Premier JFC: Canovee remember the late Rita O'Brien as an inspiration behind county title

In reaching the McCarthy Insurance Group Premier JFC final, Canovee had not allowed a goal and the most conceded in any of their four games had been ten points.

Maintaining that pattern against a Cobh side that had scored 3-21 in their semi-final win over St Nicholas would go a long way towards claiming the title and so it proved, to the delight of manager Kieran Cronin.

“I suppose it doesn't matter what way you get over the line, we got over by a point,” he said.

“It wasn't a game for the purists, that was a tricky wind for both teams, so it definitely brought down our shooting efficiency.

“We had to work very, very hard for scores but at the end of the day our defence, our structure, to keep another team to nine points, that has been excellent all year and I think when push came to shove, yeah, we kept them out when the need was greatest.”

Having played against the stiff breeze in the first half, Canovee only trailed by one point, 0-6 to 0-5. It was a situation that Cronin was satisfied with, albeit with the knowledge that improvement would needed.

“You would be happy with the way the game was panning out,” he said.

“There was a breeze to play with, but I certainly wasn't happy with maybe the energy and the workrate and the chemistry up front.

“We certainly had to talk about that, the shot-selection and things like that. But look, a day like today, the pressure that's on these lads to get over the line, you're trying as much to take all the pressure away from them."

“Cobh threw everything at it, as I thought they would. I said to the boys in the dressing room, I said, look, don't be surprised if this game is 10-8 or a 9-8, with the wind and the conditions and the pressure and look, that's the way it transpired.

“Thank God we got over the line.”

That they managed that surely owed something to heavenly guidance. Last week, Rita O’Brien, the former principal of Canovee NS, passed away – many of the panel attended the school and Rita’s son Johnny had been manager immediately before Cronin, who paid tribute.

“I was at the funeral during the week, a tough week for the O'Brien family,” he said.

“Rita O'Brien was the principal of the school and schooled these lads and definitely an influence on a lot of young lads that came through that school.

“Her son Johnny, who I coached a few years ago when I was with Canovee and he in turn took over the management, he did great work with his management team over a good few years and won the junior A, so our thoughts are with the O'Brien family.”

And of course Canovee's season will continue into an AIB Munster Club JFC campaign.

“We'll have to enjoy tonight first anyway and then look at that after!” Cronin laughed.

“Certainly, you get over the line, you'd hope that you can throw off the shackles a bit into a Munster campaign and we'll certainly be turning our attention to that, because there is a road ahead.

“We'll be knuckling down after a day or two of celebrating this because a lot of work and a lot of energy and a lot of time goes into this.

“People mightn't realise it, wives and girlfriends and family and kids being disrupted all over the place but we’ll certainly enjoy this one tonight.”