Fr O'Neill's growing stronger after Division 1 HL campaign without stars
Joe Millerick of Fr O'Neills controls the sliotar ahead of St Finbarr's Shane Kennedy during the Div 1 Hurling league match in Aghavine. Picture: Howard Crowdy
Last season marked a significant step forward for Fr O’Neill’s. Drawn in a championship group with Blackrock and St Finbarr’s, there weren’t many outside the parish who expected them to qualify. But they pulled off that unforgettable win over the Barrs – with 14 men – to reach the knockout stages of the Premier Senior Hurling Championship for the first time in their history.
Even though their run ended at the quarter-final stage against eventual champions Imokilly, they proved they could compete with the very best.
But one lingering issue remained.
Fr O’Neill’s were well beaten by Imokilly, and one of the key reasons was the team’s ongoing dependence on Cork senior Declan Dalton. That’s not to discredit the squad – there’s serious talent across the panel.
Dalton is just that good.
His absence throughout this year’s league campaign, along with Cork teammate Ger Millerick, forced O’Neill’s to look elsewhere for scores. And in many ways, that’s been a blessing in disguise.
New manager Ray O’Neill, alongside returning coach Kieran Hammersley, has helped bring the wider squad on a step. Most notably, the rest of the forward line has stepped up.
Kevin O’Sullivan has been the standout. His return of 2-73 – including 1-22 from play – shows just how critical he’s been, especially from placed balls. He was a significant loss in their final-round defeat to the Barrs.
Across the league, O’Neill’s scored 14 goals in nine games, with six different players hitting the net – a clear sign that the attacking threat is now more evenly spread. O’Sullivan bagged two goals, while Conor O’Leary and Michael Wall scored three each. Billy Dunne and Rob Cullinane also impressed with two apiece.
It’s rare to talk about Junior B as a major influence on a Premier Senior side, but in O’Neill’s case, last year’s JBHC win over Aghabullogue has paid off handsomely.
Nine players from that team featured in the Division 1 league campaign this year, with several pushing strongly for senior championship roles.
Among the most exciting are last year’s minors, Tadhg O’Donoghue Brosnan and Ronan Lowney. O’Donoghue Brosnan, a star for Midleton CBS in the Harty Cup, chipped in with 0-7 this season – mostly off the bench.
Diarmuid O’Neill has also made remarkable strides. The Junior B final centre-back has started multiple games at wing-back this season and grown with each performance. He may not yet be a nailed-on starter, but he’s edging closer.
Others like Sean O’Riordan, Olan Steele, Mark O’Neill, and Jake Shine have all made the step up, while Patrick and Conor O’Leary – both used in last year’s Junior B final – have also played important roles this year at senior level.
Fr O’Neill’s league campaign produced a mixed bag: wins over Charleville and Glen Rovers were offset by a few underwhelming results. They were lucky to come away with a draw against Kanturk and suffered a deserved defeat to Carrigaline.
Still, they finished seventh in Division 1 with three wins, two draws and five losses – importantly, securing their status in the top flight and exposing the broader squad to senior-level intensity.
With Dalton and Millerick to come back, they’ll be a completely different side come championship.
They’ve landed in a tough group alongside Sarsfields, Glen Rovers and Erin’s Own – but they’re more than capable of turning one or more of those sides over.
Kevin O'Sullivan 2-73 (0-46 f, 0-5 65, 1-0 pen), John Millerick 1-15 (0-3 f), Billy Dunne 2-11, Conor O'Leary 3-6, Rob Cullinane 2-6, Michael Wall 3-3, Tadhg O'Donoghue Brosnan 0-7, Peter Hassett 0-6, Paudie O'Sullivan 0-6 (0-5 f), Paudie McMahon 0-4, Mark O'Keeffe 0-4, Joe Millerick 0-3, James O'Brien 0-2, Tom Millerick 0-2, Dan Harrington 0-1, Patrick O'Leary 0-1, Ryan Kenneally 0-1, Jake Shine 0-1, Jason Hankard 0-1, AN Other 1-0.
Kevin O'Sullivan, John Millerick, Conor O'Leary, Billy Dunne, Tadhg O'Donoghue Brosnan (m), Rob Cullinane, Michael Wall, Paudie McMahon, Paudie O'Sullivan, Mark O'Keeffe, Peter Hassett, James O'Brien, Joe Millerick, Dan Harrington, Patrick O'Leary, Ryan Kenneally, Jason Hankard, Mike Millerick, John Barry, Diarmuid O'Neill, Ciarr O'Connor, Colin Sloane, Eoin Motherway, Mark O'Neill, Jake Shine, Sean O'Riordan, Ronan Lowney (m), Olan Steele, Darragh Sexton, Tom Millerick.
App?
