Kanturk hopeful of Darren Browne's return for championship

Kanturk are hopeful that Darren Browne will be available for their Co-op SuperStores Cork Premier SHC campaign.

The former Cork panellist, who captained them to victory in the 2021 SAHC, last featured for the Duhallow side in the 2023 relegation play-off win over Glen Rovers, has been living in the US and last year he won a San Francisco All-Star Award after good performances for his club there, Na Fianna.

While the RedFM Hurling League Division 1 thus far has been a trying one for Kanturk, who have one draw and four defeats from five matches, player availability has been an issue.

Manager Tom Walsh is optimistic that return of Browne, his brother John and others will make them a tougher proposition come the championship.

“The news is positive [regarding Darren],” he said, “and his brother John, too.

“You have Ryan Walsh, he’s been travelling, Liam O’Keeffe is another who should be back and you have the two Cork footballers [Walsh’s son Tommy and nephew Ryan].

“They’re all good hurlers and very important players for our panel and our championship team.

“There's a couple of young fellas there now that have got game-time in the league so far – it’s been difficult for them, it's been a sharp learning curve, but it’ll stand to them, you just have to go through that stage.”

On Sunday, Kanturk suffered a 5-23 to 1-16 defeat away to Sarsfields, who benefited from the addition of their Cork hurlers, Cathal McCarthy, Daniel Hogan and Jack O’Connor.

It leaves them bottom of the ten-team division, two points behind Carrigaline while there is another two-point gap to a four-team group on five points. In football, they are eighth in Division 2 after one win in five.

Such is the way for Kanturk when there is such a high crossover between both codes and such a heavy league schedule, especially when absences like that of Walsh’s son Aidan – who has joined Kerry side An Ghaeltacht – are factored in.

In the Premier SHC, they have been drawn with Blackrock (who eliminated them at the quarter-final stage last year), Douglas and St Finbarr’s. Walsh expects Kanturk to be a lot more competitive by that stage as their manpower options increase.

Certainly, a defeat to the Munster club champions could not be taken as a reliable barometer of how things might pan out.

“Sars are a top-quality side,” Walsh said, “they had a full panel of players, more or less, whereas we were well short.

“The league has been a bit that way for us this year, it's been difficult to get teams on the field, we wouldn't have a big panel of players.

“It's a matter of kind of trying to stay with it at the moment, keep heads up and not get disillusioned with the league.

“We will be a lot better than this when we get players back. Our coach Colm Fitzgerald is

doing a good job, in fairness to him, and it isn't easy for the man himself, either.

“He wants to come up and he wants to do his coaching, it’s difficult when you’re short players, but look, it's the challenge that's in front of us, and we'll be positive about it, and we'll take on that challenge.

“I expect that we'll get a lot stronger as we go along.”