Noel O'Leary: Cill na Martra will have to stay focused, this grade is wide open
Cill na Martra's Damien O hUrdail scores a superb two-pointer under pressure from Clyda Rovers' David Cooney during their Senior A FC clash at Páirc Uí Rinn. Picture: David Keane.
Former Cork football star Noel O’Leary is now enjoying his role in the backroom team of Cill na Martra coaching staff.
Naturally, he was delighted to see his team advance to the semi-finals of the McCarthy Insurance SAFC after a 0-15 to
0-12 win over Clyda Rovers at Páirc Uí Rinn.
In a game that failed to ignite at any stage, O’Leary wasn’t too bothered as, in his own words, the result was all that mattered.
“Look at the end of the day we got what we came for, but in all honesty, conditions were difficult for both sides and it turned out to be a game of two halves,” O’Leary said.
He was a battle-hardened defender when wearing the red and white of Cork and he praised his team’s defence over the hour.
“It all starts with how your team matches up and in fairness, our lads showed great resilience and that’s what gave us the edge,” O’Leary added.
The season to date has gone well for the Muskerry outfit and O’Leary is hoping they can improve further with a semi-final on the horizon.
“In this grade the majority of games are keenly contested with any side capable of beating another on any given day so for us it’s all about keeping our focus.
“We will have a few weeks to prepare for our semi-final and no stone will be left unturned in our bid to reach the Holy Grail.”
In a small community, Cill na Martra continue to produce quality footballers but O’Leary was philosophical when speaking on this subject: “There are many small clubs like ourselves who do exceptionally well on keeping the show on the road in this county but let me add we are lucky that we are solely football and that’s a huge advantage.”
The introduction of the new rules was widely acclaimed by O’Leary: “There is a huge improvement as a spectacle as we have a better and more expansive game and now we are looking at high scoring games of football needed for the spectators.”
This year Kerry were crowned All-Ireland champions in style and O’Leary believes the standard at the top tier of the sport right now is fairly competitive.
“When you look at the final, they outplayed Donegal tactically and played far better football and Jack O’Connor had the last laugh with the criticism he received in his quarters throughout the season.”
Regarding the present standard of intercounty football O’Leary had some interesting thoughts.
“What I have experienced at intercounty level is that you have got to hit your best form at the right time, and you saw that with Kerry right from the quarter final to the decider.”
Are Cork capable of being a contender at the top tier of the sport again?
“There is progress made that is clear to see but you are still looking for that extra two or three players to make the difference and outside the top four sides we are right up there and hopefully we can continue to improve.”
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