Carrigaline's Meaney fulfill's lifetime ambition

It's a first title at a senior grade for Carrigaline

Carrigaline celebrations by manager Michael Meaney and Alan Murphy after the win in the McCarthy Insurance Group Senior A Football Championship: Carrigaline v Knocknagree in SuperValu Pairc UI Chaoimh, Cork. Pic Larry Cummins

Manager Michael Meaney says Carrigaline achieved a “lifetime’s ambition” by bringing back a first senior county title to the club.

Meaney previously led the club to Intermediate A honours in 2009 and a Premier Intermediate success in 2015.

But the two-point victory over Knocknagree is the best of the bunch as it ended all questions surrounding their character and resilience in a battle.

“In a sporting sense, this is the best achievement from that point of view,” said Meaney.

“It’s fantastic to have the first senior adult title coming back to Carrigaline. To be part of that is amazing.

“As I said to the boys, a lifetime’s ambition has been met today and that’s down to the players and the coach Kevin O’Sullivan for the work that’s been put in all the time.” 

It has been a remarkable recovery for Carrigaline who were relegated from Premier Senior football last year and whose hurlers saved their status in a Premier Intermediate relegation play-off.

They are now on the cusp of dual silverware with their hurlers to face Watergrasshill in the Premier Intermediate final in a fortnight.

“When you come down to Senior A, it’s a very hard grade to come out of,” added Meaney.

“You’ve a lot of tough teams that are all evenly matched but I think we picked up experience at Premier Senior and brought that with us. Even more than that, we met at the end of the Mallow game and decided that we were going to go and drive forward.

“I’ve said many times that a huge thing at the start of the year was Kevin O’Sullivan agreeing to stay on as coach.

“He came in in late February of last year and he built a foundation. He took it to another level this year again and we saw the fruits of that now today.” 

The genesis of a plan for their top-grade return is already in place between Meaney and his backroom team.

“We spoke about that, that if we got over today, we’d have another plan in place for premier senior.

“You can’t be going into that next year hoping to stay up. We have to show that we can win championship games at this stage.

“I think that Division 1 stood to us as well this year. We got to the pace of it and we learned an awful lot from that.” 

The most pleasing aspect for Meaney was Carrigaline’s response to adversity. They trailed by six points after 20 minutes with Anthony O’Connor’s goal but pieced their way back into the contest with the next three points and the first three after half-time.

“The goal, in a way, motivated them a small bit.

“We were going as well as we should have been but their character and everything are always questioned.

“I think people have to be fair to them today, coming through against a good Knocknagree team.

“Their mettle and their steel can’t be questioned anymore and that’s the most pleasing aspect.”