CARBERY Rangers are in must-win territory as they face St Finbarr’s in the McCarthy Insurance Group Premier SFC in Bandon this Sunday (4pm).
After a narrow 2-11 to 1-13 defeat to Carrigaline in Group 2, the Rosscarbery side now face a mammoth task against the league champions, a team that has contested seven of the last eight premier senior semi-finals.
The Barrs opened their campaign with a hard-fought 1-13 to 1-12 win against Clonakilty and will be determined to build on that momentum.
Given the results in the opening round of games, Ross boss Seamus Hayes knows how much is at stake this weekend.
‘You have to realise that it has added to the pressure. Sunday’s game is now a knockout game for us. We want to stay in the championship. That was our goal at the start of the year – to be involved in the knockout stages,’ Hayes told The Southern Star.
‘In order to do that, we do have to get a result against the Barrs. As a group, it’s a challenge that we are embracing. We’re looking forward to it. We drew a line under the Carrigaline game, did our analysis and tried to make improvements. We’ll try to take the game to the Barrs on Sunday. We know it will be a huge challenge.’
Losing to Carrigaline with a last-minute score was a tough blow for Rangers. However, with four weeks between fixtures, Hayes feels they have had ample time to regroup and reset.
‘We were disappointed to lose to Carrigaline in the manner that we did. We just took a few days to evaluate the game and identify the areas where we could improve. Fellas have really been chomping at the bit to get back on the pitch and try and make improvements, making sure we are ready,’ he explained.
On the injury front, Rangers will definitely be without Ciarán Santry (hamstring) for the Barrs clash. A number of others have picked up knocks in recent weeks, and the management are monitoring their fitness closely.
Hayes is under no illusions about the scale of the challenge St Finbarr’s present.
‘They beat us in a county semi-final in 2017 and have been there or thereabouts since then. You can rest assured that the Barrs will be up there in the latter stages of the championship. This is a challenge that the group is really looking to embrace,’ he said.
‘The acknowledgment is there that they have some unbelievable players – the likes of Steven Sherlock, Ian Maguire and other inter-county lads. All around they are a really strong team. It’s a big challenge, but not one we are going to stand back from,’ Hayes concluded.
