Canovee's William Ahern ahead of showdown with Kilmurry: There's a great buzz in the parish, it will be a brilliant occasion 

Canovee meeting Kilmurry in a tiddlywinks game would cause a stir, so it isn’t a surprise that the excitement within the clubs from the same parish has reached fever pitch ahead of this Friday.

The two Muskerry rivals lock horns in a highly anticipated McCarthy Insurance Group Premier JFC final at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh with throw-in at 8pm. A decider that will no doubt catch the attention of many near and far.

They could have been two grades apart this year if things worked out differently, but Canovee won the County JAFC in 2023 while Kilmurry lost the decider at this grade to St Finbarr’s second team. A late Cian Madden goal for the Barrs saw them win by a point.

Canovee captain William Ahern is relishing the big game this weekend.

“It’s a 50/50 game on Friday, but hopefully touch wood we can get the job done,” he says.

“There’s nothing that Kilmurry doesn't know about Canovee that Canovee doesn't know about Kilmurry. We know everything about them. A lot of us would have played hurling together for Cloughduv at underage level and even at adult level. It’s about a 15-minute drive between the two pitches in the same parish. Along the main road by Cloughduv, it would be split down the middle.

“It’s a rare enough sight in Cork football to have two clubs from the same parish battling it out in a county final. When I was growing up, anytime that Canovee and Kilmurry did play each other, it was a big occasion no matter if it was a league or championship game. With these local rivalries, form goes out the window. Anything can happen.

“We were in the Mid-Cork Junior A football championship together for a long time, but we never really met. We were always on the opposite side of the draw and all that. We met for the first time in a while two years ago in the Mid-Cork semi-final. Kilmurry went on to get promoted that year and we followed them last season.

“Out of the 12 teams in the Premier Junior football grade, I suppose a lot of people would have predicted that we would meet this year and sure when the draws were made, we were drawn together in the group stage. It will be a big occasion on Friday.” 

The local rivals came together on Friday, September 13 in the final group game played before a packed crowd at the Castle Grounds in Macroom. It felt like a final that night helped by the wonderful venue. Kilmurry were already through, but Canovee needed a positive result to join them and John O’Brien’s side delivered an excellent display to win 2-8 to 0-9. Ahern feels that victory won’t have any bearing on Friday down the Páirc.

“We did play well in that game against Kilmurry last month,” the Canovee captain said.

“Kilmurry were already qualified so I suppose they might have been holding a few cards close to their chests. I assume come the final day, it will be a totally different game. There may be a few changes of tactics from both sides to try and get the upper hand. I do think it will be a different game from a few weeks ago, a different venue too.

“There will definitely be a few tricks up the sleeves I say. We will have to wait and see until the ball is thrown in to see what transpires. It will be a 50/50 game as I said earlier. There’s a great buzz in the parish. The sleepless nights haven’t caught me out yet. It will be a brilliant occasion to be playing in such a fantastic stadium. We are all looking forward to it."