Imokilly's Paudie O’Sullivan: ‘It is not your club, but we are a seriously tight unit’
Paudie O’Sullivan knows what is being said about Imokilly.
You don’t need to tell him that there is little love for Cork’s back-to-back senior hurling champions.
The participation of colleges and divisions in the champions never seems to trouble anyone once Imokilly, UCC, and their likes are tripped up in the earlier rounds. It is only when a star-studded UCC outfit takes down Midleton, Sarsfields, and Erin’s Own, as has been the case over the past two seasons, or Imokilly comfortably retaining the Seán Óg Murphy Cup, that the rumblings and criticisms grow louder.
All told, it’s not that difficult to understand the viewpoint of those who see a certain level of unfairness in one senior club being pitted against the top hurlers from 10 different clubs (six of whom are premier intermediate), which is what occurred in Sunday’s decider.
Take it as a given that Cork U21 Declan Dalton and 2017 Cork minor Ger Millerick wouldn’t have been sitting on the bench were they wearing the Midleton colours at Páirc Uí Chaoimh at the weekend.
Imokilly had 10 points to spare at the end of Sunday’s contest, taking their average winning margin in 2018 to 11. Their respective winning margins stood at 18 (Muskerry), 18 (CIT), 11 (Bishopstown), one (Newcestown), 12 (UCC), and 10 (Midleton).
Three in a row would appear more probable than not.
O’Sullivan though is keen to stress the success which the East Cork barony is enjoying at present is cyclical.
After all, four years ago the amalgamation was unable to emerge from the colleges/division section of the competition.
We get a lot of doing from around the place, but we don’t buy into that. Divisions and colleges have been competing in the Cork SHC for as long as I remember. It would be a different story if we were after winning the last 10 in a row. All these things come in waves.
“There’ll be another team that’ll come along in two or three years and we’ll be saying then, ‘will they ever be beaten?’
“We’ll take it one game at a time [in 2019]. We don’t know what next year holds.”
Having endured county senior final heartache in the colours of his native Cloyne three times (2004-06), followed by their relegation to the premier intermediate ranks at the end of 2012, not to mind a horrific leg break in April of 2013, O’Sullivan was certain the boat had sailed on his chances of ever pocketing a Cork senior hurling medal. On Sunday, he struck 2-1 from play to pick up his second.
“When Cloyne got relegated out of senior, I didn’t envisage playing in another senior final, let alone winning one, let alone doing two in a row,” said O’Sullivan.
I just stuck at it. A good management was put in place in Imokilly and we built gradually. This team has been on the road together for three, four, five years. We were beaten in two quarter-finals. Luckily, we have been on the other side of it for the last two years.
“When the lads from Imokilly first called me, I was somewhat apprehensive. You are kinda saying, ‘is it worth it, what will I get out of it?’ Once you see the squad of players assembled and how serious we took it from day one, it is not your club, but it is as close as. We are a seriously tight unit. To get over the line with the lads is certainly special.”
The former Cork hurler said coming up short to neighbours Midleton wasn’t an option.
“A lot of our lads would have come up against Midleton at underage, would even have come up against Midleton’s second team. That probably added a bit extra for a few fellas, myself included. I certainly didn’t want to be going into Midleton for the next five, 10, however many years with them having beaten us in a county final.”
Meanwhile Cork GAA chiefs have fixed the second SFC semi-final replay between Castlehaven and Duhallow for Páirc Uí Rinn on Saturday night.
The game will throw in at 7.45pm.
