Chris Óg Jones not reflecting on Iveleary's rapid rise just yet as they target senior football

When Chris Óg Jones first came on to the Iveleary first team squad, they were going around in circles in the Junior A football ranks.

The goalposts have firmly shifted nearly a decade on as the Inchigeela side take on fellow Mid-Cork outfit Aghabullogue on Sunday in the McCarthy Insurance Group PIFC final at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh (3.30pm).

A chance for one of the teams to reach the senior ranks for the very first time. Iveleary were Junior A five seasons ago. 

For Jones, he has to pinch himself every now and then.

“I can remember back in 2015, we got into the county final at Junior A level and it was uncharted territory for us,” the Cork senior footballer says.

“Over the last decade, there have been huge improvements made in the club. 

When you're in the moment, you don’t really have time to step back and think about how far we have come. 

"I can remember when I started playing, making a Mid-Cork final at Junior A level was seen as a success nearly to be honest with you.

“Winning one was seen as a massive achievement. We have got to a stage now where the expectation is to be in and around the business end of the Premier Intermediate grade. If you said that to me when I joined the first team, I would have thought you were crazy.

“The level of players we have now and the fact that we have shown in recent years that we can compete with top teams at this grade, we haven’t really taken much notice of it, if that makes sense.”

RISE 

Iveleary’s rise has been well documented, winning the County JAFC title in the 2020 season followed a campaign later by claiming the IAFC crown. What has changed around the club in Jones’ opinion?

“I suppose there was a team there that won a County U21 B trophy in 2012. A club like Iveleary winning a title like that was an unreal achievement. Those players formed a huge base for the Junior A team in the years that followed.

The talent is there and it’s not like there’s a secret to the success. There has just been an influx of good quality players.” 

Jones, who is the top scorer in this year’s McCarthy Insurance Group PIFC, knows that a third county success in six seasons will be hard-earned against a strong Aghabullogue team.

“We played Aghabullogue in the group stage last year and they beat us by two points. To be honest, it was a two-point hammering. When we looked back at that game, they were by far the better team. The scoreline didn’t reflect their dominance.

“They are an excellent team. I play with a lot of them with Muskerry as you know. It will be a good test.

We will treat this as another game. We aren’t going to blow it up like it’s the biggest thing in the world.

“We know Aghabullogue have some really damaging forwards. We will try and nullify them as best as possible. They have Ray Keane as manager. He has a strong track record with teams. He knows his stuff. 

"Hopefully we can put in a performance that we are happy with and the rest will take care of itself.”