'19 seasons and nothing to show for it': Eoin Cadogan wants Douglas to push on after opening win

Reproducing this level of performance week in, week out over the course of a championship campaign has so far proven beyond Douglas

Douglas defender Eoin Cadogan is tackled by Glen Rover's Patrick Horgan. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

As dominant a display and as sizable a statement win as this 0-24 to 1-10 result was, there’ll nobody in the Douglas set-up be getting the slightest bit ahead of themselves.

Their hurlers have shown before the fluidity and attacking prowess witnessed on Saturday evening. They’ve shown before the heights they can reach in a single 60-minute effort when all moving parts come together and all the potential on their teamsheet comes close to being realised.

But reproducing this level of performance week in, week out over the course of a championship campaign has so far proven beyond them.

This and this alone is why no wild celebrations greeted Nathan Wall’s final whistle. Dougas won’t allow themselves to get excited about an 11-point win over last year’s county finalists until such time as Saturday’s performance becomes their norm.

“A win on the first day is a help, that's for sure, but there was no backslapping [at the end],” said Cork senior and Douglas defender Eoin Cadogan.

“Douglas, we have been talking and talking and talking. And people have been talking about us and the potential and the underage and all that, but we have never delivered on it. I have been playing senior hurling and football for nearly 19 seasons and I have nothing to show for it.

“We know the capability that we have, but we just feel that we haven't ever executed it to the level that we know that we can. The management has been involved for three years at this stage and we just kinda felt it was now or never. Just very happy to get over the line and very happy with the overall performance.

“It was a collective performance rather than an individual performance. Our younger guys really stood up.”

Douglas, who can make certain their place in the knock-out stages with a second win against Newtownshandrum this Saturday, will take significant encouragement from how they never once allowed Glen Rovers a foothold in proceedings.

While the Douglas forward unit - all of whom found the mark from play - will receive most of the plaudits for the scoreline run up, credit must go to their defence for the manner in which they shut down the Glen.

That the Glen's starting six forwards managed only five scores from play over the hour sums up their fruitless evening while also serving as a microcosm for the Glen’s feeble effort as a whole.

Douglas' Mark O'Connor clears from Glen Rover's Simon Kennefick. Picture: Picture: Eddie O'Hare

The writing was on the wall early doors. A Douglas first-half full of intent and purpose had them 0-13 to 0-5 in front turning around for the second period.

Six different Douglas players wrote their names onto the scoresheet during the opening half, including a long-range pair from centre-back Mark Harrington and a white flag from the man to his left in the Douglas half-back line Cillian O’Donovan. Further forward, Mark O’Connor and Shane Kingston both sniped a pair from play, with the latter also converting four placed-ball efforts.

Their eight-point interval lead reflected their majority possession share and would have been greater but for an excellent Cathal Hickey save to deny Kingston in the 17th minute.

Glen Rovers were struggling in most areas of the field, particularly so in the creation of scoring chances. Outside of Patrick Horgan, who hit four first-half points, half-back David Noonan was the sole other Glen Rovers player to find the target in the opening half an hour.

It was more of the same in the second period, three-in-a-row from Brian Turnbull, Diarmuid O'Mahoney, and Alan Cadogan stretching Douglas' lead into double-digit territory.

Dean Brosnan did get in for a 38th-minute goal to bring the Glen back within nine (0-18 to 1-6), but their evening went from bad to worse on 44 minutes as forward Conor Dorris received a straight red card.

Alan Cadogan and Shane Kingston grew their respective tallies late on as Douglas were so comfortable in running out 11-point winners.

Next up for Glen Rovers is Bishopstown where a win is an absolute must if they’re to keep alive their bid for a third consecutive county final appearance. More worrying than the final scoreline on Saturday was how flat and off the pace they were. A significant improvement is required.