Talisman Declan Dalton delivered for Fr O'Neills after 'tough year with Cork'

With their backs to the wall after losing three group games by a total of 28 points, Fr O’Neill’s came out fighting to save their Cork Premier Senior Hurling status in Carrigtwohill on Sunday.

It was a case of a different script for the Ladysbridge/Ballymacoda outfit but it was the same familiar names who got the job done against Douglas with seven points to spare (2-19 to 0-18).

Ray O’Neill knows the club better than anyone.

“Staying senior is a massive, massive thing for us,” the manager said.

“In a relegation final you never know what you’re going to get, it is a totally different set-up, a different ask. Championship is over for the last couple of weeks but we trained well, the lads were very cool coming into the game and very composed in the dressing-room.

“Just had a good feeling about it.

“We were in a tough group but there was no easy group there. We took heavy beatings and it is difficult to come back from that. People thought Kanturk might be the one team we might beat because the city clubs (Blackrock and Glen Rovers) will always bring something, but Kanturk are serious operators. 

“It was difficult to come back from that because you keep going to the well and you’re asking the same fellas every week and every year.

“We have the same group. These fellas have won U21, Premier Intermediate and Senior A. We’re relying on the same guys, just trying to get the young fellas up to the pitch of it and it’s taking time.” 

Jason Hankard was a direct target close to goal. Declan Dalton roamed around and finished with eight points.

“Jason did his ACL last year in our second league game and we missed him massively. It took him a long time to get back into it. Confidence, I’d say is a huge thing when you get that bad injury and he was finding it hard to get the ball to stick. Today he could do no wrong - bar a real screamer when he thought he was going to be hooked!

“Declan delivered. I feel sorry for him, he’s after a tough year with Cork. 

People said to me when he’ll come back to the club, he’ll shoot the lights out. It is not as simple as that. Constantly training but no game time all year. 

“We only had him for one league game and we actually won that one against the Barrs. In the group games Tommy Walsh, Rob Downey and John Cashman marked him and you’re talking about three fair operators there. So we were hoping he would cut loose and that we would get a shift out of him, and we did. Billy Dunne too.

“Everybody did really well today.” 

Family affair

Not to mention the five Millerick brothers who lined out together.

“Tomás has been in London for a couple of years but he was around with us a lot this year. We had him back last year but we had him back more this year. He was injured the last day for the Glen game but he was phenomenal today. And Ger marked Shane (Kingston), and he finished with a great point.

“Paudie McMahon too, he’s given us savage service. We wanted to get him on the field and he got his point too.”