The future looks bright says Barry-Murphy despite final defeat
THEIR progress to the county intermediate final in their first year up from junior was a noteworthy achievement, but it provided little in the way of comfort for Cloughduv following their loss to Blackrock, according to selector Tim Barry-Murphy.
While accepting the club is going through a rewarding period at the moment, he stressed how disappointing it is that things didn’t go according to plan last Saturday in Páirc Uí Rinn.
“When you get to a county final, you don’t just want to be part of the occasion, you want to win it, and, regardless of how well the campaign has gone beforehand, it’s a very painful experience when you are beaten,” he remarked.
“Winning Cork and Munster junior titles last year, and winning the Mid-Cork junior championship again with our second team this year, you’d have to say the future looks bright.
“The bulk of our intermediate side is made up of young talent, so we’d like to think we have plenty to build on over the next few years, but, as I’ve said, it’s hard to be thinking positively in the immediate aftermath of a county final defeat,” insisted the Cloughduv mentor.
Barry-Murphy agreed there might have been a different outcome if Cloughduv hadn’t missed two penalties, but, in saying that, he refused to take anything away from Blackrock’s success.
“It would have been a great boost to us if we got a goal from the first penalty nearing half-time, but there was still an upbeat mood in the dressing room at the break,” he revealed.
“The feeling was that we hadn’t played particularly well, yet we were just a point behind, so the heads were up and we were ready to go into what we expected to be a tough battle in the second half.
“We knew we were going to be there-or-thereabouts after we went a point up at the three-quarter stage, and we were hoping to kick on from there, but Blackrock, to their credit, came back at us.
“I suppose they were physically stronger than us around the middle, and they began to win a lot of tussles there, which was a big factor in turning the game around. After they went four points up, our lads continued to give it everything, and it’s testimony to their character that they kept battling away to the end.
“That’s a great sign of a team, but it’s no more than we expected, because these guys have proven themselves time and time again over the past eighteen months.”
Barry-Murphy didn’t dispute that the Cloughduv forwards have had better days, admitting that to get three penalties in a match and to convert just one is hugely frustrating.
“But that’s the way it can go sometimes, and on another day you could find the net with all of them, so we have no intention of blaming anyone for what happened today.
“We missed other chances as well, and Brian (Verling) was unlucky with his first penalty in that it just went on the wrong side of the posts.
“His second one was saved by the Blackrock goalie, but Brian has got some great scores and given some outstanding displays for us over the last few years, and I’m in no doubt he’ll have great days in the Cloughduv colours again.”