Canovee hungry to go one better after two near misses

Semi-finalists in last year’s Premier Junior Football Championship and beaten finalists the year before, it’s fair to say Canovee have been a force immediately upon arriving from the Junior A ranks.

The mid-Cork side have been contending at the top since getting promotion in 2023, and in last year’s Division 6 Football League final they brought their best, handing St Nick’s a 5-9 to 1-6 drubbing in July.

It was a game in which Conor Dodd starred for the team, and while he and Canovee lost out by a point in the opening round of the McCarthy Insurance Group Division 5 campaign against the same opposition last weekend, the chance to play against such strong opposition is something he’s happy to receive.

“We'll be looking forward to playing high standard teams because it'll help us come championship,” Dodd begins. “Obviously in a new league this year, we're playing teams we haven't played before, so we're just kind of approaching it game by game and seeing what we can work on building up the championship. 

“We'd obviously want to do well in the league, but we're kind of taking it game by game and obviously there's a long season there, so performances [are the main thing].” 

Their next meeting is away to Millstreet just over a week from now, but Canovee can look forward to games against intermediate opposition such as Bantry Blues, Ballinora, Mitchelstown and Ilen Rovers as they gear up for another run at the championship title.

“We've been lucky now, to be fair,” Dodd says. “We've had a good few years. The last two years now we were unfortunate, obviously losing to Kilmurry and then falling short in the semi-final last year.

“So hopefully, that gives us that bit of motivation to push on now this year. And same goal as always [is] to try and win the county obviously, and see how we get on.” 

Canovee have always maintained an aggressive and encouraging style of football, with goals a prominent part of their game, too. In their county final run they netted seven across six games, and last season, they scored eight in five.

The new rules, particularly the incentive for longer-range shooting, can only benefit a team that play on the front foot.

“For the forwards especially, it gives them the opportunity to take those longer range shots and getting the two-pointers on the board is definitely very beneficial, so it's good.” 

Results and competitiveness are always going to help, but the bond they share have made the last few years even more enjoyable.

“There's a good community there in Canovee and I suppose we're all playing, we all grew up together. So there's a good bond there. So it's definitely enjoyable coming down training and seeing all the lads and being able to go run out for an hour.”