Glen Rovers are back and will have a point to prove in this year's PSHC
Glen Rovers' Patrick Horgan has his jersey held by Castlelyon's Leo Sexton during the Co -Op Superstores SAHC semi final at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
Having done what was necessary to return to the top tier of Cork hurling, Glen Rovers are back this season with a serious point to prove.
In many ways, their relegation felt like a fluke – a result that should never have happened – and they emphatically showed that last year with an unrelenting run through the SAHC.
Their Division 1 Hurling League campaign ended with a fifth win from nine outings, after they sealed victory over Douglas. Somewhat surprisingly though, Glen used the fewest players of any side in the division.
There’s a lot pointing to Glen Rovers being one of the most exciting teams to watch in this year’s Premier Senior Hurling Championship.
Patrick Horgan, Rob Downey and Eoin Downey bring elite inter-county pedigree. Add in the recent arrival of Micheál Mullins, and a trio of emerging stars from their back-to-back P1 Minor Hurling Championship wins – Jake Brosnan, Conor McCarthy and Diarmuid Wall – and there’s a compelling blend of youth and experience.
With Luke Horgan and Eoin O’Leary offering serious goal threats, and the ever-reliable Dean Brosnan still in top form, this is a squad stacked with potential.
It’s rare that last year’s SAHC winners are spoken of as title contenders in the top grade straight away – but Glen are no ordinary promoted team.
Horgan and Brosnan bring class, leadership and experience. Rob Downey is now one of the top defenders in the county, and Eoin Downey has flourished at full-back under Pat Ryan’s Cork setup.
Tomás Mulcahy was always going to integrate Glen’s top minors, and they’ve taken to senior hurling like naturals.
Diarmuid Wall has been the standout – which will come as no surprise to anyone who watched him dominate the minor grade. He hit 3-6 in the 2023 P1 final win over Douglas, and followed that with 2-6 against Sarsfields the next year. Now in his first adult league campaign, he’s already posted 2-33 – including 2-10 from play.
Conor McCarthy, brilliant at centre-back last year and scorer of 1-7 from play for the minors, has slotted in seamlessly and added 0-5 this year. Jake Brosnan, a quietly consistent figure, has chipped in with 0-3 and a steady influence.
These lads bring more than just scoring – they bring energy, that northside fearlessness and a winning mentality.
And then there’s Micheál Mullins. His transfer could prove massive. A key figure in Cork’s All-Ireland U20 win, he brings pace, power, accuracy and distribution – all of which were evident on the inter-county stage. He gives Glen another dynamic weapon, particularly at wing-back.
Eoin O’Leary has taken another step forward, and Rhys Dunne also impressed with 0-15 across the league.
As always, there are no easy groups in the PSHC, and Glen have their work cut out.
Erin’s Own are always awkward, while Fr O’Neill’s will be a stern second-round test. But the game everyone will have circled is the final round clash with Sarsfields.
Sars have enjoyed two strong campaigns under Johnny Crowley, but Glen’s hunger to remind everyone of their pedigree could make that meeting one of the ties of the championship.
They used just 26 players in the league, yet 20 of those got on the scoresheet. That depth, efficiency and clarity of roles is rare. Every single one of them looks capable of making a difference this summer.
Glen Rovers are back – and they look ready to shake up the championship.
Eoin O'Leary 4-39 (0-21 f, 0-2 65), Dean Brosnan 3-31 (0-1 f), Diarmuid Wall 2-33 (0-21 f, 0-2 65), Luke Horgan 4-10, Rhys Dunne 0-15, Stephen Lynam 2-7, Mark Dooley 0-7, Adam O'Donovan 0-6, Simon Kennefick 1-3, Donagh Coughlan 0-5, Conor McCarthy 0-5, Evan Murphy 1-1, Brian Moylan 0-4 (0-1 f), Jake Brosnan 0-3, Lee Quilligan 0-3, Micheál Mullins 0-2, Gearóid Mulcahy 0-1, Dave Noonan 0-1, Fiachra O'Driscoll 0-1, Liam Coughlan 0-1.
Eoin O'Leary, Dean Brosnan, Diarmuid Wall (m), Rhys Dunne, Luke Horgan, Simon Kennefick, Mark Dooley, Conor McCarthy (m), Evan Murphy, Donagh Coughlan, Brian Moylan, Adam O'Donovan, Jake Brosnan (m), Gearóid Mulcahy, Dave Noonan, Micheál Mullins, Fiachra O'Driscoll, Stephen Lynam, Liam Coughlan, Lee Quilligan, Cathal Hickey, Adam Lynch, Eoghan Varian, Zach Lynch, Adam O'Driscoll, Calvin Healy.
App?
