Premier SFC final: No talk of back-to-back titles as Castlehaven prepare for Nemo battle

As first seasons go at the helm, it couldn’t have gone any better so far for Castlehaven manager Seanie Cahalane.

The Haven are bidding to retain their McCarthy Insurance Group Premier SFC trophy on Sunday when they face Nemo Rangers in the final at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh with throw-in at 3.30pm.

The West Cork side won the championship in the 2012 and ’13 seasons with Cahalane captain for both successful campaigns. They are favourites to get over the line on Sunday, and given their form and results this year, it’s hard to argue, but Nemo have won the most titles with 23 for a reason.

“County finals are hard to get to,” the Castlehaven boss says.

“They are ever harder to win. Anytime you get there, you are delighted. Up until last year, it was 10 years since we won the county, so we understand how difficult it is. There has been the bones of a very good team for the last few years and maybe the lads were a little bit unlucky. You need that bit of luck to win anything."

Cahalane served under his predecessor James McCarthy, who led the Haven to county and Munster glory last season, and when McCarthy stepped down in February of this year, the door opened.

“I learnt a lot under James in all fairness,” Cahalane said.

“He’s a serious operator and a very good manager and delegator. When he did move on, there weren't too many candidates to be honest with you. The team around you is the key thing. We have great coaches in Gavin Gallagher, Bernie Collins, Anthony Seymour and Enda Buckley. We have a great group around the management and the lads that help out with the stats and all that, you need everyone to buy into it. Without any part of the jigsaw, it doesn’t really work.

“It has been very enjoyable so far. The lads are a great bunch to train, there is no issue with anything. You ask them to do anything and they will do it. Their commitment levels are excellent. They are very easy to manage, it makes my job a bit easier. The biggest challenge has been that we had very little off season. We ran right into January, the lads had very little downtime, and then the league started in early March, so it was all about managing that. Trying to keep the lads fresh was tricky."

Nemo Rangers stand in Castlehaven’s way of retaining the Andy Scannell trophy, which would be their seventh title. A repeat of last year’s final pairing and also a repeat of the 2013 decider, as the Haven won the championship for the second year on the bounce. 

“We haven’t really focused on what we achieved over 10 years ago. There hasn’t been any talk, it’s all about getting the win the next day and aiming to be back training the following week. There has been no talk about previous finals, previous wins, it’s all about the here and now.

“You only have to look at Nemo’s record, the last 15 years especially, they have won a lot of finals. They know how to win them, so we are under no illusions that it will be extremely difficult to get over the line. They are a great club, we always look up to them and admire them. It will be fine margins now at the weekend. We anticipate that it will be very similar to last year, composure will be crucial.”