'Whether it’s as a player or manager, they’re all sweet' - Seanie Cahalane
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Castlehaven weren’t quite pressing the panic button at half-time, but manager Seanie Cahalane admitted they did ask the players to take it up a notch after they went to the dressing room 0-8 to 0-7 in arrears, albeit with the aid of the wind to come.
“We weren’t massively happy. I thought Nemo controlled a lot of the first half. Our intensity was lacking and we were unhappy with our general play,” he said.
“We were disappointed at that at half-time. We asked them the question at half-time and they stood up in the second-half. We upped our game and we seemed to adapt a bit better in the second half.”
Injury forced Damien Cahalane to be replaced at half-time, his brother Conor was introduced.
“Damien got a bit of a setback last weekend. We weren’t sure how he would fare but we said we would start him. He was struggling a small bit so we decided to make the change at half time.
“Conor came in, he is coming back from a long-term injury. We thought he wouldn’t have enough game time in him to last a full game so that is why we held him. He was outstanding in the second half, he gave us a great punch.
“Michael Hurley was carrying a small bit of an injury as well. He probably wasn’t happy with his own performances over the last couple of months. We knew 100 percent there was a big game in him and he brought that today.”
Their 0-16 to 0-11 win over great rivals Nemo ensured back-to-back titles, a feat the manager achieved as a player.
“I was fortunate enough to captain Castlehaven in 2012 and 2013, but it is all about Castlehaven and not any individual, and what the club can do.
“Whether it’s as a player or manager, they’re all sweet. You’ll always miss playing, there is no substitute to that but this is very enjoyable. They’re a great bunch of lads.
“James McCarthy put a good set up in place so it was easy for me to walk into it. They buy into it big time, I couldn’t speak highly enough of them.”
After going all the way to the All-Ireland club semi-final last season, Dr Crokes await in the Munster quarter-final on November 10.
“It will be a very tough game down in Crokes home pitch in Killarney, it will be difficult, we know that. But we will enjoy the next couple of days, we’ll reassess Wednesday or Thursday and take it from there.”
Mark Collins had the distinction of lifting the Andy Scannell Cup for the second time in as many years, and he collected his fourth senior medal.
“It’s unbelievable,” he said. “When I first came on the scene if you gave me one I would have bitten your hand off for it. To think whatever it is 16 years later to have four of them is just crazy. Never in my wildest dreams would I have believed it. They’re unbelievable days.
“I said it to our lads beforehand, especially to the younger lads, in 2013 we were playing in our third final in a row. I was only 23, Brian (Hurley) and Damien (Cahalane) were 21 and we thought we’d be knocking on the door every year whereas it took us ten years to get back. Roland Whelton was also there, he came on today.”
If the first half lacked bite, Castlehaven made up for it in the second half holding Nemo to one point from play.
“Finals are strange. Everyone’s afraid to make a mistake. It’s nervy. No matter how many times you’ve played in them, there’s a lot of pressure and no one wants to lose. In the first half, we played a bit like that whereas in the second half, we threw the shackles off and had a go and thankfully came out on top.”
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