by Damian Lawlor

Iain Cooney has had a little time to sit back and take it all in.

A 13-year wait for a Harty Cup title. It was a long innings, though the stretch never weighed heavily on their shoulders, the Midleton CBS manager reckons, not even after a crushing defeat in last year’s decider.

“Not really been a burden,” he says. “Every year we had fresh players in and we all looked at the challenge for the year ahead and worked hard to get there. The goal at the start of every term was to win the Harty Cup but it was enjoyable seeing our lads develop along the way too.

“I guess there is disappointment, though, that so many good young hurlers – the likes of Conor Lehane – passed through the school and never won the cup with us, but I would say those guys got a great buzz out of our win last weekend and we never forget the effort they put in when they were here either.”

Last Saturday’s Harty final between CBS and CBC Cork was a most special one.

A crowd of 7,089 – almost 3,000 more than the attendance for the Cork and Clare Allianz Hurling League clash a few hours later at the same venue - crammed into a packed Páirc Uí Rinn to witness an exciting and intriguing all-Cork decider. The game ebbed and flowed before eventually swinging in the direction of CBS only after the poaching of two crucial goals.

It was a first final for CBS in 101 years, but Midleton had little time for sentiment having had to wait some time for their own success, and six points from Ryan McCarthy and four from Ross O’Regan eventually helped see them through.

For the management team, comprising of Cooney, Brian O’Callaghan and James Mulcahy, it was the culmination of a beautiful obsession. Last year they were beaten by Ardscoil Ris in the 2018 Harty decider but just a few weeks later the coaching team sat down again to plot out a way back for their side.

They only had a quarter of the ’18 team available and were rank outsiders at the start of their own season, but their strategy came together and, ironically, they managed to get over the line when least expected.

“It’s a little bit emotional now,” Cooney says, two days after the event. “I think we were 25/1 to win the cup at the start of the year and would have been rated only the third strongest team in Cork.

“We brought on a big crew from last year’s Dean Ryan panel and merged them with the older guys at the age limit went out to under-19. A lot of the fellas wouldn’t have played as a team unit beforehand and we needed to gel them all together.

“It became an obsession. Every lunchtime we would meet as a management and see what was next in terms of training or tactics or planning. We were wary that some of the lads had been playing under-21 with their clubs right up to Christmas and we weren’t heavy on them.

“We could see the merit in a 45-minute stretching or conditioning session rather than a 90-minute session full of running.

“We listened to the lads. The Saturday before the final the boys told us they wanted to study so we opened up the hall for them and had a supervised study session and we were delighted to do that.

“Their academic work is so important and we have had to balance all of that as well.” Cooney can see a clear link between his students hurling prowess and their academic ability.

“Even teaching some of the lads, the classroom runs smoother because we have a relationship and trust built up,” he says.

“I would feel that hurling and playing to a high level has helped the lads in the classroom too. A lot of the fellas are excelling in both areas and that’s huge to see.”

He’ll allow himself and the team a little time to reflect but then it’s straight into the Masita GAA All-Ireland Post Primary series.

“We have a horrible draw,” he says.  “We either play Colaiste Eoin, who are on a roll, or St Kieran’s, who are on a roll since the start of the Century!”

“But look we won’t get too high or low and we will just focus on ourselves, like we always have.”

No matter what happens in the upcoming Masita series the future of Midleton CBS looks assured. There’s a waiting list for enrollments and such was the demand in first year last term that they decided to field three under-12 teams.

Drawing mainly from the local town and nearby parishes and clubs like Kiltha Óg, Killeagh, Aghada and Lisgoold, Cooney says the three teams are mixed up and progress and development is rewarded by a move up the ranks.

“Yeah, those three first-year teams are going well, and we have had 70 to 80 first years, out playing hurling at lunchtime,” the CBS manager adds. 

“The school is approaching nearly 900 students, a good chunk of whom want to play hurling. You are going to have strong panels over the next few years, please God. It is just about development and getting them as many games as possible.”

Surely all this work will pay off in the years ahead for Cork as a unit?

“Well, all we can do is offer them the chance to play hurling,” Cooney says.

“We have a lot to take on here, between financing the thing and coaching and a lot of our lads go onto Cork Celtic Challenge and Development Squad panels so hopefully we are doing our bit,

“But we like to see the lads develop as people and men as well – that’s a big part of what we are about here.”

It’s been some journey so far but it’s nowhere near over yet. The magnificent obsession continues.

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