Cill Na Martra manager John Evans pays tribute to his team after great win in very difficult conditions over Mungret

GIVEN the strong wind in Mallow on Sunday afternoon, Cill Na Martra manager John Evans admitted afterwards if they had won the toss, they would have played against it in the first-half.

Well, they couldn’t have asked for a better start, so maybe it was just as well the decision was taken out of their hands.

“We didn’t want to play with the wind at the start but we lost the toss so we had it and we settled well and intercepted a few good balls with Dan Ó (Duinnín) and Mike (Ó Deasúna), they are always dangerous. 

"They are clever players and then Mike hasn’t been on the team all along but he has been getting fitter and fitter, a real skilful player. He popped over a few frees, it was all settling.

“Then to be up that much at half time, you would say to yourself that you should be home and dried but with that wind it was a case that you could shoot from anywhere so once we kept the goals out that really was the main thing.

“It wasn’t a day for football. That’s for sure.” 

Some of those delightful scores were what we’ve come to expect from Cill na Marta, and at the other end, they shut up shop.

“I suppose we were a small bit naive in the second-half that we kept travelling with the ball – it paid off sometimes but we turned it over as well – the kick-outs today, you just couldn’t control them. 

"They lost 11 or 12 kick-outs at the start of the first-half, and we lost 11 or 12 in the second-half.

"You can’t legislate for that. You can try and go short, then again you can’t control it. 

"But I do think the goal in the second-half which was worked through the hands and finished by Dan Ó, it was good interplay. 

"That’s where we had a small bit of an edge on Mungret.” 

Cill na Martra were hot favourites for this Munster crown, and with that comes a lot of expectation. 

The manager said they had no problem keeping a lid on it.

“The lads were really calm today. This was the easiest one because our expectations after the Iveleary game were high against Castletownbere. 

"Then after the county final going into Kilmihil, they were rehearsals for us. We kept working at our strategy, our mental state the whole time. Kept at that.

“They are a solid bunch to deal with but they are difficult to coach. 

"They revert to old habits very easily, what do they call it these days, default to old habits. Under pressure when you default to old habits, you get caught. 

"But they have gotten very good in the last four games of what they are doing, and you can see that in their play.

"You have to wait for good things, like wine!"