Mallow's Seán McDonnell: We have the players to build on last year, aim now is to win the county

Mallow footballer Seán McDonnell says his side want to build on the huge strides they made last year.

The North Cork team made the McCarthy Insurance Group Premier SFC semi-finals for the first time since 2004 but were beaten by Nemo Rangers. Having ended up in the relegation play-off in 2023, Mallow turned it around last year under the guidance of former player and captain Andrew Cashman.

McDonnell was instrumental in Mallow's progress last year and he was rewarded for his displays as he made the Reardens Cork Club All-Star Football Team of the Year for 2024.

“It was a great year in terms of reaching the semi-finals for the first time in 20 years,” the 23-year-old said. 

“Even a lot of lads inside the group probably wouldn’t have thought that is where we were heading. It was a positive campaign but there is a lot to build on in other ways too. We didn’t get promoted out of the Division 3 league, which was something we would have aimed for. Overall, it was an enjoyable year especially after ending up in relegation trouble the year before.

“It was a tough season that year. We didn’t find a manager until late on and a few lads went to Australia. While it was a difficult year, we were also unlucky not to end up in the quarter-finals.

“There was definitely more of a buy-in last year. Lads stayed around and Cashie [Andrew Cashman, manager] came in and the majority of us would have been familiar with him. He set the ground rules and we got focused on what we wanted to do for the year. The lads bought into the project. We always had good players, you saw that by us winning the Senior A in 2021 and we have done fairly well in Premier Senior over the last few years. Cashie really instilled belief into us that we can compete.” 

Mallow lit up the Premier SFC last year after a stunning 2-12 to 2-10 triumph over St Finbarr’s in the second group stage game played in Grenagh. It certainly was a highlight for McDonnell, on a day when he hit 1-5 (0-4 f).

“At the end of the year, all of the Mallow lads did say the St Finbarr’s match stood out for them and it’s hard to argue with that,” he says.

“While it was only a group stage victory, to us, St Finbarr’s, Nemo and Castlehaven would be the big three, which everyone in Cork agrees with I think. To take down one of them in the championship was a big moment for Mallow. We hadn’t done it since we returned to the top grade. It was a game we targeted as we required a positive result or else we probably wouldn’t have made it out of the group again.

“There was no expectation on us, everyone within the camp was looking forward to it and really relishing the opportunity. We played to our system that we practised in training and just went out and performed. I can remember it was all about living off the crowd and living off moments. Every turnover was like a win, and every point was like a win. There was a real championship feel to it and we came out the right side.

“It was no fluke, we fully deserved the victory. There was no late flurry of goals at the end or anything like that. We were there with the Barrs from start to finish. The win gave us huge belief."

While it was an excellent season for the North Cork team, McDonnell knows only too well that they have to build on the campaign. There’s no doubt though that they have age on their side. 

“Before last year, it was 20 years when Mallow reached the top grade semi-final, so we don’t want to repeat history there. We want to be consistent. We want to make the semi-final again this year and try and get to a final. Our aim now has to be to try and win the county.

“There’s no point in pretending that we are just happy to be in the top grade. We feel that we have the players, so we just need to build on what we did in 2024 and the few years before that.” 

In the Premier SFC group stage this year, Mallow will face holders Castlehaven, Newcestown and Valley Rovers.