Colin Walsh believes long-awaited knockout football win has given Kanturk fresh momentum

Kanturk forward Colin Walsh says the group are embracing the “business end” of the season as they prepare for Sunday’s McCarthy Insurance Group SAFC semi-final against Carbery Rangers in Macroom (4pm).

It has already been a long campaign for the dual outfit, but Walsh insists the mood remains fresh. The Kanturk hurlers lost their Premier SHC semi-final against St Finbarr's last Sunday. It was a mighty season for them, though. 

The dual load is always a talking point in Kanturk. 

“Winning is just a habit,” he says.

“When we start winning and go to training on a Tuesday, there’s a massive buzz. They kind of bounce off one another.

“If we have a good win in the hurling, you come into football training and you’re buzzing, looking forward to it straight away. There’s freshness because there’s always something new coming, new challenges. We’re really happy with how it’s going in terms of managing both codes.” 

Numbers have never been huge in Kanturk, but Walsh believes that has actually strengthened the bond. 

“We’re not blessed with huge numbers, but that’s a positive,” he said.

“We’re used to those kind of numbers. Everyone is bouncing off each other. There’s a massive buzz in training. Everybody wants to be down there, everybody wants to be training, and that makes a massive difference.

“We’re all so close. We see each other so much throughout the week. There’s a massive connection within the group. We’re all best friends on and off the field. It’s massive, and it’s probably helped us a lot this year.” 

Kanturk’s football journey has been defined by tight knockout losses in recent seasons, including last year’s quarter-final defeat to the eventual champions Knocknagree.

They also lost to the eventual winners in 2023 and 2024 — Newcestown and Carrigaline — at the quarter-final and semi-final juncture respectively.

“It has been tough not getting over the line,” he states.

“We’ve had some massive games the last few years. Beating Kilshannig last day out was our first knockout win in football since 2022, so that was a big step for us.

“We just want to keep it going. We know the next day is going to be another massive task, but we’ll take it one day at a time.” 

Carbery Rangers, relegated from Premier Senior last year, represent a formidable semi-final hurdle. Walsh is under no illusions about the scale of the challenge.

“They’re a savage team,” he says.

“The history of the club, the threats they have all over the field — we’ll have to be on top of our game to get anywhere near them. Hopefully our experience of the last few years can help us.

“In ways we can look back on them. Every game takes a life of its own, but we’ve been there and seen it all — extra time, whatever it is. Not good experiences unfortunately, but experiences all the same. Hopefully it’ll help."