John Horgan on why Watergrasshill and Russell Rovers will be kings of Croke Park

There is only one show in town for Cork hurling followers next Sunday and the central characters on the stage are the hurlers of Watergrasshill and Russell Rovers.

That stage is Croke Park, the final frontier on the All-Ireland intermediate and junior championship trails. For the vast majority of the players, it will be the biggest day of their sporting lives.

Quite a few of the Russell Rovers contingent, however, will have been here before, losing to Kilkenny's Conahy-Shamrocks in the final of the 2019-2020 final. But in the main, it's a first for everybody else, a day when a dream becomes a reality.

Growing up, every young boy and girl who picked up a hurley had that dream to represent their club or county on the biggest of all occasions.

For the vast majority, however, it remains a dream.

To represent your club alongside the friends that you grew up with on the hallowed turf of that wonderful sporting theatre that is Croke Park has to be something that time can never erase.

Thus far, Watergrasshill and the Rovers have been terrific ambassadors for Cork club hurling and one would need time to process the significance of their achievements.

I am not too sure what the format of the championship is in a lot of other counties but surely, none can be as tough and searching as the format on Leeside.

Let's start with the Hill's achievement.

Over the past number of years, we have been at pains to stress how difficult it is to climb the mountain that is the Premier Intermediate grade in Cork. 12 teams set out on the journey, nearly all of them believing that they are in with a shout of being, at the very least, involved at the business end.

The group stage is usually a minefield in itself, just two of the four participants making it through.

The Hill had Castlemartyr, Carrigaline and Valley Rovers to contend with in their group, nothing the slightest bit comfortable in any of those three games.

But they made it, topping the group with three victories and subsequently qualifying for the last four.

Mallow were despatched in the semi-final and a second meeting with Carrigaline awaited in the final. They had already beaten their Carrigdhoun opponents once but to have to do it a second time can be a very tall order.

With 20 minutes remaining, they were four points in arrears but they found a way as they had done previously and the trophy was theirs.

It's well-documented now that they became Munster champions and are now an hour away from entering the promised land.

It has been a huge team effort so far, a defence superbly marshalled by Daire O'Leary and a forward line containing two of the best operators in the grade, Sean Desmond and Adam Murphy.

Others like Brendan Lehane, Kevin O'Neill and goalkeeper Aidan Foley have been ultra-consistent.

Galway champions Tynagh-Abbey/Duniry are Sunday's opponents, having beaten the Connacht champions of the past five years, Sligo's Tooreen in the Connacht final.

We are not familiar with the standard of intermediate hurling in Galway but very rarely does a bad hurling team come out of that county.

The Hill are probably the more fancied team but Croke Park on a day as next Sunday will be can be a great leveller.

Having former Tipperary star, Eddie Enright in their camp will be a big plus for the 'Hill, his experience of being there and having done that has to be of benefit.

The villages of Watergrasshill and Glenville will be deserted on Sunday, having been in both places last week provides one with the significance of what this historic day on Jones' Road means.

It's a sea of red here, there and everywhere, yes it's the day of their lives. They will win.

RARE

Travel down to Shanagarry and the story is so similar. Russell Rovers in just getting back into headquarters for the second time is a marvellous achievement in itself. Very few small clubs at this level manage that feat.

Again they had to negotiate a difficult path at the group stage in Cork, securing top marks against Meelin, Milford and Douglas.

City champions Nemo Rangers fell at the penultimate hurdle in the county semi-final and it was another one of those now very familiar East Cork derbies against St Catherine's in the final and again they delivered.

Similar to the Hill they have a couple of regular scoring forwards and Josh Beausang and Bud Hartnett have been superb on a consistent basis.

Ciarán Sheehan's vast experience has been a huge asset and others like Luke Duggan-Murray and Kevin Moynihan are fully versed of the requirements that will be needed on Sunday against Kilkenny and Leinster champions, St Lachtain's.

When it's Cork and Kilkenny at any level it adds that extra bit of significance and when a Kilkenny team reaches the final of any hurling competition the word 'beware' comes into play.

St Lachtain's may not be a marquee name in Kilkenny hurling, little might be known of them in this neck of the woods but history has shown us that any club representing Noreside on All-Ireland final day has to be provided with the utmost respect.

Having been in Croke Park before on All-Ireland final day must, however, be a considerable plus for the Rovers.

The place can be a daunting venue for players on their first ever voyage so learnings will have been taken from that day in January five years ago.

And, of course, having Donal Óg Cusack alongside them at the ringside is sure to provide the players with a calming influence. Having a man of his calibre in any management team has to be an energising force.

Dave Dorgan and the rest of the backroom team in Shanagarry have been getting the best out of the players all season but the likelihood is that the biggest test of all awaits. They will be ready.

Croke Park on All-Ireland final club day is so special but the importance of the game over the occasion has to be emphasised.

When the players emerge from their dressing rooms on Sunday, most of them will be confronted by something that they have not experienced before.

For the free-takers, in particular, on all four teams, it can be a challenging experience in that type of environment. All the hard yards have been put in by now, the confidence levels have to be high after what has already been achieved.

Watergrasshill and Russell Rovers have achieved so much up to now and both have the capabilities to travel that extra mile.

All of Cork hurling stands behind them on this day of days.