Beara hopeful that they can jump the first hurdle

BEARA will be eager for a repeat of last year’s Cork SFC Colleges/Divisions first round victory when they face Seandún on Monday afternoon. 

The rural division overcame Avondhu in their 2018 championship opener but a gallant display wasn’t enough to prevent a second round loss to a star-studded CIT. A youthful Beara line-up performed admirably in both games and chairperson Jim Hanley is hoping positive momentum built from within the division will be enough to topple Seandún.

‘Beara will simply be looking to build on last year,’ Hanley told The Southern Star.

‘We were delighted to come away with a win on a very cold day against Avondhu in the opening round because that win set us up for the year. We were out against a very talented CIT team ten days later and gave them a run for it.

‘A couple of things and injuries went against us and we ended up being beaten by probably the better team. At the same time, we weren’t far off.’

It is not a stretch to state that Beara have the smallest pool of talent to select from when compared to the other divisions and colleges in their section. Last season’s performances against Avondhu and CIT should give plenty of hope heading into the 2019 campaign.

‘Essentially, Beara has only a handful of clubs to select from,’ Hanley said.

‘But when you actually delve into the available players, do you know what, there is a lot of quality there. It is that quality we want to bring out and try and get them playing together as a group. 

‘In terms of pulling on the famous red jersey, Beara football is bred into us from day one. Now, it is a matter of getting organised and getting that football out of us. You can’t flick a switch for it to happen overnight, it takes time.

‘There is a closeness within Beara that is not perhaps in other divisions. You take Carbery, that is a massive division stretching from Bandon to Mizen. In Beara we are that bit closer and that bit tighter. 

‘A win over Seandún would be fantastic but we have had many great battles with them over the years. We will relish that challenge and to get out of the colleges/divisions section would be amazing. Granted, that is an incredibly difficult thing to do especially with no back door. 

‘You win or you are out, old style championship. If we can win on Monday, then the whole summer opens up for us.’

Also on Monday, Muskerry meet Avondhu in Páirc Uí Rinn at 4.15pm and Duhallow play Imokilly in Páirc Uí Rinn at 6pm.

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