Coláiste Choilm captain Kevin O'Leary determined to help end long wait for Simcox Cup glory

Coláiste Choilm captain Kevin O’Leary feels winning the Simcox Cup could be a turning point in the fortunes of football in the school.

The Ballincollig-based side take on Clonakilty Community College in the final tomorrow at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh’s main pitch with throw-in at 6pm.

Coláiste Choilm haven’t tasted Simcox Cup glory since the 2013/14 season. They have gone through a challenging number of campaigns since, but there have been green shoots in recent years.

“Look, getting over the line against Clonakilty now is the big thing,” the Ballincollig player says.

“Last season we kind of felt hard done by losing out to Hamilton High School in the semi-final in Ovens. We wanted to prove a point this season. Look, the team we have is very strong, but we know what we are facing.

“It was a one-point loss to Hammies and look, they were great last season, but we kind of felt we left it after us.

“So look, this year is kind of a big year for all of us. Being in sixth year myself, and a lot of others, it's a big opportunity for us to get over the line and actually win something with the school.” 

Coláiste Choilm are arguably a sleeping giant when it comes to schools football. They last won the Simcox Cup in the 2013/14 season in what was their second time winning it.

Everyone involved knows the importance of this one with the hope that they will claim the trophy for a third time tomorrow.

“We’ve probably underachieved as a school. You look at the clubs we have, Ballincollig, Éire Óg, Ballinora to name a few. The talent we get in every year is massive. We want to get over the line now on Friday.

“One of the aims at the start of the campaign was to play football after Christmas, but look, that hasn’t really gone our way with the Corn Uí Mhuirí for various reasons, but we won’t get into that. The other aim was to get to the Simcox Cup final.

“We’re here now, so we might as well make the most of it. There’s huge motivation to do well.” 

Coláiste Choilm met Clonakilty Community College just eight days ago in the Corn Uí Mhuirí with the West Cork team winning by seven points in Newcestown, 1-13 to 1-6.

O’Leary thinks it will be a different game tomorrow.

“It will be a different game for many reasons and it’s being played on one of the best pitches in Ireland,” he said.

“The quick turnaround is probably a good thing anyway because you don’t have time to dwell on things. Also, you don’t kind of want these competitions to drag on for a long time.

“We were playing the Simcox Cup last season back in March. It’ll be nice to kind of just get it over and done with, especially with the Leaving Cert next summer. A little bit of stress off us.” 

This is it for Coláiste Choilm’s footballers. While Clonakilty have the Corn Uí Mhuirí quarter-final in January, Coláiste Choilm know that their season will end with the Simcox Cup final.

“There’s a feeling of hurt there after being knocked out of the Corn Uí Mhuirí. It's a matter of putting in our best performance and see what happens.

“There’s great excitement around the school. We all have put a huge amount of work into this. Our management of Denis Keohane, Darren Farry and others have put in a great effort training us on Sundays and Bank Holidays and everything.

“To win a trophy at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, it’s a massive opportunity. These chances don’t come around often."