Nemo Rangers experience so crucial in Cork’s own super 8

We’re down to the last eight in the Cork senior football championship. It is familiar territory for most of the teams in action this weekend, but not all.

Nemo Rangers experience so crucial in Cork’s own super 8

We’re down to the last eight in the Cork senior football championship. It is familiar territory for most of the teams in action this weekend, but not all.

The first of the weekend’s quarter-finals pits together last year’s beaten finalists, St Finbarr’s and Douglas.

The latter are appearing at this stage for the first time since 2013 and of the eight still in the hunt for the Andy Scannell Cup, it’s Douglas who have been away from the quarters longest. Indeed many of Mick Evans’ panel have never featured in a county football quarter-final.

Taking a look at the last 10 campaigns (2008-17), it is Nemo Rangers, to no great surprise, who have been the most frequent visitors to the quarter-final stage.

Since 2008, the Trabeg club have been quarter-finalists nine times. 2012 was the sole year in this period where they failed to come through the early rounds.

From those nine quarter-finals, they’ve won seven. They haven’t fell up at this particular hurdle since 2011. That’s not great news for their opponents in Dunmanway tomorrow, Castlehaven.

Not far behind Nemo are Micheál O’Sullivan’s Carbery Rangers, who tomorrow contest the club’s ninth quarter-final in a row.

It’s been largely the same team who have marched the club to the closing stages of the championship each autumn. From their eight most recent attempts, they’ve advanced to the semis on all but one occasion — 2013.

Their opponents in Dunmanway, Clonakilty, are making their first quarter-final bow since 2014. Who had their number that particular day? The men from Rosscarbery.

John Hayes was Carbery Rangers’ top scorer in Enniskeane four years ago and it was the former Cork senior who led the line in superb fashion against Ballincollig a fortnight ago. Young Darragh Hayes gave an indication of the talent that is coming through two weeks ago, but the manager knows how fortunate he is to still be able to call on the men who have given such exceptional service to the Rosscarbery club, stretching back into the middle of the last decade.

“There’s a lot of talent in Ross but a lot of it is very young. It’s going to take a while to develop physically and get to the standard of senior. We’re lucky to have the experienced fellas to show them the way,” said O’Sullivan.

Their West Cork opponents have been quarter-finalists four times in the period we’re throwing a spotlight over, but haven’t made the last four since 2010.

Castlehaven, who are charged with bringing a halt to Nemo’s search for a 21st crown, are regulars at this stop on the road.

Like Carbery Rangers, Castlehaven have reached the quarters on eight occasions in the last 10 seasons. They’ve had four wins and four defeats, their most recent victory coming three years ago.

Manager Liam Collins knows that gap will extend to four if they don’t deliver a top-drawer display.

“Nemo are the best team in the county. If you want to beat them, you have to be at your best,” said Collins.

The second game in this evening’s double-header at Páirc Uí Rinn brings together Valley Rovers and Duhallow. Valleys were quarter-finalists in 2016 and 2017, lost both. Each time it was a divisional outfit who marked their card.

Duhallow were here in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016, and 2017. Four of those ended in progression to the penultimate round.

Mind you, what normally benefits the divisional side is a run of games after the summer break concludes, which allows them to build momentum as they move closer to the summit.

On this occasion, however, Duhallow have had only one game since a six-month layoff. Manager Padraig Kearns admitted after beating St Nick’s that it was next to near impossible to keep the show on the road during this time.

Leaving aside Clon and Douglas, the other six clubs were all still alive when this round swung into action last year and in 2016.

The experience built up will have significant bearing on who’s left standing tomorrow evening.

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