Watergrasshill look back on an incredible season

The top table had a bit more silverware than the rest as Watergrasshill Hurling Club toasted a marvellous 2024 at their recent dinner-dance.

Having won Division 5 of the RedFM Hurling League, the Hill got on a roll, going on to Co-op SuperStores Cork Premier IHC glory before claiming the Munster club title. Then, in January, the icing was put on the cake as victory over Galway’s Tynagh-Abbey/Duniry were beaten in Croke Park and the East Cork club were crowned All-Ireland champions.

With local resident Ruairí O’Hagan of RedFM on MC duties, the gathering at Rochestown Park Hotel allowed the impressive achievements to be reflected on and enjoyed.

“It was great for the team and the management to be recognised,” says club chairperson Niall O’Riordan, “but also for them to thank the community which had given them such great support all through the season.

“We started the year trying to get up a division in the league and we did that and then it was a case of trying to improve on the recent couple of years in the championship, where we had drawn a lot of matches but hadn’t been able to get a win.

“Everything started to come together, the unit was more than the sum of the parts. How things turned out, you couldn’t have imagined in. In some ways, it still hasn’t sunk in, really.

“The dinner-dance was a great occasion, especially as we were also honouring the 50th anniversary of the 1974 county junior A win and the 2004 intermediate.

“It was brilliant to have players from those teams there on the night, too.”

Those associated with the Hill could be forgiven for thinking it has all been a dream, such was the way the All-Ireland final was won – captain Seán Desmond scoring a 65th-minute goal for a 2-15 to 0-18 triumph at Croke Park.

“It was absolutely brilliant,” O’Riordan says, “if you wanted the ball to fall to anybody, it’s Seán, in fairness.

“He’s been a great captain, a great leader of the gang, and he's a deadly finisher. When the ball broke, people were saying he was going to take his point but all of us knew straightaway that he was going to go for goal.

“He had been told all year to go for goals and, in fairness to him, he stuck it. It was a brilliant finish and we were all delighted for Seán.”

As good as 2024 was, nobody wants to rest on their laurels either, and O’Riordan feels there is more to come from the team.

“We have a young enough panel,” he says.

“They’ll be looking to try to push on again in the league, because we’re down in Division 4 and you want to be up as high as you can.

“Playing senior A championship will be another step up again and we’re going be outsiders but, look, we were outsiders for the premier intermediate, too.

“Anything’s possible, we’ll have a cut off it, we've got a good bunch of players and brilliant management team and backroom team. Everybody works well together.”

And of course the positive by-product of current-day success is the seed it plants for the future.

“It’s brilliant,” O’Riordan says.

“We have lads involved with the Cork U20s and minors and on the U16 team and then what we’ve seen is that there’s huge interest among the younger kids – both boys and girls.

“The buzz from last year was massive and you can see the numbers at under-age training. They all look up to the senior players, so it’s brilliant.”