Mike Tim: ‘It was a kind of rollercoaster of emotion’
TRALEE CBS manager, Mike Tim O’Sullivan was ultimately just glad to get over the line, given the challenge he anticipated that Rathmore would provide.
“It was a game, a kind of rollercoaster of emotion, it was a kind of game which was in the melting pot really, but look, to be honest, [it’s] a semi-final, we were just happy to come out with a win.
“We were under no illusions as to how good a team Rathmore are, and they put us to the pin of our collar today, but look from our point of view we are just happy to be in a Corn Uí Mhuirí final again.
“We always knew there was going to be a kick in Rathmore, they had the breeze in the second half. Now, in saying that a breeze doesn’t win a game for you, but it’s a help. What was unfortunate for us was the black card, they kind of made hay while they could.
“It was a huge turning point in the game. We knew with the conditioning we had that we would be able to kick on in extra time. That bit of experience, we have a lot of fellows who were with the Kerry minors the last couple of years and are currently with the Kerry minors and the condition they are in is fantastic.
“This year we brought on board Alan Duggan for strength and conditioning and the work he is doing with the lads is fantastic. Every little helps, so I felt in extra time that there was more in the lads and it paid dividends for us.
“That’s one of the big things we have this year, over other years, is that we have a lot of finishers on the subs to come in and do a job for us. We are in a good position at the moment, we are
[also] in the Frewen semi-final, we won the Under 15 [Munster title] as well, there’s huge work being put in by all members in the Sports Department in our school. [But], we have often been in this position, whereas three weeks down the line you might be after winning neither, so, you wouldn’t be [getting] carried away.”
Rathmore Manager David McCarthy was extremely magnanimous in defeat, but was equally proud of the efforts by a tremendous group of players.
“It’s very raw at the moment, look we are gutted, we knew we were underdogs coming in, but we came here to win and we were hoping to be in a Corn Ui Mhuiri final, but they’re a serious outfit. They were the better team on the day and they deserved to win the game.
“We could have won it, we didn’t, that’s football, and best of luck to them in the final. We definitely could have stolen it, we probably didn’t do enough in the first half, we did get into the game in the second half, we definitely dominated the second half, the character was absolutely massive, it was incredible to see how we done and how close we came.
“We just didn’t get over the line today, but, it was a massive performance from the lads from half time to bring it back. We had three under 16s starting today, you could see the depth [they had], it’s a big strong school, and, they have fifteen Corn Ui Mhuirí titles for a reason.
“We owe an awful lot [to our players], we had some brilliant days out, but these players are absolutely incredible and their clubs should have an awful lot to look forward to in the future. I think it will be very tight [the final].
“The Green are very physical. It’s a tough one to call, The Sem are The Sem, they are the kingpins of the Corn Uí Mhuiri, but just based on what I saw today by The Green and how powerful they were I would be edging towards The
Green.”