Cobh's football revival reaches biggest stage yet

The remarkable resurgence of Cobh football has brought the club to the brink of county honours once more, but selector Damien Byrne insists Sunday’s McCarthy Insurance Group Premier JFC final against Canovee represents not the culmination of a long-term plan, but an opportunity that simply must be grasped.

Cobh take on Canovee at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Sunday with throw-in at 2pm, having produced one of their most impressive displays of the season in their semi-final victory over St Nick's.

For Byrne, reaching the final is rewarding rather than surprising, particularly given the obstacles his side have had to overcome throughout the campaign.

“I wouldn't say we're ahead of ourselves,” Byrne explained.

“Every season has to be taken on its own merits. You can make plans for next year, but things can change very quickly through injuries, players travelling or lads becoming unavailable.

“If you looked at it on paper, our squad is probably weaker this year than last year. We've had long-term injuries and we've lost players, but younger fellas have come through and performed really well. They've helped make up for those absences.” 

The challenges faced by Cobh appear to have strengthened the resolve within the panel.

Cobh Wanderers’ achievements have captured the imagination locally and Byrne feels the positivity generated has filtered into the club.

“Absolutely, it has helped,” he said.

“That was a massive underdog story for them and I'd say it has fed into the thinking around the town. If it can be done in soccer, why can't it be done in Gaelic football as well?” 

Cobh's championship form has steadily improved as the season progressed, with Byrne pointing to an earlier league encounter with Kilmacabea as a key reference point for the standards required.

“That day against Kilmacabea was probably the benchmark for us,” he stated.

“The concentration levels were excellent. Any scores they got, they had to work really hard for them and we gave away very few frees.

“The first half against St Nick's reminded me of that. We were organised, disciplined and difficult to break down. If we can reproduce that level of performance, we'll always give ourselves a chance.” 

The selector has also noticed greater consistency from a panel that, in previous years, was heavily dependent on young players still learning their trade.

“One thing I've noticed is that the level of performance is more consistent now,” Byrne says.

“When players are very young, it's natural that you might get a brilliant performance one day and a quieter one the next. We're seeing far more consistency across the group now.” 

Regardless of Sunday's result, Byrne believes the progress made by Cobh is significant.

“We dropped back to Junior B and decided we were going to give football a proper go,” he said.

“I remember playing Glengarriff in Ballincollig and we only had 16 players available.

“Now we've three football teams. A few years ago that would have been unthinkable. Even with players unavailable this year, our second team was still competitive and that helps enormously because it improves training standards and gives you strength in depth.” 

Standing in Cobh’s way of glory, however, is a Canovee side many tipped from the outset to contest the decider.

“Everybody would have had Canovee down as one of the favourites from the beginning of the year,” Byrne acknowledged.

“If people were predicting finalists at the start of the season, Canovee would definitely have been one of the names mentioned.

“We know exactly how strong they are and we know the challenge that's ahead of us. But finals are there to be won and we're looking forward to it.”