BANDON’S county hurling triumph is another feather in the cap of much-travelled coach Niall O’Halloran, writes Noel Horgan.

Since initially achieving county championship success with Bandon at premier intermediate level in 2016, the Ballinhassig native has worked the oracle at different levels for Éire Óg, Fr O’Neill’s and Lisgoold.

That he was recruited by Bandon again this year was something he didn’t expect, but he was delighted to come on board when he got the call.

‘I was doing nothing really, so once I got the opportunity to coach Bandon, I had no hesitation in taking it.

‘I told the players from the start I was very ambitious. I soon discovered they, and everyone within the club for that matter, was of the same mindset,’ O’Halloran revealed.

He said the game-plan against Aghada was to hit the ground running, mindful of how evenly matched the teams were when they met in a first-round tie this year.

‘After playing them up in Church Road, we knew Aghada were very strong, and how important it was to start well if we hoped to beat them again today,’ he explained.

‘I thought we played some outstanding hurling. It was as good a performance as we’ve produced all year, even if we tired a bit near the end, which was understandable after putting in such a massive effort.

‘After they got two late goals, we didn’t panic, we stuck to our principles, used the ball well and our defending was outstanding when the pressure came on in the closing stages.’

O’Halloran described it as a very sweet feeling to get the job done, adding he was particularly pleased for the players considering they went under narrowly to Aghabullogue in last year’s final.

Bandon captain Michael Cahalane agreed the win was especially satisfying after filling the runners-up slot in 2025, and enduring a few hard years before that.

‘We were at a very low ebb after being relegated from premier intermediate in 2023, but once Joe (Burke) and the lads became involved, they immediately steadied the ship.’

Cahalane won a county premier intermediate medal in 2016, and he was part of the Cork senior squad the following year when he scored the match-winning goal in a famous championship win against the odds over Tipperary in Thurles.

His promising inter-county career was derailed by injuries and other ailments, and he wasn’t involved on the club front for a few seasons either.

Luckily for Bandon, he was able to return to action, and there’s no disputing he has played a huge part in turning their fortunes around.

‘It’s come right for me in the last year or two, so I can’t complain,’ he said.

‘It’s a nice honour to captain the team today, but the most important thing is we won the game.

‘I thought we were very good for 50 to 55 minutes, but we always felt Aghada might come back at us.

‘That’s exactly what happened when they got the two goals towards the end, but, thankfully, we held out for the win, which I felt we fully deserved on the overall run of the play,’ concluded the 31-year-old Bandon stalwart.