O’Neill’s hope to continue remarkable club journey

There is an incredible buzz in two east Cork clubs these days ahead of another momentous weekend for Fr O’Neill’s and Russell Rovers.

Fr O’Neill’s get the show on the road with an All-Ireland intermediate hurling club championship semi-final against Mayo and Connacht champions Tooreen in O’Connor Park, Tullamore tomorrow (1.30pm).

The Ballymacoda/Ladysbridge outfit brought the curtain down on the 2019 season having completed an impressive Cork and Munster hurling double. Their Rebel victory over Kilworth in mid-October was followed by a hard-fought win over Waterford’s Ballysaggart towards the end of November.

Now, they are starting off the New Year with a trip to Offaly. Their wish will be to continue a rich vein of form. The Munster decider ended a hectic schedule for a number of the players (Imokilly contingent in particular) who saw action for several weeks in a row.

The festive period brought a bit of a breather but joint manager Dave Colbert says they are good to go again.

“We trained all over Christmas, we did give them a few days off but the lads kept themselves fit. They trained themselves and kept things ticking over.

“Some of them did have a lot of miles on the clock but when you are winning it changes everything. It comes that bit easier. It would be far worse if you got to the finals and lost. Momentum is great.”

Tooreen, who landed their 30th Mayo senior hurling championship title last year, stand between them and a place in an All-Ireland showdown. Connacht champions in 2017 too, they won’t be lacking in know-how.

En route to this semi-final, they have come through some titanic tests, including an extra-time contest with London’s Robert Emmetts in the provincial championship.

One of their standout features is their high scoring returns such as 29 and 30 points with a good deal of these scores coming from outfield.

Undoubtedly, they will provide stern opposition for Colbert and Bryan Sweeney’s charges. However, they joint-managers are under no illusion as to what lies ahead and the challenge they face.

“Tooreen have serious pedigree,” Colbert says. “We would know a small bit about them. They have lots of pace all over the field. They took Robert Emmetts to extra-time in the Connacht semi-final. The reigning All-Ireland champions are from Connacht. So definitely, we know how good these teams are.”

Colbert’s reference to the current titleholders is Oranmore-Maree from Galway who overcame Charleville in last season’s final.

Tullamore is a long trek for both the players and their loyal band of supporters while the setting will be unfamiliar too.

“I don’t think the venue makes any difference really. I’d imagine neither team would have played there. I remember being at a Cork/Sligo football match and they have a fine set-up. We will travel up on the day, it will mean an earlier start than usual.”

Fr O’Neill’s have been fortunate enough on the injury front and can report a clean bill of health following their Munster final success. However, they will be without Adrian Kenneally who picked up a leg injury in the first half of O’Neill’s battle with Blackrock in the early stages of the Munster championship.

The full-back is continuing his rehab and Podge Butler is the likely candidate to slot into their last line of defence once again. The Fr O’Neill’s starting 15 has been fairly settled in recent games, while management have also been able to introduce the likes of Jason Hankard, Cillian Broderick and Liam O’Driscoll to good effect.

When you add in regulars Declan Dalton, Billy Dunne, the Millerick brothers, Colin Sloane and joint captains Dan Harrington and Mark O’Keeffe, you can see how they have come through a tough campaign.

Of course the club has been down this road before. In 2005/2006 Fr O’Neill’s hit the big time when they captured the Cork, Munster and All Ireland junior club titles. Butler and Eoin Conway are survivors from that campaign.

As for the next step up.

“A massive day for the club,” is how Colbert describes it. “We are delighted to be there. At the start of 2019, we didn’t think we would still be playing championship hurling in early 2020.”