Glen Rovers PSHC county success in 2015 was 26 years in the making 

IT'S eight years since the Glen Rovers finally returned to the summit as they beat Sarsfields 2-17 to 1-13 in the final of the Cork Senior Hurling Championship at Páirc Uí Rinn in 2015.

That ended a long run of heart break and near misses that lasted since 1989 in Blackpool.

It wasn’t just the weight of history that the players had to deal with that day, but also the memories of the previous year’s final against Sars. 

The Glen were in their second county final of the new millennium and any sense of expectation was crushed with a 2-18 to 0-8 loss.

2015 was a rematch; with the club from Blackpool looking to dethrone a side that was the most dominant team in Cork at that time. Sarsfields had won four titles in seven seasons; and they lost just one final during that run – and that was against a Midleton team inspired by Conor Lehane.

Sarsfields shrugged that defeat off and regained their title the year after; and they did so by tearing the Glen apart at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

There was only thing on people’s minds in Blackpool during the winter months: bringing home the Seán Óg Murphy Cup.

A sense of tradition was on the line to the wider public as the big three of Cork hurling were without a title between them since Blackrock’s victory over Newtownshandrum in 2002.

St Finbarr’s were in a similar position; given their last taste of success was in 1993. 

The Glen’s was four years before that, when they beat Sarsfields 4-15 to 3-13 with a team that contained Tomás Mulcahy and Kieran McGuckin.

What happened to the ‘Big Three’ is another conversation that involves a deep dive into the individual make-up of clubs and the explosion of satellite towns on the outskirts of the city that brought thousands of people to areas like Glanmire, Glounthaune, Midleton, and Carrigtwohill during the Celtic Tiger.

The only club from the city that won the Cork Senior Hurling Championship between Blackrock’s victory in 2002 and the Glen in 2015 was Na Piarsaigh in 2004. 

A new order had been established during this period and they pushed the ‘Big Three’ further and further into the history books with each passing year.

Whatever about the bigger picture, the Glen’s odyssey in 2015 was a personal mission. 

The club were by guided by their own need to make things right and to stop 1989 being the ‘last’ title on an honours list that also contains two All-Irelands and three Munster titles.

It started with defeat; against Ballymartle in the first round at Páirc Uí Rinn. 

The Glen immediately responded by beating a Carrigtwohill team that was just four years removed from winning their first ever senior county.

Next up was a meeting with Bride Rovers and the club from Blackpool won 3-16 to 3-10. 

The quarter finals paired the Glen with Newtownshandrum and the north-siders prevailed 1-22 to 2-12.

Patrick Horgan almost personally made sure that his club got through to the final by scoring 0-10 in a 0-18 to 1-12 victory over Midleton in the semi final. 

Sarsfields were after getting better of Erin’s Own in a replay on the other side of the draw, and that put the two clubs on a collision course for the second consecutive season.

The Glen lined up as follows for the final Páirc Uí Rinn: C Hickey; S McDonnell, B Murphy, D Dooling; G Callanan, B Moylan, G Moylan; D Cronin, D Noonan; D Brosnan, P Horgan, D Cunningham; C Dorris, B Phelan, D Busteed.

It wasn’t just about one player; but a team effort that saw everyone in a green, yellow, and black jersey deliver. 

Patrick Horgan scored nine points, with seven of those coming from frees. 

David Cunningham finished the game with 1-2 in his own personal record book and Glen captain Graham Callanan was the ‘undisputed’ player of the match.

David Cunningham raised that green flag in the 49th minute and that gave his club a 0-15 to 0-11 lead. 

That four point cushion increased when Conor Dorris and David Busteed worked together to set up David Dooling, and he hit the back of the net to make it 2-16 to 0-12.

It could have all been so different, as the two clubs were level six times during the first half. 

Instead, the Glen held their nerve before releasing a burst of scores that dethroned the defending champions.

The image that most remember from the final; wasn’t the actual trophy presentation on the pitch at Páirc Uí Rinn, but a little while later on Christy Ring Bridge. 

Graham Callanan was hoisted in the air and carried across with the cup in hand; surrounded by legions of supporters. 

It was him that held nothing back after the full-time whistle; with the captain’s eyes heavy as he processed what just happened.

The scene on Christy Ring Bridge perfectly married everything that the victory meant to the Glen, with the now merging with history. 

A direct line was drawn while putting names like Graham Callanan and Patrick Horgan alongside Christy Ring and Tomás Mulcahy in the Glen's role of winning county captains.