Handbrakes up in Cork: Hurling and football struggle for intensity

In the second round of group fixtures in the Cork Premier Senior Hurling Championships, Sarsfields went two from two with another emphatic win, defeating Erin’s Own 4-30 to 3-15.

Following that victory, manager Johnny Crowley suggested the knockout stage promises to be a thrilling battle between the sides that emerge from the groups.

Sarsfields are already through, alongside Glen Rovers, Charleville and Blackrock. Those four will be joined by one of St Finbarr’s, Kanturk or Douglas, as well as either Midleton or Newcestown, and, of course, the divisional winners – either reigning champions Imokilly or Muskerry.

We’ll have a clearer picture of the Premier Senior Football Championship tomorrow evening, but one talking point from John Coleman’s The Little All-Ireland podcast earlier in the week was that none of the Premier Senior hurling games so far have quite lived up to the hype, even when contests have been close.

Fr O’Neill’s defeat to Glen Rovers and Midleton’s draw with Newcestown are two recent examples. Coleman suggested that “often in the group stages of the Premier Senior Hurling Championship, you feel like the handbrake is up” and added that “sometimes the Premier Senior games can lack a bit of bite.” It’s an interesting observation, and one that carries merit after the first two weeks. But why might this be the case?

Coleman attributes it to the “two-tier system”: the idea that the competition effectively operates as two competitions in one, with clubs approaching group stages and knockout games differently.

Given that any of the 12 teams could potentially catch each other out, there’s an underlying caution from most sides, no matter the opposition. So far, Sarsfields are the only team to have shown no vulnerability – though Charleville could also be considered.

The Riverstown side have been the only genuine runaway winners from their opening two games.

A similar pattern emerged in the first round of the PSFC. Reigning champions Castlehaven, chasing a third consecutive title, narrowly beat Mallow by four points. Nemo Rangers edged past Ballincollig by just two points, having trailed by five at halftime.

Last year’s county finalists each scored only one goal, Castlehaven kicked two two-pointers, and Nemo none – but crucially, all secured the wins they needed. St Finbarr’s also got over the line in Clonakilty, despite facing the toughest opposition of the three.

Yet the Barrs, who averaged 2.5 two-pointers per game across their 10 league matches, scored none against Clonakilty.

It’s fair to say the big three all “had the handbrake up” to varying degrees in round one.

Across the opening round of the Cork PSFC, 15 two-pointers were kicked in six games – six coming from Newcestown’s win over Valley Rovers. The ‘big three’ contributed only two of those; three if you include Clonakilty and make it four.

In the Senior A FC, only 11 two-pointers were scored across the opening round. By contrast, Premier Intermediate, which has been the most exciting grade in recent years, matched the PSFC with 15, not including Castletownbere’s one-point win over Macroom.

Eight of those came in Uibh Laoire’s win over Kiskeam, but every one of the five PIFC games we have data for saw at least one two-pointer.

Granted, eight of the 15 came from Uibh Laoire’s win over Kiskeam, but there was at least one two-pointer scored in each of the five PIFC games that we’ve got the data for.

Green flags tell a similar story: 15 in the PIFC versus just 10 in the PSFC.

Tomorrow evening will give us a clearer view, and even more so when the knockout stages arrive. The revised format is undeniably better at producing drama and close contests, but the question remains: are the games themselves objectively better?