St Finbarr's Enda Dennehy has recovered from serious hamstring injury to aid Munster tilt

Enda Dennehy has forced his way back into the starting St Finbarr's team in recent games, which is a testament to where he has come from.

The 31-year-old lasted only a few minutes of their championship game against Carbery Rangers in August. He was out injured for nearly two months. The versatile player has made such an impact since his return that he has started the last two games.

Dennehy is chasing a second Munster medal tomorrow when the Barrs take on Dingle in the AIB Munster Club SFC final at FBD Semple Stadium (1.30pm). Live on TG4.

Dennehy has gone under the radar in recent games. Other players have grabbed the headlines and rightly so, but he has gone about his business quietly but effectively.

Made more eye-catching considering his considerable time on the treatment table.

“I picked up a bad enough hamstring injury in the Carbery Rangers game, the second game, that ruled me out for nearly two months,” he says.

“It was a slog to get back from that, but I came back for the county semi-final against Ballincollig, came on as a sub.

The only downside to the current GAA calendar is that an injury can derail a season or whatever, but like, it’s fantastic other than that. 

"If you do get injured, you get back on the horse and you do the rehab, you do the work, you do whatever needs to be done, and you show your hand in training and you hope you get selected."

The Togher side return to Thurles for the first time since claiming provincial glory in January 2022.

“The first time we as a group won the county in 2018, we went out and we didn’t do ourselves justice in Munster,” Dennehy states.

“The second time then we were much better set for it and we obviously won it. 

BLEND

"I think we've improved since then and we have got a massive injection of youth this year and the last couple of years to be fair. Having the experienced heads as well, the fellas who have been there before and done it, it's a nice blend, it's a nice mix for everybody.

“I also believe the new rules have probably suited us. I think we always wanted to play positive football, we always wanted to go forward, we always wanted to use the ball. The fact now that we're kind of forced to do it by the rules, I think that suits us as well.” 

The experienced player agrees that the squad depth has played a huge role in what St Finbarr’s have achieved to date. It also helps that they have kept injuries to the minimum.

“Every time we've had a meeting or whatever, we've said, ‘Would you rather sit on the bench and watch us win rather than play and lose?’ Everybody on the panel is looking at it like that.

“That just raises competition in the panel as well. There's nobody going out to train and thinking they can stroll around.

“There's five or six fellas who could be definitely starting that aren’t. There have been quite a few changes to the team this year. 

There's fellas coming in, fellas coming out, it just makes for a better panel.” 

The expectation is that tomorrow will be tight, so what does Dennehy feel will be important that could swing the balance?

“Sticking to what we do well, sticking to our process and just nailing those. I think we have a lot of confidence in the panel.

“I think if we stick to our game plan, we do what we’re supposed to do, and we do it right, I think it doesn’t matter who we come up against.

“We’re just trying to focus on what we can control.”