KINGS OF THE CASTLE

THE Castlehaven class of 2026 has joined the illustrious group of 2010 as Carbery U21A football champions. That's fine company to keep. That crop in 2010 was special and included some of the club’s finest-ever footballers like Mark Collins and Brian Hurley. That Castlehaven had to wait 16 years to win this championship again points to its competitiveness. This is a hard one to win. There were also five final defeats since 2010. ‘Sixteen years is too long a wait for Castlehaven,’ manager Dinny Cahalane said, but the club’s hard work and approach have paid off. It points to a conveyor belt still producing talent – Micheál Maguire, Danny O'Donovan and Shane O’Connell have all played senior championship for Haven this season.

IMPRESSIVE IBANE

Conquering Carbery U21A hurling for the first time since 2022 was a sweet moment for Ibane Gaels, even more so when you consider that last November, following a recommendation from the Independent Teams Monitoring Committee, the Barryroe and Argideen Rangers amalgamation was told it could not join forces at U21 level for 2026. On appeal, Ibane got the green light. Now, they are Carbery hurling champions again. In hurling and football, Ibane have been a force these past five years, winning two Carbery U21A hurling finals, while losing the 2024 final. In U21A football, Ibane contested five finals in a row between 2021 and ’25, winning two (2022 and ’25). Also, considering there are only three U21A hurling teams in Carbery – Ibane, Newcestown and Bandon – it adds to the jeopardy more so than just having a straight final every season.

Ibane Gaels' Riley O'Donovan goes past Bandon's Gearoid Murphy during the Clona Milk U21 A HC final in Ballinascarthy. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

FAN-TASTIC SUPPORT

All the reports back from the U21A football final in Dunmanway agreed that an impressively large attendance added to the occasion as Castlehaven beat Clonakilty. Maybe that’s not a surprise considering the size of both clubs, but nonetheless it highlights the grá for the U21 championships. ‘Large crowd in Dunmanway, bigger than any junior game,’ one seasoned campaigner told us. ‘Big crowds all weekend,’ was the encouraging report from another. Given the U21 championships have been moved around the calendar in the last few years, that the finals, especially the football, pulled a large crowd highlights their importance here in Carbery.

CONSTANT TINKERING

Premier League-winning manager Claudio Ranieri earned the nickname ‘The Tinkerman’ because of, you guessed it, he constantly changed his starting lineups and tactics. Now, it seems in the GAA we have ‘The Tinkermen’ – our term of affection for those in Gaelic football's Expert Advisory Group (EAG) who want to trial yet more rule changes. Just when you think we’ve struck gold with Gaelic football after the best inter-county series in decades, the EAG have proposed nine changes that will be trialled in the upcoming third level Division 1 league. Instead of letting the game breathe, why the need to tinker with it again? Among the rules being trialled are a ban on fisted points unless the ball is in flight, limiting the number of consecutive handpasses allowable to three and a four-point goal.

RAISING THE BARR

On Sunday, we have a huge hurling clash in West Cork when Newcestown take on St Finbarr’s in a premier senior group game that both need to win for their own reasons – Newcestown can still qualify for the knockouts and also need to fend off a relegation play-off, while the Barrs also need a win to progress. Enniskeane is the venue for a clash with genuine jeopardy attached, and it’s not often we have a top-tier club hurling championship match of this magnitude in our region. Big names on the city team will add to the attraction. Hopefully, the crowd turns out, and Newcestown get the result they need.