10 years ago today, Ballincollig reached the summit of Cork football for the first time

10 years ago today, Ballincollig claimed the Cork SFC title for the first time in their history.

The Muskerry side defeated Carbery Rangers in the decider on a scoreline of 1-13 to 1-10 on October 19, 2014 at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. It was a far cry from the year previous when the Collig fell at the Round 4 stage in what was the old structure following an eleven-point defeat to divisional side Carbery.

The team in green and white had struggled to make a serious impact in the top tier ever since they moved up to senior in 1994. They reached the last four in 1999 and wouldn’t reach that stage again until that memorable 2014 campaign.

Ballincollig certainly wouldn’t have been one of the favourites at the start of what would be a historic season, but a perfect mix of youth and experience proved magic, led by a rookie manager in Michael O’Brien in his first season at the helm. 

The mass pitch invasion once the final whistle blew in the final and the homecoming back to the Village will live long in the memory for people associated with the club. 

It was clear though that the players were there, unlined by county success at U21 and minor levels in 2009 and 2011 respectively. It was all about someone trying to get a grip on things and that would fall to O’Brien as he reflects on the magnificent achievement a decade on.

“The 10 years certainly has flown by, it brings back special memories for Ballincollig and that group of players,” the former Collig boss said.

“They were a seriously dedicated bunch and there were still a few involved this year. I was very lucky to be involved with such a great group, lads with super character. Our goal in that 2014 season was to get promoted out of the Division 2 league, but we didn’t do that until the second year. We wouldn’t change it for the world, winning the county was a magical feeling.

“I suppose the few years before 2014, the team were struggling to get any momentum going. It was the old format and they weren’t able to break the line and go deep into the championship. The players were there, you had the senior players like John Miskella and Patrick Kelly, then you had Cork U21s, the likes of Stephen O’Donoghue, Noel Galvin and Liam Jennings. You had a lot of talent, then you had Cian Dorgan and Seán Kiely who were coming onto the scene. It was just about getting it together and having a bit of luck.” 

What did O’Brien and his management team tweak in 2014? It was a rapid transformation in such a short space of time.

“We went down to the Páidi Ó Sé tournament in that February and won it,” he says.

“We enjoyed ourselves that weekend as well as winning the competition and that was the start of a bond that continued throughout the whole year. It was a real character building weekend. We also looked at getting the fitness levels up to a high standard early on in the season, which we did with Eoin Galvin and then Paul O’Donoghue. That stood to us, and we decided to try and move the ball fast into our forwards. The game has changed an awful lot from that time. If we went out and played the way we did back in 2014 these days, we probably would struggle.

“I also deliberately brought a bit of old Ballincollig to the management team, they all brought their own characteristics. We had Seán McCarthy, Jerry Ring, Paul O’Donoghue and Eric Philpott, who sadly passed away in 2015. That was a sad time in our journey as Eric had a great link between all the players. He was hugely influential.” 

Ballincollig haven’t been able to add to their triumph from 10 years ago today, but came close in 2016, but Carbery Rangers got their revenge in the final. O’Brien is confident the Andy Scannell trophy can make its way back to the Village again in the not too distant future.

“It’s difficult to win county titles. You look at the last five seasons under Podsie O’Mahony, the team have performed exceptionally well. There has been a huge transition between the 2014 team and the amount of young lads that have come onto the panel over the last few years. Ballincollig have only really lost to the big three, Castlehaven, Nemo and the Barrs in recent seasons. They have been well equipped for all of the other teams.

“I don’t think Ballincollig are far away. The work that has been done over the last number of years has been very good. Obviously, we would have liked to have added to the 2014 county title since, but I do believe over the next 10 years, I would be shocked if Ballincollig didn’t come back and add another one.”