Sean O’Flynn relishing the chance to lead Courtwood into historic County Final

Courtwood are preparing to make history as they line out in their first-ever Laois SFC final this Sunday, and captain Sean O’Flynn has been reflecting on the journey that has brought the club to this momentous occasion.

The excitement that has swept through the parish since their semi-final victory has been palpable. O’Flynn described the pride felt by the community as the club prepares for the biggest game in its history.

“It's been incredible. Obviously, as you said, it's the first time we've ever got this far. It's a community-driven area, so it's just surreal. Everyone's still ecstatic back home,” he said.

Looking back at the decisive moment in their semi-final win, O’Flynn recalled the final whistle and the surge of emotion that followed.

“We were hoping for it after the 10th minute when we got the goal, we were ahead, we wanted it over, blow the whistle, get us into the final. Look to be fair to Joseph’s, they battled away and they had their chances, so it just made it all the sweeter when the whistle did go, and you saw the crowd running in like they did,” he remembered.

Courtwood’s path to the final has been challenging, with victories over O’Dempsey’s, Portlaoise, and St Joseph’s shaping a resilient squad.

“The biggest hurdle is yet to come. Port have been the trendsetters for the last half a decade, but it's where you want to be, you want to beat the best to ultimately get the final prize. We do feel primed. We've come through a difficult enough draw; we had a close loss to Ballyroan, which we learned a lot from as well, so yeah, we're just raring to go now,” he added.

O’Flynn credits new manager Mark Bates for guiding the team to peak at the right time of the year.

“I think it's been a slow burner. Since day one, Mark's been very clear on what he expected from the group, and he set out his aspirations, which really aligned with ours, and ultimately that's to be here today and in a county final in 10 days' time. We kind of aimed to peak at the right time of year. In the league, we wanted to be in the top half. Ultimately, we ended up in a relegation final, got out of that, into the championship and then build, build, build. Last year, we started really strong, and we probably plateaued too early in the year. We learned our lesson in that respect. Mark's been in the Laois Championship before; he kind of knows the scene, he knows the teams, he knows how to prepare a team for a championship, and we're really thankful that it's transpired as it has so far,” he explained.

The stability of the squad, coupled with minimal county commitments, has allowed the management to experiment with positions and player roles.

“It's been fantastic, but we've probably been down a few as well. We didn't see much of Rob Tyrrell during the league, and he's been a huge player for us throughout the championship. It's definitely allowed us to try lads in different positions, Dan Boland is a prime example there, midfield last year to, in my opinion, full-back of the championship so far. So we've got to probably experiment to a degree, which has been great,” he noted.

Courtwood’s underdog status gained attention after a standout quarter-final win over Portlaoise, cementing their reputation as a team to watch.

“I think that's the beauty of it, within the group that's always been our opinion, we really knew if we get things going, we have a really strong panel, and ultimately the opinion outside of the group wasn't of much concern to us, but it's nice to kind of see that recognition now. Even the Crettyard match, we've been underdogs in every game we've played, and we really relish that mantle, and obviously again we'll be going into the county final as underdogs, which is a position we love,” he said.

O’Flynn believes their style of play has suited recent rule changes in Gaelic football, enhancing Courtwood’s dynamic attacking approach.

“In a sense, it's not even adapting, because it's the style of football we've always wanted to play. Like, I have to mention Matthew Byron when it comes to two-pointers; he's ridiculous. Anything within 65-70 yards with a strong wind, he's a joke. Even our running style of football, we want the ball through the hand, we find ourselves quite committed under the breaking ball, the way that the kick-outs have gone as well now, we like to attack it and really take games to the opposition. It breaks down the sideways and the kind of sedentary football that's permeated the Laois championship and even the inter-county championships over the last few years. We definitely feel it's been more exciting, and it's lent itself to our style of play,” he pointed out.

The captain also reflected on the club’s underage pathway in partnership with Emo, which has yielded multiple ‘A’ championship titles and helped develop the current senior squad.

“For myself, you have to go back all the way to St Paul's days. We've won every A championship growing up, and then suddenly you're told when you're 17 years of age, you're on the Courtwood Intermediate or Junior team, it's not something that ever sat with us as a group. The whole narrative of Courtwood's age profile has been touted throughout the championship, particularly as we've progressed, and you look at it, the bones of our team are between 26 and 24, everyone playing A football. I know underage was with Emo, and Emo have their own senior B final this weekend, so I think both clubs are reaping the rewards of the underage development. Then you have the few elder statesmen, the Niall Donoher’s, Robbie Flynn’s, the few boys on the bench who are still absolutely flying, but everyone else outside of that is mid to low 20s, even a few teenagers, who have really stepped up to senior football,” he said.

Senior figures in the squad continue to set the standard, inspiring younger players and ensuring Courtwood are ready for their biggest challenge yet.

“Alan Kinsella briefly mentioned that after the match the last day. They are still the guys we idolise, we look up to, it's a privilege to be playing with Niall and Robbie, and it's humbling to see them perform to the level they are, because however well we think we play individually, these guys are still outplaying us. You have Mark O'Halloran, Colin Wilson, Barry Donnelly, David Duffy, and many more guys on the bench who have been playing for 20 years with Courtwood; they never miss a training session, always drive the standards. I think the penny's finally dropped for a lot of us; the maturity has finally come around. To win a championship and to get to a final, it takes a lot, and your preparation outside the field as well. So I think definitely the guys are slowly starting to rub off on us,” he reflected.

While the team have been defensively solid, their attacking output has also impressed, with 10 goals scored in five championship games.

“Ultimately, we've probably missed more goals than we've scored this year, which is another thing we need to get right, but I think it goes back to the style of football we want to play. We're quite a direct team; we know our strengths and our weaknesses, and we'd be quite a fit mobile team. Thankfully, we've probably opened teams up, and as a result, teams probably don't want us to get close to their goal, and it results in frees out the field, which Matthew is very comfortable with. So, there’s a nice blend there,” he concluded. 

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