Duhallow ready to go in at the deep end without a training session or challenge match

UCC’s Ian Jennings tries to hold off Muskerry’s Paul Ring, in the County Premier SFC Colleges/Divisions semi-final earlier this week. Duhallow will have to keep a tight rein on Jennings. Picture: Jim Coughlan

Not a single challenge game played or a proper training session had — that is Duhallow’s unfortunate reality ahead of tomorrow evening’s Cork Premier SFC colleges/divisions final.

Whereas their opponents UCC stepped inside the whitewash as recently as Wednesday evening for what was a keenly contested play-off semi-final against Muskerry, Duhallow enter this game with next to nothing done as a group.

They’ve met collectively, yes, but with management having given an undertaking to feeder clubs that their recent Monday evening meetings would not involve any heavy lifting inside the whitewash, coupled with a complete lack of challenge games, Duhallow are very much shooting in the dark tomorrow.

Duhallow manager Ned English offered the above information not as part of a whinge or to be in any way critical of the clubs in the North Cork division. He is simply painting a picture of how hindered their build-up has been.

“This year, for the first time ever in my coaching career, we have failed to have even one practice match or any practice sessions,” began the veteran coach.

“It is very much hit-and-hope, motivating the players, and trying to put them right on the day, but without any preparation and not really knowing how we are going to perform.”

A significant factor in their non-existent preparation was the involvement of so many Duhallow clubs in 2020 Cork county championship competitions that only wrapped up in the past two months.

Knocknagree and Kanturk contested the delayed Premier Intermediate final on August 1, the same weekend as the Dromtarriffe hurlers were in junior semi-final action. Boherbue were involved in the junior football decider the following weekend, while Rockchapel overcame Mitchelstown in the Intermediate A final two weeks on again.

“The minute all those 2020 championships were finished, the 2021 championships started. And because all our feeder clubs are dual clubs, they have had hurling or football every week, without any respite whatsoever.

“We have not managed to have a practice session because clubs were calling practice sessions left, right, and centre. We have had a couple of get-togethers with sporadic numbers on a Monday night after county championship games the day before, but we gave an undertaking to the clubs that we wouldn’t do any practice. So we just walked through and talked through a couple of things, but that’s all we’ve been able to have for about two/three weeks. We have absolutely failed to put a game together to test out our selection.”

With this a break weekend for clubs, English had a challenge organised against Clare’s Kilmurry Ibrickane for Tuesday evening last, but the Limerick pitch on which it was to be played became unavailable at the 11th hour, and so the game was pulled.

Despite all of this, English beats a positive drum. He knows the talent is there. After all, this is a division whose 2017 and 2020 county semi-final defeats bookended back-to-back county final appearances.

“These guys are very united. There is a spirit in this division, there is a togetherness in this division. We will have a meeting on Saturday night with them to discuss how they need to play and what they need to do, and I’ve every confidence that they’ll do their best to implement what we put in front of them.

“We are not turning up to be second best, but naturally enough, you’d be naive if you didn’t think it was a major obstacle.

“The big hope, without taking anything for granted, is that if you were to get past this weekend, you are not playing again for another three or four weeks, and some of the feeder clubs may no longer be involved in their respective county championship by then, and that would enable you to get more players together for practice.”

This 2021 campaign represents English’s third stint taking charge of Duhallow, his second spell at the helm including a narrow county final defeat to Castlehaven in 2012.

His reason for coming back for one more spin is there remains an itch to be scratched.

“Getting over the line, getting that extra stage of the way, which I felt they probably could have done in the last number of years,” he said.

“They were very, very close. That’s what tempted me back.”