CASTLEHAVEN’S 16-year wait to be crowned U21A football kings of Carbery is over. Judging by the celebrations in Dunmanway on Sunday, the Haven will enjoy this one.

For a club that has such high standards, wearing this Carbery crown once more feels like an important moment. Dinny Cahalane agrees, pointing out that Gaelic football is a passion for the people in Union Hall and Castletownshend.

‘Football is like a religion in Castlehaven. Always has been,’ Haven U21 manager Cahalane told The Southern Star.

‘All these lads are training with the likes of Mark Collins and Conor Cahalane. Even the minor lads come in training with the seniors and it’s great for them to be training with the younger players. It gives the youngsters a boost as well and keeps the older lads on their toes.

‘Winning this title is a huge boost for the club. The U21 is a great competition and this year, the Carbery board drove it on – they made a big spectacle of the final with the parade and everything. There was a huge crowd here and probably one that hasn’t been seen in years at this grade.

‘We didn’t win this for 16 years. Mark Collins, Roland Whelton, Damien Cahalane, they were all in that team and they won a few county seniors after. So, it does boost the senior team going forward.

‘A lot of the U21s are playing senior in the next couple of years. The minor lads coming through will be senior next year. This is great for the club.’

Michael Farr (right) presents the Liam Farr Cup to Castlehaven captain Micheál Maguire. Included are Carbery Board chairman David Whyte and Clara Crowley of Clóna Milk, sponsors. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

Captain and man-of-the-match Micheál Maguire scored 1-2 and was the orchestrator of the Haven attack. He led by example, but Cahalane was quick to hail the team effort in this one-point win against Clonakilty.

‘Micheál is a great leader but one man doesn’t win it,’ the Haven boss added.

‘There were lads around him. There’s young Niall O’Callaghan there who is still a minor playing midfield. You had James Maguire, Seán Maguire, Danny O’Donovan. They’re all young lads and all underage again next year. One man doesn’t win it even though Micheál is outstanding.’

The Carbery final was end to end throughout and impossible to call at times.

The Castlehaven U21 management team; from left, Brendan Deasy, Roland Whelton, Paudie Hurley, manager Dinny Cahalane, Brian Collins and John McGuckin. (Photo: Castlehaven GAA)

Aside from the long wait for a West Cork title, to win such a titanic clash made it all the sweeter.

‘It was a great spectacle for the neutral. It went down to the wire and could have gone either way in the end. For our corner back (Donal O’Callaghan) to come up the field and get the winning point, it shows you how tight it was,’ Cahalane said.

‘I knew that it was going to be tight in the second half. We got our goal in the second half straight after theirs. That was great for us because if we kicked a few wides after that, Clon were up three points and we could have lost the game.

‘It was carnage at the end. There were a lot of tired bodies at that stage. The amount of running they’ve done out there was incredible. We had two lads cramping up. They had a couple of lads cramping up.

‘This is a great rivalry between the two clubs left on the pitch. I knew a few of their management and was talking to a few of them there on the sideline. Good friends that I played against and talked to. It was a great spectacle for the neutral out there. The football that was played there was outstanding.’