Ciarán O'Brien: We have that heartbreak in big games, hopefully we can get over the line

Imokilly and Ciarán O’Brien can count themselves unlucky in recent years as they try and atone for what has gone on.

The divisional side face Blackrock on Sunday in the Co-Op SuperStores Premier SHC semi-final in SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh with throw-in at 1.30pm.

The St Ita’s player has been on the panel for the best part of a decade, playing a key role in Imokilly claiming the championship in 2017 and ’18, but missed out on the majority of the 2019 season due to suffering a cruciate ligament injury.

Imokilly have been knocking on the door in recent seasons, losing the quarter-final to this weekend’s opposition on penalties in 2022 and last year after extra time to Sarsfields in the last four.

O’Brien, who is the captain, missed the quarter-final win over Fr O’Neill’s two weeks ago due to an injury, but is hoping to be back this weekend. They are ticking along nicely this season.

“Every day you go out, you want to get over the line,” the 29-year-old says.

“The first two games [Avondhu and Muskerry], they can be a banana skin when you're in the middle of the club action. The last day, we knew what Fr O’Neill’s did a couple of weeks beforehand in Midleton in beating St Finbarr’s, so we knew how tough that was going to be. It has been fine margins for us in recent years. 

"It was 2016 I think, Erin’s Own got a late goal to pip us in an earlier round. There has been very good days, but it hasn’t always gone our own way. The last year or two, we haven’t got over the line so they are tough days, but that’s the way it goes sometimes.” 

The team in red and white have certainly got the divisional element spot on over the last 10 years or so. What has been key in O’Brien’s eyes? The enlisting of Denis Ring as boss before the 2022 season certainly gave Imokilly another boost.

“I suppose there’s a group of us there that we just like playing with each other,” the defender said.

“We have been through it maybe and also I am from a small club [St Ita’s]. We get the opportunity to play senior hurling against the biggest clubs in Cork with tradition. You have that chance to play against the top-level players. Probably the players from the smaller clubs, that’s probably the drive. You're part of the biggest competition in Cork. The buy-in from the clubs also, if one or two doesn’t buy-in, it won’t work.

“When Denis Ring gets us together, he goes through everything the best he can and covers every scenario and gives us our roles. It’s what you want from a manager. He ties in with us the best he can and the clubs. As a divisional manager, that’s the main job and he does that brilliantly. You can see the experience he has and what he wants to bring to Imokilly. It’s top-level, delighted to have him.” 

The Rockies are next up for Imokilly with the aim of getting to the final for the first time since last winning the championship in 2019.

“You can see the team Blackrock have and the panel they have. We know exactly from two years ago how it can go. They are a great team. We have that heartbreak from defeats in big games so we know how good they are. We just hope we can get over the line on Sunday. The opportunity is there to get to a final."