Carrigaline have 'big belief' but must focus on first day out, insists Chris O'Herlihy
Their demotion to Senior A at the end of '23 came about after a replay loss to Mallow, but only a few months later, a Division 1 league crown was harvested by beating Nemo Rangers.
From there, the desire to get back up playing Premier Senior at the first opportunity was evident. And on they marched.
Their nail-biting dispatch of Kanturk on penalties in the semi-final gave them a shot at putting right what went wrong a year earlier, and they booked their immediate return to the top grade with a two-point win over Knocknagree in the decider.
"It was a very special year," said Carrigaline's Chris O'Herlihy. "We had a very good league campaign which set us up nicely for the senior A championship.
"It was a very tough competition as well, so we were just glad to get over the line there."
While - on paper - the league didn't go according to plan for the Carrigdhoun outfit in 2025, O'Herlihy insists some factors played into that. The integration of youth has been a positive aspect of the campaign, too.
Chris O'Herlihy, Carrigaline, at the McCarthy Insurance Group 2025 Cork Club Football Championship launch, at SuperValu Pairc Ui Chaoimh. Pic: Jim Coughlan.
"It was a tough league. We were down and few players and we had a few injuries along the way, but we definitely took a few learnings, and a lot of young players came through. We're happy with where we're at now."
O'Herlihy and his Michael Meaney-managed Carrigaline side won't have it easy on their mission to make an impression on their return to Premier Senior level. A group containing Carbery Rangers, Clonakilty and St Finbarr's awaits.
"We're going to try and build on last year, we have a very good test this weekend against Carbery (Rangers)," said defender O'Herlihy. "We'll just focus on that, hopefully get a result and push on from there.
"If you lose the first game, you're under serious pressure straight away. That's been our big focus really, the first game. All the team are very good, Carbery (Rangers) will be a very tough test."
Eyes fixed on an extended run into the latter stages of the competition? O'Herlihy insists they can't afford to take their vision off the here and now.
"We have big belief in ourselves, but we haven't been looking that far ahead. We're just focused on the group, focused on the first game. We'll move onto Clon from there."
The 2024 league final win was significant for the club as a whole, but particularly for one debutant. Cork senior footballer Brian O'Driscoll - having transferred from West Cork outfit Tadgh MacCarthaigh - made his Carrigaline bow that day. The West Cork native has had a major impact on the camp.
"He was huge for us last year, not just the way he was playing, but his professionalism and experience definitely added a lot to us.
"It was a huge help to us last year, competing in Senior A and getting over the line in the end, so it's great to have him," O'Herlihy concluded.
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