Premier SHC: Avondhu hope to build on momentum but Imokilly loom

Avondhu finished top of the unseeded first phase of the divisions and colleges section of the Co-op SuperStores Premier SHC – though the ‘reward’ is a clash with county champions Imokilly.

Tuesday night’s 2-31 to 0-10 triumph over Duhallow at Ballyhooly, coupled with the victory over Carbery, left the north Cork division top of the four-team table – though with the first phase ending after two games, defeat would have seen them eliminated.

For manager Liam Kenny, the nature of the scenario was something they were able to use as a positive.

“After winning the first game, we had a small bit of momentum,” he said, “but it wasn't really going to be worth anything because what I said to the lads before the game was that it was knock-out championship.

“It was a strange format because, if we had lost by one point on Tuesday, we were out, so winning the first night almost seemed an irrelevance.

“What it did do is it left us focused and that’s the way we approached it and we’re happy enough to get through it.”

In 2022 and 2023, Avondhu reached the final of the divisions and colleges section, losing out to Imokilly on each occasion. Last season, they were a victim of their own progress as they were automatically placed in the second phase, meaning no game before clashing with the east Cork side in a semi-final.

This time around, having two games behind them will help, even if the challenge remains huge.

“We have a core of great players that have been around for a while,” Kenny said.

“I started out with Joe O'Brien three or four years ago and we wanted to try and get it back on track.

“We made a lot of progress, and I pay tribute to Joe for what he did, but last year was very disappointing – we just couldn't get going and everything went against us, a lot of our top players well injured or unavailable.

“We got seeded, which didn't suit, because the couple of games beforehand in the previous years had given us a little bit of momentum going in.

“Still, you're talking about the 2/1 favourites for the county championship, to retain it.

“They've got a fantastic team and fantastic champions and they're the team we look up to and that we've modelled a lot of what we do on, because they've been there and done that.

“You have a manager of the calibre of Denis Ring and the names just roll off the tongue, superstar after superstar.

“But, look, that's the challenge for all of us and we've nothing to lose. We'll certainly won't go down with any fear but we'll go down with the utmost respect and we'll give it a go.”