they manage to edge past the Bennett brothers and Ballysaggart, it would complete a memorable year, particularly for the members of the Fr O’Neill’s panel who picked up yet another county senior medal in the colours of Imokilly last month.
Harrington saw game-time against Carbery and in the quarter-final win over Sars. Clubmates Cillian Broderick, Joe and Ger Millerick, Mark O’Keeffe, Billy Dunne, and Declan Dalton also contributed during the division’s run to a third consecutive county title.
The centre-back is in no doubt that their involvement in Fergal Condon’s set-up has richly benefited — and strengthened — Fr O’Neill’s.
“A certain standard is expected when you are with Imokilly. You learn things there that you might not necessarily do in your own club training.
"With other divisions, they might just go through the motions. With Imokilly, it is just a different set-up altogether. If you are not training up to standard, you are basically done.”
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