Strong panel crucial as Dungourney dug deep against Aghabullogue

Dungourney started this year’s Co-op SuperStores Premier IHC campaign on the back foot as a good start against Cloyne gave way to a fightback that ended in defeat.

After that game, the victors’ manager Killian Cronin was firm in his belief that their divisional rivals would still have a big say in the championship and so it has proven.

On Saturday evening, the east Cork outfit overcame Aghabullogue by 3-26 to 3-25 after extra time. After a tumultuous encounter, manager Martin Hennesy was relieved to have made it through to the semi-finals for the second straight year.

“Catch your breath is right,” he laughed, “it was a mental game wasn't it, just took a life of its own and we're just delighted.

“We set out with our stall at the start of the year to get back to a semi-final. There was a lot of hurt in the camp after last year.

It's a tough grade, it's a very tough grade. 

"The group, first of all, was mental and then coming on in here tonight, we knew exactly what we were going to get from Aghabullogue – I don't know how they do it with the football and a few playing soccer.

“These are highly talented players and it was just a titanic battle really and we got out on the right side of it.”

While Dungourney got off to a flying start with a pair of Cillian O’Callaghan goals and led by eight in the second half, Aghabullogue came back well and led in the closing stages. Despite being without Jack Leahy in the second period of extra time, Dungourney could draw on the dead-ball accuracy of John Ahern to help them over the lines.

“It's a thing with us all year, we're flying out the traps but teams are pulling us back,” he said.

“We really showed composure there and tonight we lost Jack Leahy in extra time, we lost Niall Motherway, we lost Jack Griffin – we're already missing James McCarthy and Brian Forbes, I know every club's suffering injuries.

“These are huge players for us for a small place like Dungourney, but lads came on. 

The club's in a good place, we're challenging in Junior A, we won in the U21 last year, so like there's plenty numbers there and the talent is good.

“Tommy Ryan's an excellent coach. He's won an All-Ireland with Waterford minors and he was with their U20s. We're delighted to have him, to be honest – Dungourney won’t see a coach like him for a long time when he does leave but hopefully he’ll stay with us for a long time and we’ll keep winning.”

Massive

Next up in their quest is a semi-final with Valley Rovers.

“It'll be massive two weeks ahead, we played Valleys last year in the group stages and we know exactly what we're going to get,” Hennessy said

“We're going to get more physicality and they have great hurlers down there.

“They flew through the group, they beat a really impressive Kilworth team, so we'll be underdogs again the next day and we'll just go at it as best as we can.”