Peter Smith demands more belief from Cloyne after Carrigtwohill defeat

AFTER a great start to the Championship with their first-round win over Fermoy, Cloyne took a hit against east Cork rivals Carrigtwohill last weekend, as they suffered a five-point defeat.

Cloyne manager Peter Smith was disappointed with the result, but happy with certain aspects of Cloyne’s performance. “A bit disappointed,” he says. “We started well, kind of faded then and some of the old stuff started coming back into it. 

“[We] turned at half time and there was a bit more belief in them again after a bit of an argument inside the dressing room, but there was a bit more belief and they have pace.

“Listen, Carrigtwohill have fierce quality within that group as well, they've good forwards. We live to fighting another day, and we’ve Mallow next so we’re not out of anything.” While Cloyne certainly come away disappointed with the result and their failure to produce the scores when it counted, they were certainly up for a battle.

They pressed the Carrigtwohill players relentless for the entire 60 minutes, often working in twos and threes to isolate their opponents.

While it did work well and they won possession quite a few times from it, their shooting on the day caught them out.

SPIRIT

“That's what we're trying to do, put a bit of the spirit back into Cloyne,” says Peter. “They've had it for donkey’s years. Most people would associate spirit with Cloyne, and so I think that's coming back. The hurling level has come way up, we just need to learn how to win again.

Yes, this week isn't so great, but as I say, we’re still alive and kicking.

“Yeah, a bit of belief [is what they need and to] back themselves a bit more. I think this year they won their first, first round fixture since 2017, so that's where you're just trying to get your head above water at that stage. If we beat Mallow, we’re into a quarter final after winning two matches, so all as well with the world then after that.” 

Looking ahead to their final group game against Mallow, it’s a big one for Cloyne, and a win should be enough to secure passage to the knockout phases.

“They [Mallow] probably had a bad first day. I don't know how they got on today, but we'll just be looking after our own corner. There are good players within this group, they just need to have a small bit more belief and they’ll be okay.

“[I’m] always confident [of winning]. You go into any job; all these jobs are hard. You're going to Midleton, and you're expected to win counties. You go to the Glen, you go to other places, you’re expected to do different things, so there is pressure with every job. We're fine, the boys still believe, so that’s the main thing.”