Cork Hurling Championship Talking points: Premier Senior's Big Five continue to dominate
TALKING POINTS: Damien Cahalane of St. Finbarrs goes up against David Kelly of Douglas. Picture: Jim Coughlan.
An air of inevitability surrounded much of the action in the Cork PSH championship over the weekend.
Sarsfields, St Finbarr’s, Midleton, Blackrock and the returning Glen Rovers have claimed any Seán Óg Murphy Cup that hasn’t fallen the way of Imokilly over the past ten years, and it seems unlikely that any other club will buck that trend over the coming weeks.
None of the Big Five played one another during the August Bank Holiday, and none of them were really challenged either.
Midleton and Blackrock had five points to spare over Newtownshandrum and Kanturk respectively, but neither side never really looked like they were under pressure. The Glen finished seven clear of Erin’s Own, the Barrs had nine to spare over Douglas while Sars were fourteen points better than Fr O’Neill’s.
A list of the absentees from the Big Five further emphasizes their hegemony; Brian Hayes, Daniel Kearney, Eoghan Murphy, Barry O’Flynn, Fionn Coleman, Sam Quirke, Dean Brosnan, Simon Kennefick. We could go on.
Their domination looks certain to continue.
Any team that lost in the Cork championships over the weekend will certainly be looking to improve their scoring rate when round two comes around.
Of the eighteen losing teams in the top three grades in Cork, only Courcey Rovers and Na Piarsaigh had more than twenty scores to their name.
Watergrasshill’s three goals put paid to Courceys’ ambitions but spare a thought for the northsiders who amassed 2-24 while losing to Killeagh’s 2-26 in a classic on Sunday evening in Midleton.
Na Piarsaigh’s thirty-point haul would have been enough in fifteen of the other games played. Along with Killeagh only Sarsfields’ 1-28 versus Fr O’Neill’s would have bested it while Dungourney’s 3-21 against Mallow would have matched it.
They did so much right in defeat. Daire Connery was immense at centre-forward, Ross O’Sullivan had moments of unadulterated class in the inside line and Craig Hanifin stitched things together at midfield brilliantly.
If they can consistently score at that rate, they will fancy themselves against anybody.
There wasn’t much of a wait or countdown to the throw-in of the Cork county championships on account of the hurlers holding all local interest right up to July 20, and indeed the days after such was the fallout from that traumatic result.
Just as well there wasn’t much of a county championship wait or countdown given the top-tier weekend serving was massively anti-climatic.
Six Premier Senior clashes and not one of them was truly competitive for the hour. Sars-Fr O’Neill’s, the Barrs-Douglas, and Glen-Erin’s Own were all massively one-sided encounters where the final winning margin finished up at 14, nine, and seven points respectively.
And in the case of the latter, Erin’s Own struck five of the game’s closing six points to bring the difference down from double digits to something slightly more respectable.
In the second of Saturday’s double-header at Páirc Uí Rinn, Midleton’s lead over Newtownshandrum was never closer than four from the end of the first quarter on.
The lead was strongest at eight, with Midleton pushing out to seven in front on four separate occasions. The outcome had no doubt attached to it.
Same story in Mallow. Once Michael O’Halloran goaled for the Rockies early in the second half to double their interval lead of three to six, an arm’s length stood between the sides from there to the finish.
And lastly to Grenagh on Sunday afternoon where Charleville were a considerable distance down the road to victory when holding a five-point half-time lead despite having played into the elements.
So, first-round winning margins of 14, 11, nine, seven, and a pair of fives. Not a hectic or competitive start. For comparison, on the same weekend last year, there were three routs and three more games where the difference was the bare minimum for two of them and four points the gap in the other.
Within the top-tier 12, a gap has always existed between the frontrunners and chasing pack. There’s nothing new there. But that gap never looked as pronounced as it did across the weekend. Have the frontrunners kicked on? Have the chasing pack regressed?
Whatever about quality, the second round’s first job is to deliver a couple of games where suspense isn’t removed from the field within the opening 35 minutes.
You are always looking for a bolter, a team emerging from the pack to challenge the expected championship contenders. Somebody unforeseen coming from left field.
Fr O’Neill’s filled this role perfectly last summer when dumping out the Barrs to book the club’s first ever top-tier quarter final appearance.
When the draws were conducted for the latest edition of the Cork Premier senior hurling championship, the potential for a bolter was strongest in Group 2.
Just one heavyweight in that particular quartet - Midleton - by comparison with Groups 1 and 3 where the presence of two big names in each gave them a more predictable feel.
Of those attempting to keep company with Midleton in Group 2, Newtownshandrum were semi-finalists in 2022 and quarter-finalists in ‘24, while Charleville were quarter-finalists in 2023.
The latter were by a distance the most impressive first-round performers from that bunch of potential jumpers.
Yes, the Newcestown opposition they were facing has to be taken into account, but even, for example, when Charleville were hurling into the wind in the opening half at Grenagh, their movement, their running lines, and their decision-making was massively impressive.
With Darragh Fitzgibbon somewhat peripheral for those opening 30 minutes, Jack Callaghan, Zach Biggane, Sean Bresnan and Daniel O’Flynn stepped up and stepped forward to establish a five-point interval cushion, with the wind to come. Their bench - Tim Hawe and Conor Buckley - would contribute 1-3 when introduced.
It was all these players and more that led Charleville to a fourth-place finish in Division 1 of the League while Fitzgibbon was away on inter-county duty. They missed out on a League final play by a single point.
Their next challenge is the most important one. A local derby against Newtownshandrum the Sunday after next. If they can win that, they’ll have quarter-final involvement locked down with a round to spare.
That would be more heavyweight than bolter behaviour, not to mind the reversal in fortunes from a '24 campaign where they successfully fought relegation.
Granted, Killeagh’s Ben and Barry Walsh are two names that most Cork GAA fans are already familiar with – but the pair were immense on their senior championship debuts against Na Piarsaigh on Sunday.
Barry, not just for his haul of 1-8 (0-8 frees), but for the threat he was in the air, his pace, power, decision making, and above all, his composure.
It was only his second appearance for Killeagh’s senior outfit, having played one league game earlier in the year where he scored 1-14 (0-13 f) against Midleton. He looked even more assured here Killeagh’s championship opener.
His cousin Ben impressed too, with a commanding performance at wing-back as he slotted over a point from play. If Killeagh are to go far in the SAHC this year, those two will play a big part.
East Cork neighbours Carrigtwohill had their own pair of former minors impress on debut. Patrick Walsh, who amassed 0-18 from play over the course of the league stepped up against Fermoy to slot over 0-4. He was excellent, getting on plenty of ball and playing a key role in maintaining Carrig’s control when Fermoy had their purple patch in the second half.
Cork U20 Matthew Barrett also impressed in that spell, picking up two good points in what was a solid shift at midfield. The four young hurlers will be worth watching out for as this year’s championship progresses.
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