ST Oliver Plunkett’s coach Conor O’Driscoll is hoping lightning can strike twice as the club look to replicate their dream 2023 season.

Three years ago, the Ahiohill outfit completed a remarkable double, winning both the county confined junior B hurling and football championships.

After two challenging seasons at junior A level, Plunkett’s hurlers are back competing in junior B and will open their Co-Op Superstores Confined JBHC campaign against Bantry Blues this Sunday (1pm) in Dunmanway.

‘The 2023 win gives us confidence because we know we can win a county, but we’re just taking it game by game. We’re not looking beyond Bantry in the first round,’ O’Driscoll told The Southern Star.

‘We’ll try to get over that and then see where we’re at. We’re confident going into the campaign. It’s been a long winter and there’s only so much pre-season training you can do. The lads just want to get playing now.

‘It hasn’t been easy preparing with the weather. We haven’t been on the pitch much, we’ve done a lot in the hall and on the astroturf. Preparation has been hampered a bit, but there’s not much we can do about that – just get on with it.’

The Ahiohill club are also in Group 4 with O’Donovan Rossa, ensuring two West Cork derbies in the round-robin phase. They face Skibbereen on May 31st, while a meeting with Delanys on May 17th falls between those local clashes.

‘The two Carbery sides are very strong. We played Bantry in the first league game and beat them by four points, but there wasn’t much in it,’ O’Driscoll said.

‘Bantry are a team we haven’t played much over the years, which is good. It’s nice to come up against different opposition. With Skibb, we drew with them in the league last year as well. They’re strong too. We played them in the championship three years ago and only scraped past them by a few points. Both games will be tough, no doubt about it.’

Plunkett’s will be without several key figures from their 2023 success. Former captain Ronan McCarthy and Seán O’Donovan have both emigrated to Australia, while David White is now based in Dublin. Michael Pat Keohane and Eddie O’Driscoll have retired, and Conor McCarthy has stepped back from playing duties to take on a managerial role.

There is some positive news, however. Despite transferring to Cill na Martra in football, Padraig Healy remains available to the Plunkett’s hurlers, although he may miss the opening round through injury.

Even with those departures, O’Driscoll is encouraged by the depth available.

‘We’re not too bad for numbers. A couple of young lads have come onto the panel this year, which is good. We have lost a good few as well – from the team that won the county in 2023, we’ve lost three or four to retirement and another two to Australia. But we’ve also got a few fellas back from injury,’ he explained.

‘We just can’t wait to get out and see if what we’ve been doing over the last few months is working. You think you’re doing the right things in training, but you don’t really know until you get into that first championship game. We’re looking forward to seeing where we’re at and whether the work is paying off.’

Last year’s junior A championship campaign proved a difficult one, with Plunkett’s suffering defeats to Diarmuid Ó Mathúnas, Dohenys and St Mary’s, finishing with a -32 scoring difference.

Dropping back to junior B could provide the reset needed to build momentum again.

‘We’d love to get back up to junior A. Last year was tough. Before the first round against Mathúnas, we lost five or six players the week before the championship. Injuries really hit us and we had a tough group as well. We never really got going,’ O’Driscoll admitted.

‘The lads were disappointed with how the year went. We’re eager to get back on the saddle this season and see if we can push on again. Getting back to junior A would definitely be the aim.’