Munster Club SHC: Sarfields look to summon strong response

A win for Sarsfields in Sunday’s AIB Munster Club SHC semi-final would represent a unique piece of history, albeit not something a team would seek at the beginning of a year.

With county champions Imokilly unable to represent Cork in the provincial competition, Sars have gone forward as the county’s representatives. This was the east Cork division’s sixth victory and none of the previous five – nor the wins for Carbery and Avondhu in 1994 and 1996 respectively – were followed by a Munster club final appearance for the county runners-up.

The fact that Cork and Clare reached the All-Ireland SHC final meant that both counties received quarter-final byes in the three Munster club hurling championships and so a place in the decider is just a step away.

Sars manager John Crowley admits that there was some effort involved in trying to lift the players after the county final defeat four weeks ago but, since then, the response has been very strong.

“We were back the Saturday after the county final and that was a really poor session, to be honest,” he says.

“Naturally, a lot of heads were down and the emotions were low. There was a huge disappointment within the group, so that was probably our worst session of the year.

“We had a good chat after it and we put the question to the lads – ‘What do we do here, we’re either in it or we’re not in it?’

“You’ve strong personalities in the management set-up and if we’re in it, we’re 100 percent in it. We won’t do an 80 percent job.

“In fairness to the players, they’re driving the bus now and they were mad keen to have a go.

“We’ve knuckled down and we’ve had good sessions, we’ve had one or two challenge games and we’re in a good place, as best we can be after the disappointment of losing.”

Barry O’Flynn was precluded from featuring above junior A level in Cork due to a bye-law regarding players who turn 18 this year – there is no such prohibition for Munster, but Sars have opted against calling him up.

They do, however, benefit from Cathal McCarthy and Killian Murphy being fully rehabilitated from the injuries that kept them out for most of the year.

Feakle can boast Clare goalkeeper Eibhear Quilligan and All-Star corner-back Adam Hogan, who won the young hurler of the year award and Crowley knows that a big performance will be needed if Sars are to make the final.

“Absolutely,” he says, “you cannot go into a game without having done work on your opposition.

“Certainly, we’ve tried to get as much game-time as possible and analyse it. They’re the county champions and obviously Clare are the All-Ireland champions – they have the young hurler of the year and one of the best goalkeepers in the country and they’ve two other senior Clare panellists.

“They’re very well-equipped, they’re big, they’re very physical, very strong. They stick to their gameplan and, again, they’re county champions and will get a good boost from that.

“We’ll do our homework on them but we concentrate on ourselves after that – we’d be very confident in the sense that if we stick to the gameplan and apply ourselves, meet fire with fire, we’ll be there or thereabouts.”

In the other semi-final, Waterford’s Ballygunner – winners of the last three provincial titles – take on Tipperary champions Loughmore-Castleiney in Walsh Park with a 1.15pm throw-in. The final takes place on December 1.