Jason Barrett adds 'fresh voice' to Midleton CBS Harty challenge

For a spell, it threatened to get messy. Midleton CBS had to work hard, and wait long, to finally shake off CBS High School Clonmel in Cappoquin on Wednesday, a second-round Harty Cup outing that never quite settled until late.

A result, a performance, and momentum banked – but nothing settled yet. De La Salle are next, and only progress from the group matters for the East Cork school. In this competition, nothing is handed over and nothing comes easy.

Joint managers Iain Cooney and Brian O’Callaghan know that well in year two of their tenure. This season, they’ve added a fresh voice to their corner.

Or rather, that outside voice found them.

“We have Jason Barrett with us,” said Brian O’Callaghan after the win over High School Clonmel. “Jason called us up, and he's just a former past pupil and he just wants to help out."

Barrett’s pedigree is clear. A Carrigtwohill stalwart, involved with their minor setup last year and set to join the Cork minors for 2026, he also happens to be the uncle of Carrig senior and Cork U20 panellist Matthew Barrett.

“We're delighted to have a guy of his sort of knowledge and stature to be involved with the boys. I think they have a great rapport with him.

It's a fresh voice, as well. And we're delighted to have him on board.

Barrett’s fresh voice can only aid the cause, as they search for a first Harty Cup title since 2019. But for now, their focus can only go as far as the next round – De La Salle.

NO MARGIN FOR ERROR

“We have to go into the last game and we need to get something from it to get through,” O”Callaghan stressed. “There's no room for error now. We’re delighted with the performance, we're delighted with the attitude.

It was a really tough game. They’re the current Munster B champions, they have a lot of that team.

“They're playing Corn Ui Mhuirí as well, so we knew they were going to be big, strong and physical. They ran De La Salle very close in the first round, so we knew coming up today that it was going to be a very tricky match.

“But we just wanted to get over the line and we did, thank God.” 

They did so thanks in no small part to the electric burst that opened the second half, Cormac Deane rattling in two quick-fire goals on his way to 2-2 without a miss.

“He's a super player, he has a great future,” O’Callaghan said. “We do emphasise that it is a team game, and we're delighted with the whole panel effort.

“The whole 42 guys, we're training as best we can. He’s one of 20 or 15 on the day.” 

Ten of Wednesday’s starters played in last year’s Dean Ryan final win over the AG, but turnover has been stark, too.

“We lost 14 of last year's team,” O’Callaghan said. “They’re young, but we’re not looking beyond De La Salle, we can't. Because if we slip up there, we're gone.”