Premier JHC: St Catherine's manager Denis Walsh relishing Russell Rovers showdown

ST CATHERINE’S manager Denis Walsh has experienced some huge games both as a player and in his long managerial career and this evening’s Premier JHC encounter against Russell Rovers is right up there on his list.

The stakes couldn’t be higher for this Imokilly derby in Rostellan at 6.30pm. The final group-stage contest is essentially a winner-takes-all encounter. St Catherine’s are joint-top with Meelin on three points, Russell Rovers are third on two points with St Finbarr’s second team rooted to the bottom, pointless from two outings.

Walsh, who was Cork senior hurling manager from 2009 to 2011, is immensely looking forward to this knockout hurling tie.

“There’s no hiding away from it, this is a massive game for so many reasons. Properly one of my biggest games,” Walsh says.

“We are prepared fairly well and I am sure Russell Rovers are the same. They have been very impressive this season in both the league and championship so we know this is going to be one almighty challenge. I know they were beaten in the first group-stage game but they were unlucky to lose that match against a very good and improving Meelin team. The new championship format has been brilliant, fair play to Kevin O’Donovan in the County Board and his team. It has been very exciting.

“There will be one big hitter exiting the championship, that’s the reality of it really. If you were a neutral this is the game to go to, it will be tense for both teams. Look, I am looking forward to it though, this is what you train over the winter for. Knockout hurling fundamentally.” 

Walsh, who is in his third spell in charge of his native club, came back once again during the close season and brought in Sarsfields hurler Tadhg Óg Murphy as coach. The St Catherine’s boss has praised Murphy’s impact on the squad so far.

“When I returned to the club this season, I was looking for a coach and I suppose Tadhg Óg would have come into my thinking. He’s young and eager and I would have known him a long time. He’s a guy I would have always admired, his attitude and knowledge of the game is second to none. I asked him if he would get involved and he jumped at the opportunity. He was anxious to get experience of coaching a team outside of Sarsfields so it was a win-win situation really.

“He has had a great impact already, the players really respect him. He’s so infested in St Catherine’s. It was a big move for him to make in terms of that call to train a team outside of his club but I did it myself many years ago, it sharpens you up. I thought it might take him a bit of time to settle in and so on but he has settled in like a duck to water.” 

Despite coming up against senior A, premier intermediate and intermediate A teams in Division 4 of the league this season, the Imokilly outfit finished comfortably mid-table, winning four and losing five from nine outings. Not too shabby. The championship has gone according to plan so far, beating St Finbarr’s first day out, 2-18 to 1-12 before getting a stern test from Meelin last time out, a cracking encounter ended up in a draw, 3-14 to 1-20. St Catherine’s are one of the favourites for the county and for Walsh, he admits this season will be a failure if they don’t qualify for the knockout stages.

“We are unbeaten in the championship, that has to count for something. But look, if we don’t play well against Russell Rovers and get beaten, well then I couldn’t be too positive about anything. If we do play well and are beaten by the better team, which may happen, then I might look at it differently. But from the position we are in now, I would be very disappointed and frustrated if we don’t finish in the top two positions. It wouldn’t be a good season then, the opposite. This Russell Rovers game is a big one and we have to deliver.”