| |||
 John Horhan - Cloyne The Evening Echo | |||
|
John Horgan reports on the Evening Echo County Senior Hurling Final
THE best full-back in the country does not play there for his club,
there’s no need to, the berth is more than adequately filled by another
defensive giant.
That’s the scenario in Cloyne and has been so for quite a while now.
Diarmuid O’Sullivan plays in the half-back line, sometimes on the wing,
sometimes in the centre, Killian Cronin stands on the edge of the
square.
In fact if it wasn’t for O’Sullivan’s extraordinary prowess as a
full-back, Cronin might easily have a few Celtic Crosses in his back pocket now.
Generally regarded as one of the best club number threes in the county,
next Sunday represents another huge day in a hurling career that has
blossomed over the past few years as Cloyne have mounted a massive challenge to
become one of Cork’s leading lights.
The final frontier has yet to be crossed. They went close last year but
in the end they hadn’t the sufficient firepower to deny Na Piarsaigh.
Now they are back again and determined to travel that extra mile on
their redemption road.
Like most Cloyne hurlers, Cronin came up through the ranks under the
guidance of local school headmaster Michael O’Brien and his debt to him
can only be repaid by turning up at his door next Sunday night with Sean Og
Murphy under his arm.
“That’s where it all started under Michael’s guidance. He developed us
all as hurlers and really started the whole thing off.
“A lot of us won Sciath Na Scol’s, under-12 championships, East Cork’s
and a county and it was all down to him.
“I was actually captain the year we won the under-12 East Cork and
county.
We won the mini sevens and myself and Conor Cusack went to Croke Park
and he was with us nearly all the way up to under-16.’’
While most youngfellows would, if given a choice, have opted for the
more glamorous role of an attacker, Cronin has been battening down the
hatches in defence right throughout his career.
“I was nearly always a back although one year I was sent up full-forward
at under-16.
“Maybe in Cloyne there’s too many backs but that’s the way it has been.
Of course my job now as a full-back is made that bit easier by having Donal
Og behind you.
“You could not be more happier playing in front of him. We wouldn’t do
that much talking though, he knows my moves and I know his and we have
developed a very good understanding.
“We have been together now in defence for the best part of ten years
and I suppose after that length of time you should have a good understanding
with each other.’’
Prior to last year’s final against Na Piarsaigh there was a widely held
belief that Cloyne’s great passion, their desire for that first ever
title would get them over the gain line but on the day their underachievement
surprised many, what happened ?
“Last year was very disappointing. A lot of people asked me was it
nerves but I certainly wasn’t nervous.
“In the first ten minutes three balls hit my hand and fell out of it and
on a normal day that wouldn’t happen.
“Maybe it was a new thing to us, our first final and there was pressure
on some fellows. Hopefully, we have learned from that day and we can make
up for it now on Sunday.
“It was a big experience and maybe it got to us a bit but we have put
it behind us and there’s a fierce desire to put it right now.’’
“There was great devastation afterwards last year but we stayed
together, got over it between us.
“We are good that way, a band of brothers you could say’’.
This year it’s been a mixture of the very good mixed with one
indifferent performance that almost saw their bid derailed.
Easy wins over Blackrock, Carbery and Sarsfields was followed by a
frenetic encounter that went to the wire against UCC, how has he viewed the
campaign thus far ?.
“We certainly did not expect some of the games to be that easy. I must
say it surprised us that we won those games with Blackrock and Sars so
convincingly but we just about got there against UCC.
“But they were a quality team and it took our fitness and our work
during the year to get over them.
“I think that game will stand to us and we needed one like that. It was
a very tight corner but we managed to get around it.
“Hopefully, that’s the bad game out of the system now. You could say it
was a bad one but you must remember we were playing a very good team. In
parts of the field we did not play up to scratch but it’s not too often you
come up against the calibre of player that they had.’’
Now it’s a tried and trusted Newtown team coming out of the opposition
corner, a team that has been there and done that. It goes without
saying that this is the acid test for a team that some might suggest would find
it very difficult to get back up the ladder again.
“We beat them last year but I think they are a far more focused side
now.
Last year they had won the All Ireland and it might not have been easy
to get yourself back up to the level.
“Anytime we play them there is never anything between us. A lot of
things can happen on the day, a lot of things can go wrong and I would say that
we’ll have to improve 50% to beat them.”
“We’ll have to up our game in the half-forward line but there is a huge
hunger there among us and the effort over the past three or four years
has been massive.
“There’s been so much time put into training, meetings etc and things
like the people at home suffer.
“There’s great credit due to them too. I am lucky that Siobhan (wife)
gives me great support. We have one boy Daniel and it’s a huge hurling home.
Will they win on Sunday ? “I think we will, it’s 50/50 really but my
heart tells me we will.
“ I think our hunger, our want for it, the pain of losing last year
will all combine . “There will only be a puck of a ball in it though I think
and they want it equally as much as we do.’’
| ||
www.newtownshandrum.com | |||