Cork hurling talking points: Poor atmosphere and shortcomings of Premier Senior clubs

In the two hurling finals last Sunday, Glen Rovers completed their return to Premier Senior, and Imokilly won their first title PSHC since 2019.

The Glen’s performance was very impressive. Between Dean Brosnan, Patrick Horgan and Lee Quilligan off the bench, their display against the wind is what separated them from Blarney.

There was a clear gulf in class.

It was a similar story for Imokilly.

The candystripes, who had representation from 11 different clubs and nine among the starting 15, showed once again what the divisional sides can do when they get it right.

They’ve been outstanding all year. It’s why they claimed their sixth county crown.

But the atmosphere inside SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh for both games was disappointing to say the least. I don’t think that’s down to the teams that were involved, or the outcomes of both finals.

You could see that for Glen Rovers, the focus was on that return to Premier Senior, rather than the Senior A title itself. That is understandable, given the club hold themselves to much higher standards. That’s not a secret the northsiders have tried to keep either.

The poor atmosphere comes down to several factors.

STORM ASHLEY 

For one, the wind from Storm Ashley played a huge part in both games. There’s no doubt about that.

You could see that in the approach from all four clubs.

It came down to how well they were able to utilise the wind advantage, and what sort of damage limitation they could produce while playing against it.

Ultimately Glen and Imokilly got that aspect right, and that’s why they were so convincing in their wins.

It changed the flow of both games, and we knew whoever played against the wind in the first half, would be chasing the game come the break.

While it meant that Imokilly had to fight back against Sars, once they established control the game was over. For Glen Rovers, the task was much more straightforward.

No doubt both games would have been closer had the powerful wind not been such a transformative factor.

SHELL 

The size of Páirc Uí Chaoimh certainly came into play. It’s always the case when you get to the finals and semi-finals. The crowd will never fill the space available, and that does affect the atmosphere all the way through.

The players feel it, the supporters feel it – and we could feel it from the press box.

It affects the spectacle as a whole.

When you put that same crowd in Páirc Uí Rinn, the atmosphere is much better, simply because the ground is closer to capacity.

That’s not to say that county finals should be played anywhere but Páirc Uí Chaoimh. But the effect it has on the county deciders cannot be ignored.

SHORTCOMINGS 

There’s a good reason Imokilly won the Premier Senior HC.

The shortcomings of all four club heavyweights was clear. St Finbarr’s failed to get out of the group, a year to forget.

Blackrock did well, but their failure to perform in the first half against Imokilly punished them. Sars and Midleton were most impressive, but the latter fell short against the Riverstown outfit once again.

Sars could certainly have overcome Imokilly for the second year in a row, but their failure to take full advantage of the first-half wind was always going to come back and haunt them.

Despite their performance being enough for much of the game, they’ll look back with regret.

As will the other three.

Ultimately, Imokilly were the most consistent team – and they played like a unit from the first day out against Avondhu, to the last against Sars. Deserving champions, no question.