Cork Hurling: John Horgan picks his winners from Glen v Midleton, Sars against Charleville and Barrs-Imokilly

In boxing parlance, it’s the main event of the evening. The knockout stage has been reached across the five grades of the Cork county hurling championship.

Those who have avoided the quarter-finals and took the more direct route to the semi-finals will be in a position to assess their opponents in the last four, their management teams looking for ways and means on how best they might be able to counteract the threat that they could pose when they line up against them.

There are just seven teams remaining now on the Premier Senior battle front and three of them will be eliminated next weekend, the losers between the Glen and Midleton, Sarsfields and Charleville, and the Barrs and Imokilly.

A strong body of opinion would believe that the championship begins in earnest now, and that the margin for error that might have existed during the group stage, when you could afford to lose a game or even two, as was the case with Na Piarsaigh in the senior A grade, has now been removed.

As they say, the winner takes it all now, and the loser won’t be playing championship hurling again until late July or early August 2026.

Last season’s finalists, Imokilly and Sarsfields, occupy the top two berths on the bookies’ boards, but this race to the winning post is fairly wide open.

The Rockies, of course, have to be a prime fancy on the basis that they are already into the last four.

The month of championship inactivity could be a bit of a hindrance, but last season and the season before the two teams that avoided the quarter-finals, Midleton and Sarsfields, made it to the final.

Both did lose out in the final to Sars and Imokilly, respectively, but the month on the sideline was not an issue in the semi-final.

Of the seven still remaining Charleville are the team that will be least fancied, but having been in the murky waters of the relegation final last season, they have done extemely well this time, finishing second to Midleton in Group 2.

They may well be mindful, too, that a rank outsider came through to land the title back in 2011, Carrigtwohill being crowned champions against considerable odds, defeating Cork IT in the final.

Being in the first two in your group is never an easy task and Charleville’s opponents at the weekend, Sarsfields, won’t underestimate them, all the more so in the fine venue of Castletownroche.

However, despite losing out to the Rockies on points difference in their bid to reach the semi-final, Sars have to get the vote to negotiate this Charleville hurdle, given their experience and greater depth in their squad.

The other two quarter-finals are probably that bit more difficult to nail down: Midleton against the Glen in Páirc Uí Rinn and the Barrs against the reigning champions, Imokilly, in Midleton.

Imokilly, as was always going to be the case, sailed through the colleges/divisions section, although, to be fair, Muskerry gave a decent enough account of themselves in that final, much better than they had done previously.

Imokilly lost three big players from Watergrasshill this season, after their elevation to the Senior A grade and Seamie Harnedy has not featured thus far for them.

Add in the fact that 24 hours earlier, Castlemarty are involved in the Premier Intermediate relegation final against Mallow and they have had four starters on the Imokilly team in their two games thus far.

It’s never an easy ask to play two huge games in 24 hours, but that’s going to be the case for this quartet of players and Denis Ring will be hoping that no injuries are sustained.

FANCIED

They will still be slightly fancied to overcome the challenge of the Barrs, a team returning to a venue that cost them qualification from the group stage last season, when they lost to Fr O’Neill’s.

The Togher team have been a bit of a mix thus far, having it all their own way against Douglas, being comprehensively beaten by Blackrock, before responding well to come out on top in their make-or-break tie with Kanturk.

That was potentially a very dangerous game for them, but the manner of their victory will have restored confidence levels.

This has the ingredients of being a cracker, but the thinking is that Imokilly will prevail, but that is far from being a certainty.

There are plenty of players on both sides with county medals tucked away, quite a few of the Imokilly three-in-a-row side of 2017, '18 and '19 still backboning the side, and you have likely All-Star Ciaran Joyce the spine of their defensive unit.

The Cahalane brothers, Damien, Conor, and Jack, and Ethan Twomey, Ben Cunningham, and Willie Buckley will be key to the Barrs chances and if Brian Hayes is fully fit it will be a massive boost.

It certainly won’t be a surprise if the city team go through, but the word tentative comes to mind and Imokilly get that vote. So, to the Glen and Midleton and on paper anyway, this looks the most difficult one to get a handle on.

Midleton are unbeaten thus far, while the Glen lost against Sars, but that was in the knowledge that they were already through to the knockout stage. It was a thoroughly enjoyable game, but maybe it lacked the real cutting edge of a knockout contest and the city side really didn’t lose anything.

Midleton did what was necessary to top their group and responded well after an indifferent performance in drawing with Newcestown and there was added pressure going in against Charleville.

Again, there are county medal holders on both teams, but the Glen had to spend a season outside the top flight, which may well have worked to their advantage, insofar as reinventing themselves was concerned.

Patrick Horgan was sublime in the loss to Sars, a haul of 2-10 providing further evidence, if it was ever needed, that he is still a player of the highest quality.

Obviously, he will be a key figure here again, as will the Downeys, and Dean Brosnan and Michael Mullins, all now fully integrated into the Blackpool set-up.

Both teams have top-notch figures between the sticks, in Cathal Hickey and Brion Saunderson, the latter’s lengthy deliveries from clearances and puckouts sure to pose questions for the Glen defence.

KEY

Conor Lehane has been doing for Midleton what Horgan is doing for the Glen and thus far has been one of the best forwards in the championship.

Tommy O’Connell is sure to challenge strongly next season for a Cork starting place, while Alex Quirke and Cormac Walsh and Cormac Beausang are highly experienced performers.

Horgan and Lehane could hold the key in this contest and how their threat is counteracted will be fascinating. Maybe, just maybe, the Glen will shade it.

Prediction: Sarsfields, Imokilly, and the Glen to advance.