Lilywhites on the up: Manager Robert O'Driscoll delighted as Bandon secure dual promotion

Bandon’s Robert O’Driscoll is one of the youngest club team managers in the county but his debut season has gone well so far.

On Sunday, the Lilywhites beat Glanmire to secure promotion from Division 4 of the McCarthy Insurance Group Football League, setting up a clash with Aghabullogue in the final.

A 3-10 to 0-8 victory for the hosts at Charlie Hurley Park gave them second place in the table. However, while happy with the win, O’Driscoll wasn’t getting carried away as the sides will renew acquaintance again soon, as they are in the same group of the Premier IFC, with a clash pencilled in for Ballincollig on July 26.

“We played well,” he said.

“We knew what we had to do coming down there, which was good.

“We were relying on ourselves, we weren't relying on the results. So, we’re happy enough to get the win and get promoted. It's a good boost going into the championship now.

“We know Glanmire will be a lot stronger when we meet them again and we will be stronger as well on the day.

“Sunday was a tough one in a way, there was probably an element of shadow-boxing to it, not wanting to show your hands so close to the championship.

“But we're happy enough with how it went and we're happy enough to get the win.”

Between Sunday and the next encounter with Glanmire, Bandon will of course have played the league final – and one in hurling, having earned promotion in that code, too. 

O’Driscoll - just 25, with a knee injury having curtailed his playing involvement - sees those fixtures as having far more positives than negatives in terms of championship preparation.

“I wouldn't call it a distraction, no,” he said.

“If we hadn’t been in the league final, we would have had a challenge game that weekend. “You go out and play a game that's going to be ultra-competitive and there’s something on the line.

“You can say you're a champions of the league after it if you win and I think that's better than any challenge match.

“I wouldn't say it's a distraction, it's probably good preparation in the scheme of things.”

The final will also afford a chance to give game-time to players working their way back to fitness.

“Sure, with the way the league goes, you're down a different three or four every day,” O’Driscoll said.

“We've a couple of injuries to look after and stuff like that and try and mend them before we get back to championship.”

This weekend will see the hurlers play their last regular league game and they will have a final against Inniscarra, Watergrasshill or Kilworth.

The league can be tough for dual clubs, alternating between codes for 18 straight weeks, but Bandon have benefited from good co-operation between O’Driscoll - assisted by coach Finny Collins and selectors Pat Prendergast, Jimmy Gabriel and John Ahern - and his hurling counterparts, manager Joe Burke and coach James Nyhan.

“Oh, absolutely, yeah,” he said.

“We have so many dual players and winning is a habit and all that. It's great to see them both going so well after the last couple of years.

“They've won all the final matches in the last couple of years.

“Joe and James are fantastic to work with and Mikey Power as well, doing the strength and conditioning for the two teams.

“We've got a great schedule there and everyone knows about everything that's going on. We've a great understanding of the players and their schedule and how they're feeling.

“Both sides work well and if you want this to go well, that we all need to kind of bounce off each other, everyone's pulling in the same direction. We all want to see Bandon winning.”