Kieran Cronin: Canovee can draw belief from past heroes ahead of Clare trip

The celebrations have been well earned in Canovee since their Premier JFC triumph, but manager Kieran Cronin knows there is little time to dwell on it.

Just under a fortnight after the club's county championship success, Canovee begin their Munster Club JFC campaign with a quarter-final trip to Clare champions Parteen-Meelick on Saturday at 1.15pm.

While the county final victory brought relief as much as joy, Cronin believes the quick turnaround is exactly what his players would have wanted.

"Certainly the lads enjoyed themselves," Cronin says.

"It's a big relief at the end of it to get over the line, so they've thrown off the shackles in their celebrations and they've carried themselves very well. They celebrated well for a few days.

"If you keep winning in these competitions, you have a game every couple of weeks. It's laid out for you that way and I certainly don't mind it, and the players won't mind it either.

"We have a few knocks and niggles and maybe an injury or two after the county final. 

"But two weeks is fine. You can recover, get the bodies right again, get a few sessions done, prepare for your opposition and go again."

As Canovee prepare to represent Cork on the provincial stage, there is also a sense of history repeating itself.

The club famously embarked on a memorable Munster and All-Ireland journey under Mickey Ring in 2007 before ultimately capturing All-Ireland honours in 2008.

Cronin believes those achievements can provide inspiration for the current group.

"You have to tap into that tradition and what has gone before you," he said.

"The lads were very young at the time but they've seen the success and the joy it brought to the people of the parish and the community.

"Canovee are representing the county now as well as the club. We'll be tapping into a bit of that tradition and that journey before gives the lads belief that they can compete in this competition.

"It's hard to imagine another journey like that, but our focus has to be on the next game. All of our attention is on Parteen-Meelick."

The Clare champions arrive with an impressive reputation and plenty of attacking firepower.

"They have scored 20 goals in six championship games," the Canovee manager states. 

"They're very athletic, mobile and workmanlike. They have a few big threats around the pitch and certainly around the middle.

"Parteen-Meelick only came together as an amalgamated club in 2022 and they're a young, athletic side.

"They move the ball at speed, they transition quickly and they keep possession well. They definitely have their strengths."

While delighted with the county final victory, Cronin admits Canovee can still improve. Despite creating significantly more chances than opponents Cobh in the decider, he felt his side left scores behind them.

"We created plenty," he says. 

"We had 28 shots and scored 10 times, while Cobh had 18 shots. We'll certainly be narrowing our focus on shot selection and shot execution. 

"The breeze was a factor in some of them, obviously, but not all of them. That's certainly an area we'll be looking to improve on."