Ballygunner v Sarsfields: Munster title for Sars would crown golden era

When Daniel Kearney was interviewed by Micheál Ó Domhnáill on TG4 after Sarsfields beat Feakle in the Munster semi-final two weeks ago, Ó Domhnaill began the interview by asking Kearney about the sense of relief he felt after so many narrow, and difficult, defeats in the province.

“It’s huge,” he said. 

“I was involved when we beat Clonlara back in 2008 and we had a lot of close losses to teams like De la Salle and Kilmallock who went and competed in All-Ireland club finals. 

"We know we are representing Cork, and we are a hugely proud hurling county. And hopefully we did the county justice there today.” 

There was more than just a sense of relief from Kearney and the group, not just because they had finally won a game in the Munster championship for the first time in their last five attempts, but because Sars had proved their merit as the Cork representatives.

Up until last year, Sars had always managed that in the province, even if they hadn’t won games, because no side had been as close to making the breakthrough in the last 15 years. Yet last year’s hammering from Ballygunner had altered that identity in Munster, which was further questioned after the county final defeat to Imokilly.

“There were a lot of doubts,” said Kearney. “We were wondering would we be the best team to represent us (Cork)? You just question yourself.” 

DOUBT

The biggest threat with losing is doubt. It leaves unanswered questions. Could Sars pick themselves up as non-county champions in Munster? Had they improved the process to make themselves better? Would that process bring them any closer to winning now that the standard was going to rise even further in Munster?

The county final defeat had hardened the commentary on this group around the county, and their capacity to compete in Munster. Yet was that down to the poverty of their performance against Ballygunner last year, or more to do with the general perception of Sars around Cork?

Their performance in the county final was disappointing, but did that display add more fuel to the fire for the critics keen to burn Sars with even more criticism than they deserve?

Have Sars been underappreciated and not fully respected by the wider hurling population around Cork? Yes. Do they deserve far more support and respect for what they have achieved rather than the criticism for what they didn’t achieve? Yes.

Balancing this argument may extend more to a number of players than this whole group, but that still doesn’t devalue what Sars have achieved in the last 15 years. If anything, it should only add more value to their achievements.

Six of the current squad – Dan and William Kearney, Conor and Eoin O’Sullivan, Craig Leahy and Daniel Roche - all have five county medals. 

The last player in Cork to win as many county senior hurling titles is Ger Cunningham, the greatest goalkeeper Cork ever produced.

After Cunningham, who won six senior hurling medals, the next raft of players lining up with five or more county senior hurling medals is a group of St Finbarr’s players, some of whom are the most decorated in the history of the GAA.

Cunningham played in nine county senior finals; so has Daniel Kearney. There is every chance that Kearney may yet play in – and win - more county finals. 

SEVEN UP

The only players from the last decade who come near Kearney and a number of his team-mates are Patrick Horgan and a handful of Glen Rovers players who featured in seven county finals between 2010-2021, with the Glen losing five of those finals.

Prior to that, Newtownshandrum reached six county finals in nine years between 2000-'09, winning four titles. A chunk of those players have four medals, one less than the group of six from Sars, but there is no comparison between what Newtown achieved, and what Sars hoped they could achieve.

The legacy of that Newtown side is secure, not just because they won an All-Ireland, but also because they were such a strong force in Munster during that decade when winning three provincial titles.

If Sars don’t have the respect that they feel they deserve, that breakdown hinges on their failure to do what Newtown managed, especially when Sars had a grip on the Cork championship between 2010-’14.

Sars were unlucky in those years, narrowly losing to really good De la Salle, Thurles Sarsfields and Kilmallock teams. Yet when it comes to legacy, public opinion is framed by what a side did, rather than what a team nearly did, or were unlucky not to do.

In the eyes of the public, there is a major distinction – you either won, or you didn’t. And Sars didn’t.

And now, Sars suddenly have that chance to do what they didn’t do in the past. In that context, Sunday is an absolutely colossal game for the club. A win against Ballygunner would copper-fasten the value and worth of their last five county titles.

It's impossible to compare amateur and professional sport but the titles won on a bigger and wider stage frank everything else won before or after. Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City is one of the greatest club teams ever, but their legacy is far more secure since they added a Champions League title to the six Premier Leagues won under Guardiola.

That’s why Sunday is such a massive game for Sars. A victory now would certainly cement the legacy of what the club have achieved in the last 17 years. 

And it would grant Sars a whole different level of respect around Cork too.