Nemo captain O'Donovan lauds teammates' penalty prowess

For Alan O'Donovan and Nemo, attention now turns to 2024 surprise-package Mallow.

As Nemo captain, Alan O’Donovan wasn’t prepared to shirk responsibility.

When the collective ask came after extra-time delivered no separation, he said he’d take a penalty. But the midfielder quickly added a caveat. He stressed there were definitely five better options than him.

Turns out he was right.

At the end of training the week before their county quarter-final against Clon, Nemo devoted time to penalty-taking.

Those who reckoned they’d be still on the pitch after 80 minutes and would then be comfortable stepping forward knocked about with ‘keeper Micheál Aodh Martin.

The spot of practicing stood them well. All five Nemo takers nailed their penalty.

Conor Horgan, Mark Cronin, Paul Kerrigan, full-back Briain Murphy, and county U20 Ross Corkery beat former Cork No.1 Mark White to move Nemo a step further in the championship.

“In fairness to our lads, a couple of them would have played a bit of soccer and we were confident when they were going up that they were going to get them,” O’Donovan said of Nemo’s 5-4 shootout win.

“They were fairly cool getting ready for it and then when you have Micheál in goal, you’d be confident that he’d get his hand to one or two, and he did that.”

The outstanding spot kick belonged to Paul Kerrigan. No elaborate or prolonged run-up. The 37-year-old just nonchalantly directed his penalty into the top right corner.

“He does that in training as well. Before training, he does them a lot and puts them all in the top corner.

“I’d probably still fancy him to kick them when he’s 68. He’s got a fair boot on him.”

Moving on to Mallow. Unfamiliarity abounds. If St Finbarr’s and Castlehaven are sick of the semi-final sight of each other, Mallow and Nemo are total strangers.

They don’t even have league meetings to go on given Nemo operate two tiers higher.

As impressive proof as any of the aforementioned Kerrigan’s longevity is that he was on the scoresheet when Nemo and Mallow last ran into each other in championship. That was 18 years ago in 2006.

Nemo won 2-11 to 0-3. Mallow were relegated a few months later.

“For the most part, it’s a new team to be coming across. They are where they are and if we want to be in the final, we’ll have to be at our best,” O’Donovan continued.

“They’ve taken a couple of big scalps along the way and with the players they have around the pitch, if you’re not at your best, they’re going to beat you.”

Victory over the championship’s surprise package gets them into a fifth final in six years and a seventh in 10 years.

Victory gives them the opportunity to atone for last year’s very un-Nemo-like county final performance.

“You were disappointed to lose, but plenty of times we’ve won games and won finals not playing our best. You just have to take it on the chin, sometimes you don’t play well, but you just get on with it,” said the Process engineer with Thermo Fisher in Ringaskiddy.

“There are players trying to win their first county final and I always feel that it’s a first county medal for everyone – it’s the most important one, it’s the one in front of you and you want to get back to a final.

“There are new lads into the panel, they’ve freshened things up and they’re enthusiastic, fellas who enjoy training and who enjoy playing.

"Every year is a new one and I don’t think last year was any worse just because I was captain.”