Ger Cunningham hopes Brian Hayes will be available when St Finbarr's face champions Imokilly

Relief was the word we put to Ger Cunningham after his Barrs team stamped their quarter-final ticket. Such was the challenge fronted up by Kanturk, it was a ticket not stamped until second-half injury-time.

“Relief — that’s a great word,” Cunningham began.

“When it comes down to the last match, these are tough games, pressure games. Kanturk are a very physical side, brought the game to us, but we reacted really well in the last quarter of an hour and got some great scores. We are delighted to come down here and get a win.”

Delight on this occasion contrasted with the sharp disappointment of 12 months ago when the Barrs exited the championship after only two rounds of club action. Sunday’s 0-25 to
1-17 win delivered the Barrs back to where they feel they belong.

“We didn’t come out of the group last year and were very disappointed. First job was to get out of the group and we have done that. We didn’t speak about not getting out of the group last year, but it is in the back of your mind all the time.

“We didn’t perform against Blackrock the last day. They played very well, but we were really off the pace. 

We wanted to prove to ourselves we are better than that.”

A defence that shipped 2-25 to the Rockies showed significantly more resistance here. And they had to, such were the questions asked by Brian O’Sullivan, Lorcan O’Neill, and Alan Walsh, the latter playing out a ferociously physical duel with Damien Cahalane. 

BUSY WEEK

An all-round successful weekend for the eldest Cahalane sibling who became a dad on Saturday.

“We had leaders all over the place, especially in the full-back line. Damien Cahalane had a super game. He had a busy week. His partner, Lesley Ann, had a baby boy yesterday. Fair play to him for coming out and giving that performance today. Billy Hennessy in front of him had a superb second half.”

For the second Barrs game in succession, Brian Hayes did not tog. The same as their Round 2 football win over Carbery Rangers a fortnight ago, Hayes assumed a sideline role.

His cameo appearance off the bench against Blackrock on August 15 remains his last piece of involvement in either code.

“He picked up an injury a couple of weeks ago,” Cunningham explained.

“It has been an incredible year for Brian, but it has also been a long year. 

He didn’t miss a minute of Cork’s matches throughout the championship. He has just picked up a little injury but we have a couple of weeks to work on it.

“If we can get our medical team on it and they can work their magic touches, hopefully he’ll be available to us,” the manager added of a possible Hayes return for their quarter-final against champions Imokilly on Sunday, September 21.

There were long periods at Mourneabbey where the Barrs’ midfield consisted of Cork seniors Ethan Twomey and William Buckley, while the half-forward line comprised the Cahalane brothers, Conor and Jack, operating either side of Ben Cunningham. That’s an exceptionally strong middle five. But lacking was a live target directly in front of goal. That’s where Hayes was missed. That’s where Hayes is needed for the Imokilly game.