NOEL Griffin believes Carbery’s players have shown exactly why the divisional team still matters – and why it has a future.

‘One thing I wondered before getting involved was whether the lads would have the time, and whether they actually wanted to play,’ says Griffin, in his first season as a selector with the Carbery footballers.

‘But there’s a huge tradition of representing Carbery in football and setting the standard, and that’s exactly what this group has done.

‘There’s great interest and there’s great talent.

‘The group we have is outstanding and hopefully they can keep it going into the next round.’

In Griffin’s native Clare, there are no divisional teams, but he appreciates their value – the opportunity for players in non-senior clubs to compete at the highest level.

But not every division has managed to maximise that opportunity.

Carbery, however, continue to push their divisional teams. Some seasons are better than others, like this current campaign – Gene O’Donovan’s men have won two games to set up a divisions/colleges preliminary quarter-final against UCC in Ovens on Sunday (3pm).

‘There’s been interest from nearly every club in Carbery and it doesn’t take much to get a spark going because of the history that’s there,’ says former Clare player Griffin, involved with St Oliver Plunkett’s footballers.

‘Haulie O’Sullivan, a selector now, was captain when Carbery won it back in the noughties, so it’s not that long ago.

‘We’re not getting ahead of ourselves because UCC is the next challenge, but if you get over that and you’re into a county quarter-final, you start getting a bit giddy about the possibilities.

‘If we won three good games in a row, the belief would really build. The talent is unquestionably there. It’s just about seeing how far this group can go. They’re not as connected as club teams, but they still fancy themselves against anyone and they’d give any club side a right battle.’

Carbery's Conor O'Neill gets away from Muskerry's Cillian O'Donovan.

So far, Carbery beat Duhallow (3-18 to 1-23), and then Muskerry (2-23 to 2-15) in the seeded section final to pick up some silverware on this journey. Confidence is growing. Belief too.

Players from Bantry Blues, Ilen Rovers, St Colum’s, Randal Óg, Kilmeen, Goleen, St James, Gabriel Rangers, St Mary’s, Kilmacabea, Barryroe, St Oliver Plunkett’s and Tadhg MacCarthaigh have featured in those two games – that’s 13 clubs, highlighting the collective effort across the division.

‘The commitment has been brilliant. You look at someone like Ruairí Deane. He loses a huge game with Cork against Mayo and then, a few days later, he walks into the dressing room with Carbery for our game against Duhallow,’ Griffin points out.

‘He owes nobody anything. He could easily have taken the week off, got a rest and focused on the club, but instead he turns up, he’s positive, he leads by example on the pitch and he’s brilliant around the dressing room.

‘When you see fellas like Ruairí, Damien Gore, Ryan O’Donovan, Olan O’Donovan, Olan Corcoran, Ian Jennings who was there the very first night in Dunmanway, Aaron Hayes from Ardfield, and the rest showing that kind of commitment, it makes everyone else want to follow.

‘The players have taken on a lot of leadership themselves, and that makes the job a whole lot easier. When you have leaders inside the dressing room as well as outside it, you end up with a better team and a better group.’

Those wins over Duhallow and Muskerry suggest Carbery are moving in the right direction, but UCC will provide another significant test.

The nature of divisional teams means there’s an uncertainty too as players have been in action with their clubs, but Griffin feels Carbery is trending upwards.

‘It does create momentum. The Duhallow performance was probably the most pleasing because, with the position we were in five minutes from the end, we should have won it comfortably enough. That gave us a lot of confidence going into the Muskerry game,’ he says.

‘I actually thought the performance was better again against Muskerry, even with the changes, because you never know from week to week who you’ll have with injuries, availability or holidays.

‘The games are bringing fellas on all the time. They help build connections within the group and we’ve been fortunate to get two good performances.’

The full-forward line of the O’Donovan cousins and Damian Gore has serious firepower. Together, they’ve racked up 3-28 in two games – Gore (1-13, four two-pointers), Ryan O’Donovan (0-12, three two-pointers) and Olan O’Donovan (2-3). Add in Olan Corcoran (0-7) and Ruairí Deane (2-0), and you get a sense of Carbery’s power.

To reach the premier senior football quarter-finals, they need to produce even more against UCC.

‘UCC will provide a test, but you can only control what you can control. You can’t worry about who they have or who they don’t have.

‘You’d hope the lads can be consistent because I think they will be. They’re going into their own club championships as well, but there’s an eagerness there to keep the Carbery run going too.

‘If we can produce the same type of performance again, maybe five or six percent better, that’s all you can really ask. There’s always room for improvement.’