Shane O'Regan request for transfer to Sarsfields is turned down

All-Ireland U20 hurling medallist Shane O’Regan has had his request for a transfer from Watergrasshill to Sarsfields turned down by Cork County Board.

The attacker’s name was on the list of proposed transfers discussed at the county board meeting held a fortnight ago but, after a plea from Watergrasshill “to give great consideration to not granting the transfer”, county chairperson Marc Sheehan noted that correspondence had been received and the issue would be looked at further.

The list of decisions on transfers was circulated to clubs on Monday and O’Regan, whose address was listed as Hazelwood, Glanmire, was among those to have their requests declined. He now has the option to seek a personal hearing in the hope of having the decision reversed or else he can opt to sit out a 96-week period from the time of his last game for his club – the 2-15 to 0-11 win over Aghada in the Co-op SuperStores Cork Premier IHC relegation play-off on November 6 – and then make the move.

O’Regan scored 1-11 in that victory over Aghada, having notched 3-30 in the club’s three group games, including their entire output of 1-11 in the defeat to Castlelyons in their opening match. A member of the Imokilly panel which won the county SHC in 2019 – he scored a point in the final win over Glen Rovers – O’Regan won an All-Ireland medal with Cork in the one-off U17 competition in 2017 and was part of the squad that claimed the U20 title in July of last year with victory over Dublin in Nowlan Park. He also featured with the senior panel for the 2020 Munster Hurling League.

In 2011, O’Regan’s fellow East Cork man, former Cork minor and U21 hurler Brian Hartnett, sought a transfer from Russell Rovers to Midleton and ended up having to endure the waiting period before moving. Having helped the Magpies to the 2013 county SHC, he returned to Rovers in 2017. Similarly, Cork footballer Denis O’Sullivan, who lined out for Conor Counihan’s side in 2011 and 2012, was forced into a period of inaction before being able to play for Clonakilty after seeking to move from neighbouring side Ballinascarthy.

Meanwhile, Cork’s start to the Allianz Hurling League campaign points to a continued quest for goals.

After two matches, at home to Clare and away to Offaly, Kieran Kingston’s side have found the net six times. It’s the best tally in Group A of Division 1 – Galway scored four against Offaly, as Cork did, but beat Limerick last weekend without raising a green flag. The only side in Group B with a better return so far is Waterford, who put two past Dublin as the drew with them in their opener and then romped past Laois on a 7-31 to 0-19 scoreline.

While three of Cork’s four goals last Sunday came inside the opening quarter of an hour, there was another goal disallowed for over-carrying while the second half saw three opportunities that were close to ending up in the net.

In last year’s league, Cork had 18 goals in five matches, with Galway’s 12 the next-best total. This followed on from the 2020 league, when Cork had 11 and Tipperary and Waterford followed with seven each.

In the 2021 championship, the rate did drop somewhat as five games yielded eight goals – the only other side to play five matches, Waterford, had the same output.

Wexford had the best ratio of three goals per game, aided by putting five past Laois in the first of their three outings. Tipperary and Limerick managed eight goals like Cork, but did so in three and four games respectively.

A rate of 1.6 goals per game is below what Cork would have hoped for after the focus on them in the league, but the fact that they were the only team to have to play Limerick twice was a factor in that. In addition, the three goals against Clare at the Gaelic Grounds represented the first time in 30 years that Cork had won a hurling championship game with more goals and fewer points than their opponents.

In the 2015, 2016 and 2017 championships, Cork had a GPG of less than 1.0 (0.75, 0.66 and 0.75 respectively), despite winning the Munster title in the last of those. In 2018, that rose to 1.5 (nine goals in six games) and 1.666 in 2019 (ten in six) before the compacted 2020 championship yielded three in three.

The return to the round-robin format for the Munster championship should help to give a more rounded idea of where Cork’s goalscoring prowess is, but the signs are encouraging.

Equally, there is a positive to be taken from the fact that each of the two wins to date have featured 12 different Cork scorers, with 18 players on target in total. Six scored more than once against Clare and five did so against Offaly.

The caveat is that they were games where Cork were favourites – hopefully the landscape is as healthy after the trip to Limerick.