McNamara: We need that performance we’ve been asking for all year

KILWORTH will bring their own impressive brand of hurling to the Premier IHC Final this Saturday evening looking to take down title favourites Fr O’Neills for one of the most competitive titles in national intermediate club hurling.

Kilworth have come out on the wrong side of the last two championship meetings between the sides but their manager Damien McNamara feels that this game is a stand-alone fixture and all that went before matters little under lights this weekend.

“It is a massive day for the club,” McNamara told The Corkman this week. “Sure we have had a few big days in our history and the last big one like this was in 2011 but we have been working hard towards it slowly but surely - you still have to remember that it is only another game – we have to treat it as that.”

Recent history hasn’t favoured Kilworth in the clashes with O’Neills but McNamara is clear that counts for nothing this weekend.

“We have faced Fr O’Neills a few times in the last few years and it has been tough. We got a fair old trimming from them in Lisgoold a few years ago but last year it was a bit closer alright – they are a fair outfit alright.

“They are picking from premier minor and premier 21s over the last few years and they are now bearing the fruit of that but we will be looking at ourselves really and hoping to get a performance from ourselves and then the result will look after itself.”

Kilworth’s season has worked out well so far for the Avondhu men however the scheduling of fixtures in this competition has been challenging.

“There was a big lay-off after the Valley Rovers game and the big job for us was trying to manage that – we left them off for a while and brought them back a month out from the Carrigaline game – it was very hard to plan for that one as well as that game wasn’t set in stone either but it all worked out well for us and we got a good old win the last day against Inniscarra and we now find ourselves in the final.”

It is the job of every manager to deflect pressure from his team so it is no surprise to hear McNamara big up his opponents favouritism however few could disagree with his analysis that O’Neill’s are favourites.

“Without a shadow of a doubt they are favourites but as I said all we can do is concentrate on ourselves and can’t really control what we they are going to do. We just need that performance from our own lads – a performance we have been asking for all year and they have been backing up all year.

On the injury front Kilworth seem to have as close to a clean bill of health as one could hope for at this time of the year.

“We have one or two small issues alright. We are down Brian Sheehan and James McCarthy and while they are a big loss we have been missing them all year and have been managing away.”

Kilworth come into this one full of the joys of life and McNamara is happy with the attitude approaching the big day.

“Training has been going well since the Inniscarra game – it has been going well since before the Carrigaline game really – winning kind of breeds that – it is easier to go down training after a win so on that front we are really good.”

The PIHC final is a big event in Cork’s sporting calendar and the manager is delighted to be part of that – regardless of the venue and the timing of the game.

“We are willing to play anywhere. Some people might have different opinions on playing the county final under lights but we are happy to play it anywhere and under any conditions. We don’t get to too many of these so we are going to try and savour this occasion on Saturday night. The pitch in Pairc Uí Rinn, to be fair, is always good so we will be looking forward to that.

“This game is going to be a battle and we are going to have to be ready for that battle. What we have done beforehand won’t match up this Saturday. If we go in thinking that the performances we gave in the other matches will be enough then we will lose.”

The upcoming final has brought life to Kilworth and McNamara and his charges are delighted with the support they have received locally.

“It isn’t just since we got to the final that the support has been there. They have been really good to us over the last number of years – with this team and other teams down through the grades - so it is great to have them. We can only control what happens on the pitch and the fans look after it outside – it is really great to see the colours out around the place.”