Why Castlelyons are in the right frame of mind for county final challenge

Full-forward Anthony Spillane, (captain) Castlelyons tries to shake off a challenge from Patrick O'Leary, Ballinhassig in the Co-Op Superstores Cork County Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship semi-final. Picture: Larry Cummins

The Cork Premier IHC final between Castlelyons and Courcey Rovers will be live-streamed by the Irish Examiner

Castlelyons almost didn’t make it back to the final of the Cork Premier IHC.

Having led Ballinhassig by five points early in the second half of last weekend’s semi-final, Castlelyons twice saw their lead cut to the minimum late on.

That Ciarán McGann’s charges didn’t panic or tighten when their opponents closed to one as the finish line came into view was thanks to the mindfulness work the Castlelyons panel has engaged in over recent months.

Around once a month this season, the Castlelyons management would forgo a midweek or weekend field session for an hour of yoga and mindfulness. During the summer, Garryvoe beach was their favoured spot for this additional layer of preparation.

Team captain Anthony Spillane is a “big believer” in the benefits of mindfulness and reckons Castlelyons might not still be alive in the championship was it not for the unorthodox approach they built into their training schedule.

“Management are very good at knowing when we need a bit of a rest and not to be flogging the horse the whole time. We did a couple of sessions on the beach, as well as a few in the club, just recovery, stretching, and a little bit of mindfulness,” Spillane explained.

Anthony Spillane during last year's championship. Picture: Dan Linehan

“You are mentally preparing, you are doing a little bit of visualisation, you are staying focused on the present and not getting too worried about what might happen in the future. It definitely helps when the pressure comes on in matches as it helps our composure. The main thing is just not to panic when we go behind and to stick to the game-plan.”

Ballinhassig ended Castlelyons’ involvement in the county championship in both 2015 and 2016 and while the East Cork side has since matured, that they are also mentally stronger was a significant factor in the reversed outcome last weekend, insisted 26-year-old Spillane.

“We are in a better place. We don’t panic as much. We train really hard and try to get used to that pressure situation. That’s what it is all about, making big decisions on the day. It was great to come out the right side of it last weekend.

“Lads enjoy the yoga and mindfulness. Now, you’d have the few who would say it is a load of rubbish and they’d be throwing their eyes up to heaven, but I’d be a big fan of it and think it works.”

The other outstanding positive arising from their one-point semi-final win was the return of Cork senior Colm Spillane.

Having injured his back 15 minutes into their championship opener, Anthony’s older brother was marked absent for the remainder of the group phase. His return couldn’t be more timely as Colm, no more than Castlelyons, is chasing redemption in Saturday's decider against Courcey Rovers (Páirc Uí Chaoimh, 5pm) having been forced out of last year’s county final defeat to Blarney after only a minute of action because of a finger injury.

“He has had a fair bad year of it. After he came off early in the Watergrasshill game, I didn’t think he’d play again this year. He was on the flat of his back for around two weeks. He couldn’t work. We got a fair fright. I was surprised when he was back training with us in that he was actually running and going full tilt. To last a full game was a big boost for him the last day so he is really looking forward to the final.

“It is great to be back in the final. We were very disappointed last year. You see the recent Senior A final, we would have had some good games with Kanturk and Fr O’Neill’s, which shows you there is very little in it. We know we are not far away. We are just hoping we’ll get up there and who knows what will happen.”