John Horgan: Barrs crashing out showed you can't beat high drama of Cork club hurling

There have been many great days over the past 20 years or so where the hurlers of Fr O'Neill's have been concerned.

The vibrant East Cork club has occupied the podiums in Croke Park, SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Pairc Ui Rinn, the Fraher Field in Dungarvan after superb victories in Cork, Munster and national deciders, the days of their lives for the players involved at junior, intermediate and senior hurling level.

Many of those players are still key figures for the Ladysbridge/Ballymacoda outfit and last Saturday night in Midleton they made a handsome contribution to the club's thrilling victory over one of the country's most decorated clubs, St Finbarr's at the group stage of the Premier Cork County SHC.

Yes, that is the exalted level that this small unit is now participating at less than 30 years after being crowned East Cork junior champions for the first time in the '90s. Their rise up through the ranks of Cork hurling in a short enough space of time has been quite remarkable and that victory over the Barrs must be rated as another huge chapter in their story of success.

When the various groups for the championship were revealed, the thinking was that city giants, the Rockies and the Barrs would be too strong for their country rivals, O'Neill's and Newcestown.

Most if not all pundits would have opted for that scenario but the only certainty in any sporting arena is its uncertainty.

The Rockies, of course, are still very much standing tall, one of the more fancied contenders for the ultimate prize, two wins from two. The Barrs are out of the equation now, their championship campaign will end with their final outing against Newcestown which will determine which of them aren't in the conversation where the issue of a relegation battle is concerned.

O'Neill's, on the other hand, are now eagerly looking forward to a quarter-final assignment and whoever that will be against, one thing is for sure they won't be taken lightly.

They have a meeting with the Rockies prior to that in their final group outing but the stakes are nowhere near high as they might have been with both teams safely berthed in the last eight of Cork's premier hurling competition.

WINNERS

So many of the O'Neill's players on active duty at Clonmult Memorial Park last Saturday night have already shared in so many of their previous successes over the past number of years.

They have endured heartbreak too on the journey, losing county finals, losing an All-Ireland club final to Kilkenny's Tullaroan by the barest of margins.

But the cause always endured and the likes of Dan Harrington, the four Millerick brothers, Kevin O'Sullivan, Paudie McMahon, Billy Dunne, Mark O'Keeffe, Cillian Broderick and, of course, Deccie Dalton are still providing a solid backbone that sets the right example for the rest.

The Barrs would not have been complacent before their trip into the heart of East Cork, fully aware of the winning mentality that existed among their opponents and the momentum of a fine opening victory over Newcestown.

They were minus some important players but the Barrs would never use that as an excuse and O'Neill's lost a player to a red card.

Dalton's accuracy from the placed ball, as it always is, was a key factor in the outcome but the team's togetherness as a unit was crucial. The result meant that one of the competition's leading contenders from Togher have had their championship season ended prematurely.

Again an illustration of the difficulties you encounter when you lose your opening game as they did to the Rockies.

In the overall scheme of things, Fr O'Neill's are still outsiders but their initial objective has been spectacularly achieved, qualification against high odds for the knockout stage of the championship. And that has been done with so many players who have to be rated so highly for their service and longevity.

It was very much a case of rural clubs hosting the big games over the weekend with just one game taking place in the city environs.

That was the Friday night fixture between Douglas and Bishopstown, a game of the utmost importance because of what had transpired in their opening assignments, two very heavy losses against Sarsfields and Newtownshandum respectively. So, this was a game of trying to stay alive in the championship, a game of just getting the job done.

And Douglas did that with a degree of some efficiency in a high stakes contest that never ignited, the game effectively done and dusted at the interval when the scoreline showed Douglas ahead by 10 points, 0-12 to 0-2.

The outcome keeps Douglas out of the treacherous waters of relegation but conversely the Town are now in a very precarious situation, having to defeat Sarsfields in their final group game.

No outcome is ever a foregone conclusion and that game isn't either but on the evidence of Friday night, the 'own must improve considerably.

It was certainly a weekend of plenty of talking points in the PSHC and if top marks were being handed out, Erin's Own would collect a fair share of them after a splendid win over Charleville, the league runners-up who are now sailing close to the relegation wind after a second consecutive loss.

Erin's Own are very much acknowledged as a team in transition and having lost their opener, this was a pressure encounter. But they entered the trenches when it mattered to manufacture a fine victory which will raise the confidence levels considerably before their eagerly awaited final group game against Midleton.

The blend of experience and youthful energy certainly paid dividends for the men from Caherlag.

Championship favourites Sarsfields had it all too easy in round one against Douglas but it was a far different story against Newtownshandrum.

They bagged another brace of points which secures their quarter-final spot but Newtown fought the good fight before eventually coming up short by two points.

Now it all boils down to the collision between Douglas and Newtown for the second qualifying place from that group and while all the smart money will be on the North Cork team, nothing should be taken as a foregone conclusion.

Douglas have a bit of momentum behind them now but, at the same time, their final delivery must be a lot better than it was against Bishopstown, far too many wides.

The overall picture in the three groups is becoming a little clearer but it's going down to the final set of games before we can safely say who will extend their championship year and who won't be.

The Rockies, Fr O'Neill's and Sars can breathe easily in that regard.