Canovee manager John O'Brien excited for Sunday's decider

THE small village of Carrigadrohid and the surrounding hinterlands is awash with black and amber.

Canovee take on Mayfield this Sunday in the Bon Secours Hospital County JAFC final in Páirc Uí Rinn at 4pm. There hasn’t been a bigger buzz around the club since 2007, the year the Muskerry side last won this championship and their last county title. They love their football out around Carrigadrohid and the excitement has reached fever pitch.

The manager is John O’Brien, who provides a link to the heroes of 2007, as he played in the final win over Kildorrery along with current selector Tommie Murphy. O’Brien is immensely looking forward to Sunday.

“There is huge excitement around the parish, it has been a long time coming,” says the Canovee boss.

“It’s hard to believe it has been 16 years since we were last in a county final, which was our last county triumph. Everyone I have been talking to in the parish is going to the match. This is a huge occasion and we have to take this opportunity. I can't wait for it.” 

After Canovee won the County JAFC in 2007, they stayed at intermediate level for six seasons before they got relegated by Sunday’s opposition in the relegation play-off final a decade ago, it has been a long and winding road since then, but here they are back where they have strived to be for so long, a chance to move up, but why has it all come together for the Muskerry club in 2023?

“I suppose this is my third season as manager and it was all about rebuilding when I came in. We have blooded a lot of players over the last few years so it was always going to take time. In 2022 eleven players made their debuts for the first-team. We felt we had to freshen up the panel and increase the squad so this season then the lads have matured and have really improved.

“The other thing is I made a few tweaks to the management team at the start of this campaign, Donagh Wiseman came in and is after making a huge difference. Michael Cotter was also drafted in, he does a lot of the athletic work with the lads. It was never going to happen over one season when I came in, there was a process and I think we are starting to see the benefit of that now.” 

The county triumph in 2007 was magical for Canovee, the final against Kildorrery and the homecoming can be viewed on YouTube. Even if you don’t have any connection to the club it would make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. O'Brien, who was a key cog in the machine back then, says they took it game by game and the manager says the same thing has applied in 2023.

“It’s not about playing the occasion, it’s about going out and playing your own game and sticking to the principles, it might be a bit clichéd but those things I have just mentioned are really important. You can get overawed by it all if you let the occasion get to you. When we won pretty much everything in the 2007 season the manager at the time Mickey Ring drilled into us that it was just game by game.” 

Mayfield stand in Canovee’s way of a repeat of 2007. The Mid-Cork outfit weren’t just outright favourites this season for their own division but were also outright favourites for the county crown. The weight of pressure might be a hindrance for certain teams, but not Canovee.

“At the start of the year I was wondering would the favourite tag be a problem for us,” says O’Brien.

“But, I actually think it has given the players belief that they can do well. You would hear people talking about it but it hasn’t got to the lads at any stage. They are a focused group. Winning the Mid-Cork title was a monkey off our back. Mayfield will be a very difficult game. It’s the final, and I think it’s 50/50. I saw them in their semi-final against Ballygarvan and they were excellent. I have played against Mayfield many times during my playing career and they are always tough to beat.”

Canovee have endured their fair share of disappointments over the past 16 years, they will hope this weekend is their moment in the sun. The last one out of Carrigadrohid on Sunday please turn off the lights.