How Watergrasshill defied the odds to make the step up to Senior A Hurling

'The Hill are going up' was the chant echoing around the Páirc and up the road to Watergrasshill on Sunday after they captured the Cork PIHC title.

Perhaps it was the two-decade wait since their last title or the transformation from recent winless campaigns that fuelled the passionate roars greeting the 1-5 streak to clinch the Séamus Long Cup.

While eight of this year’s Cork champions have experienced county success in the past decade, the Hill (20 years) and Glanmire’s footballers (37) were the exceptions.

Given the lack of belief that stemmed from the previous three years, which netted five draws but just one win (and in a relegation play-off at that), Watergrasshill showed remarkable composure when the chips were down.

Their scoring burst between the 45th and 57th minutes, which morphed a one-point deficit into a seven-point cushion, mirrored their championship opener against the same opponents.

That day, trailing by 10 entering the final quarter, they reeled off six unanswered points, and when Carrigaline briefly broke their momentum, they piled on another 2-3 to surge four ahead.

Whereas Carrig had done the overhauling to eliminate them from the 2022 championship, the Hill had the extra gas in both encounters this year. They have turned from draw specialists into experts at winning these one-score games.

The moments before the dam burst didn’t offer many hints at the eventual outcome. The Hill had gone eight minutes since their last score and they went 16 without registering from play. A couple of players were shaking off knocks or cramps in preparation for the final push.

FEROCIOUS

The game had turned into a battle. In one moment, Adam Murphy’s crunching shoulder ended one of David Griffin’s troublesome charges forward only for Rob O’Shea to lunge in for a block down. Helter skelter stuff.

It was the second time the centre-forward's shoulder had strongarmed a turnover after earning a first-half pointed free with a big hit to set the tone.

Having picked up the man of the match trophy, Murphy targeted 'tackling coach' Noel O’Riordan for praise.

In the final quarter, Murphy was switched inside where he won and converted the lead free which set his side on their way.

Seán Desmond is most renowned for his scoring exploits but he led from the front when forcing Darragh King over the sideline. The fists had hardly stopped pumping before Michael O’Driscoll stepped forward to get them moving from open play.

The cheers only increased in volume for Brendan Lehane’s point before Desmond spirited behind the defence to collect a long ball, shrugged off two desperation tackles, and held his nerve to fire home. That extended the Hill’s record for raising at least two green flags in every game this campaign.

A Pádraig O’Leary hook further frustrated Carrig and allowed Murphy to tag on another score.

If manager Eddie Enright, an All-Ireland winner with Tipperary, joked last week that his playing days in red coincided with the downturn in Watergrasshill hurling, he has undertaken a major role in their revival.

When the chase came in the closing minutes, corner-backs Shane Field and Dylan Roche came up with goal-protecting interventions to see out the win.

Had either chance found a path to the net, we could’ve been back on Wednesday night for a replay. With that scenario mercifully avoided, the Hill have six days to both celebrate and prepare for a Munster semi-final against Clare representatives Wolfe Tones na Sionna.

PEDIGREE

Their opponents’ provincial pedigree is clear. The Shannon side were Munster Senior champions in the 1990s and remain the last Banner winners at this grade since 2015, when they defeated Newcestown in the final.

They are equipped with All-Ireland winners in defenders Darragh Lohan and Rory Hayes plus Aron Shanagher, who could pair off against Daire O’Leary in an enticing match-up.

They also have a feelgood factor after completing the Intermediate double in Clare and remain in contention to reach both Munster deciders.

Carrig will attest to how difficult it can be getting over the line in both codes. They did manage a League double and nailed down the Senior A football title but their magnificent journey for a fourth trophy ended in disappointment despite fine performances from the likes of Griffin, Éanna Desmond, David Drake, and Brian Kelleher.

The double medals instead fall to those Hill men who togged out for Imokilly in the Premier Senior final, led by O’Leary, Murphy, Desmond, and Kevin O’Neill.

They trade places with Cloyne for 2025, both in the Senior A ranks and availability for divisional selection.

With momentum and belief now on their side, the Hill will hope to maintain their upward trajectory across the winter and into the new year.