John Horgan on hurling: Watergrasshill delivered in one of the great All-Ireland finals

No club, or county for that matter, is going to have all its six forwards playing at the top of their game at the same time.

Some days it can be three or four, other days it can be below those numbers, down to one or two, too much of a reliance on too few.

We have seen it at all levels of the game; inter-county, club, where not enough are contributing on the board to make the difference in the end.

Clubs don’t have the same selection choices, the greater resources, the viable options that inter-county teams possess.

Therefore it’s hugely important for a club that on any given day the players who are regarded as more high profile than others come up with the goods. Those players can have off-days too, be well-policed by defenders but more often than not they answer the call.

Last Sunday in Croke Park, and throughout the season en route to that defining day at headquarters against Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry, Watergrasshill had two forwards whose consistency throughout the campaign has been the standout feature of their remarkable story of success.

That’s not saying that others did not contribute, or did not make the impact that was required of them.

Of course, they did, their work-rate in all areas ensured that the scores came from others and in this case, it was outstanding team captain, Sean Desmond and Adam Murphy. Both were superb; they had continuously done the damage in front of goal right up to last Sunday when they delivered a whopping 2-11 of their team’s final, winning tally of 2-15.

This time they were collecting another medal, the one they’ll probably cherish more than the rest that they had already won with their club and county senior champions, Imokilly this season.

There might be a matter of opinion as to which is the most important medal, your first county, your first provincial or the All-Ireland. Winning in your own county with your club and friends is the first priority; thereafter everything else is a bonus, a considerable one at that.

OUTSTANDING

Desmond and Murphy have bagged four medals in the past couple of months with the club and division, so too did Daire O’Leary and Kevin O’Neill, and the latter two were outstanding too during the Hill’s glorious voyage.

In the county final and last Sunday, Murphy raised green flags, scores of great significance as events transpired.

Every time in most of Watergrasshill’s games at the levels that they participated in there was a big worry from the opposition that a score was forthcoming from Murphy or Desmond when they secured possession.

In the All-Ireland semi-final against Carey-Faughs they scored 1-13 between them.

Their scoring consistency throughout a lengthy campaign has been a major contributory factor why the Hill are now county, provincial and All-Ireland champions.

Their names shone more brightly than others because of their scoring exploits, but Watergrasshill’s tale of success has been built on how well the squad performed as a unit.

And we stress the word squad because nothing is ever won with the 15 players who start anymore, it’s the depth that you have in the squad, those who enter the fray in the final 15 or 20 minutes that is essential.

The Hill, as a unit, from great goalkeeper Aidan Desmond out was outstanding in a season when they were tested fully in so many games, none more so than in their first championship game of the season when they trailed Carrigaline by 10 points only to stage one of the recoveries of the entire campaign.

And it was that attitude, that belief, their resilience in the face of adversity which has carried them through to where they stand now, the best premier club in the county.

Think about it, that accolade is something to carry you to the grave.

And think about this too, in the three competitions that they have participated in, the Cork PIHC, the provincial and All-Ireland campaigns, Watergrasshill played and won all of their nine games. That took some doing and it might not happen that often.

A team might lose a group game and still progress but the Hill stood up and were counted in all nine games.

Will we see any of them feature for Cork in the coming months?

Daire O’Leary is not in the panel because of work commitments, but his defensive capabilities must surely bring him back into the equation.

Will Desmond or Murphy get a call? They are certainly right up there among the best club forwards in the county, but in the case of all club players in all counties, the step up to inter-county level is considerable.

One thing we do know for certain is that these Hill players will be playing senior club hurling next season.

STEP UP

And there will be a step up from Premier Intermediate to Senior A too, but from what we have witnessed this season, the players at the management’s disposal in Watergrasshill are well-equipped to take the process a stage further.

Nothing comes easy in any grade of Cork club hurling but what those players have been through since last season’s opener against Carrigaline will have them battle-hardened for what lies ahead.

In the past, there might not have been that much time to go again if you had been in the All-Ireland series and that could have been difficult.

But it’s a different story now, the championship campaign in Cork does not begin until late July or early August, plenty of time therefore to focus on the bigger fish in the pond that will have to be reeled in.

One thought of the late and great Eamon Ryan last Sunday and other Hill greats who sadly are no longer with us. How proud they would have been of those now following in their illustrious footsteps.

By all accounts the club in Watergrasshill is in a very strong place right now, on and off the field. But then again as the saying goes, you reap what you sew.

Croke Park last Sunday was the ultimate test for this team as it is for all clubs fortunate enough to get the opportunity to play there.

There are no hiding places in this great stadium and the likes of Desmond, Murphy, O’Leary, O’Neill, Dylan McCarthy, and Brendan Lehane among all the rest of the squad in red did Cork club hurling proud.

Russell Rovers did too but for them it was not to be, falling short for the second time to a team from Noreside. No shame at all in that and the Kilkenny team just had that more of a balance throughout the field.

It could not have been easy in Shanagarry this week but, by god, this club has achieved so much in a very short space of time.