Growing correlation between county hurling league and championship results

No doubt those Cork hurling fans of an optimistic disposition will be taking hope this week from the fact that the last two winners of the Allianz Hurling League – Limerick in 2023 and Clare in 2024 – have gone on to win that year’s All-Ireland SHC.

Factor in Limerick doing so in 2020 and that becomes three in five, though that year’s final against Clare was also the Munster SHC quarter-final and so winning it was always going to give a championship bump.

We will wait in anticipation to see if Cork can be added to that club this year, but what of the situation locally – with a streamlined calendar now in place and reformatted league divisions having been put in place in 2023, does success in one feed into the other?

As ever, the best way to find out is to examine the data based on what we have seen to date. With the 2022 leagues essentially serving as a gradings operation for the following year, we were left with seven divisions where clubs from different grades could overlap but, ultimately, form is form.

In 2023, the first year under the new league system, we were straightaway given a stand-out example as Sarsfields claimed the Division 1 title with a win over previous holders Blackrock. Having failed to get out of their championship group in 2022 and with the returning Johnny Crowley in charge, laying down a marker was a key objective and they did that before building on it, going all the way to a first county title since 2014. Incidentally, at the quarter-final stage, they repeated their league final victory over the Rockies.

Glen Rovers found themselves in Division 2 for 2023 and put themselves back in the top flight without much fuss – though of course they would end the year being relegated in the championship. The other promoted side, Ballincolig, made the PIHC semi-finals.

While Éire Óg beat Carrigaline in the Division 3 final, neither would get out of their PIHC group – Carriglaine having to win the relegation play-off. Éire Óg were somewhat unlucky to miss out on scoring difference and the same fate befell Ballinhassig, who were Division 4 winners that year. In the league final, they beat neighbours Valley Rovers, who lost at the quarter-final stage.

Neither of the Division 5 finalists, winners Russell Rovers or the vanquished Cloughduv, made it to the knockouts of the PJHC or IAHC respectively, and it was the same in Division 6, with Ballygarvan eliminated at the PJHC group stage and Tracton, the team they beat in the league final, ending up relegated to junior A.

Division 7 did at least provide some evidence of correlation as Erin’s Own – JAHC chamoions of 2022 – beat Glen Rovers in the final and then went on to bag the Premier JHC crown, with the Glen reaching the semi-finals.

That was something of a mixed bag of a year in terms of comparison – 14 league finalists yielding just two county finalists, albeit both champions, and as many relegations – but 2024 was more aligned.

Sars retained Division 1 and made it another county final – while they lost, it was against divisional side Imokilly. Unfortunately for the beaten league finalists Charleville, their championship campaign ended early and they had to beat Bishopstown to stay up, but such an experience was in the minority.

Carrigaline won Division 2 and then made it to the Premier IHC final, losing to Watergrasshill – the Hill had already bagged the Division 5 league title.

In Division 3, Ballymartle saw off Valley Rovers in the final but neither Carrigdhoun outfit would see knockout PIHC action; by contrast, the Division 4 decider saw Lisgoold beat Russell Rovers before the two East Cork clubs won the IAHC and Premier JHC respectively.

As mentioned, Watergrasshill won Division 5 – they beat Tracton, who went on to make an immediate return from junior A.

Erin’s Own reached the final of a fourth straight competition in Division 6 and, while they fell to Kilbrittain, they went on to make IAHC final too, only falling to Lisgoold after a replay. Unfortunately for Kilbrittain, they were edged out in PJHC qualification but somewhat unluckily after two draws and one loss.

Ballinascarthy beat Kinsale in the Division 7 final – both were in the JAHC but neither won their divisional title. Even so, they were outliers: of 14 league finalists, seven reached a championship final, with three going on to win.

Compared to 2023, it points to the league being a good reckoner – we shall see if 2025 continues that trend.