'We'll just do our best to try and beat them' - Béal Átha’n Ghaorthaidh captain ready for Knocknagree semi

Ben Seartan in action for Ballingeary. Photo: Don MacMonagle

In the group-stage era of the Cork county championships, an opening draw can be a good or a bad thing – but that isn’t decided until after the second match.

Béal Átha’n Ghaorthaidh opened their McCarthy Insurance Group SAFC campaign with a draw against O’Donovan Rossa.

Further wins over Dohenys and Bishopstown meant the side from the Muskerry Gaeltacht topped the group and secured an automatic semi-final spot, against Knocknagree on Saturday night; their Skibbereen opponents went on to lose to the other two sides in the section and had to beat Fermoy in the relegation play-off to preserve their status.

The result left Béal Átha needing a win against Dohenys but the quasi-knockout nature of the fixture brought out the best in them, captain Ben Seartan feels.

“I suppose at the time [of the Rossa game], we felt a bit disappointed,” he says.

“Skibb would probably say the same, because we actually equalised it towards the end. It was kind of do-or-die really against Dohenys.

“It was a big game down in Inchigeela, and thankfully we just got on the other side, but it could have gone either way.

“We had three subs come on that day, I think two of them got a point, another one set up a goal and got two points, so we actually got four points off the bench.

“I suppose we knew if we were in touching distance really, with ten minutes to go, that we'd have the bench to help us.”

One of those subs was Seartan’s brother Ben, who scored two points and helped to create Diarmuid Mac Thomáis’s goal. It was his return to action after five months out and Donagh was delighted to see his impact.

“He would have been our main forward there for years,” he says, “it was a good reward for him it's a big boost for the team when he comes on.

“He came on as well against Bishopstone and hopefully he'll be right again next time.”

It’s a family affair all round, with older brother Liam in his first year as manager, with Aindreas Ó Coinceannáin and Shane Ó Duinnín also in the set-up.

With so many of the squad having worked with the trio at under-age level, the reunion has been a fruitful one.

“I suppose when Liam, Andy and Shane came available and we knew they'd interest, we approached them,” says Donagh.

“A lot of us would have played under them all the way up and would have experience with them. Shane would have been involved with us a few years ago too, under Denis Reen.

“There’s a good familiarity and, when they're ex-players, they kind of understand.

“Liam’s a very good manager, a very good coach, as are all the lads. There's no favouritism really, he's willing to give out to all of us, he's willing to praise all of us.”

The hope is that more praise awaits, but the challenge is as they could envisage: Knocknagree are in a fourth straight semi-final and are aiming for a third final in that period.

Having lost to the Duhallow side in 2022 and 2023, Seartan and Béal Átha know what to expect.

“We’ve played them twice in the last few years,” he says, “and they've got the upper hand.

“There's no doubting they're an incredible team. They're always thereabouts, they have lots of inter-county experience, great manager as well.

“We'll just do our best to try and beat them if we can, and obviously we'll try and come up with a gameplan to counter them.”