SAHC: Bride Rovers ready for second tilt at final

One of the most legendary lines ever uttered by a GAA player to the media was Kerry’s Ger Power to Peadar O’Brien of the Irish Press prior to an All-Ireland final during the Kingdom’s golden years.

Rather than sit down for another interview, Power told O’Brien to just go ahead and “Put me down for what I said last year,” such was the routine for Mick O’Dwyer’s side back then.

For the hurlers of Bride Rovers and Castlelyons, the refrain ahead of Saturday’s Co-op SuperStores Cork SAHC final might be, “Put me down for what I said last week,” as they were due to clash at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh last Saturday only for the game to be postponed due to the orange weather warning.

Had there been a three-week lead-in since the respective semi-final wins, Castlelyons over Blarney and Bride Rovers against Carrigtwohill, the preparation schedule would have been different whereas the deferral has meant some adjustment but Rovers selector Stephen Glasgow was heartened by how his players adapted to the situation.

“We went training again on the Sunday morning,” he says, “the same kind of routine as the previous week and the lads were at the gate before I was even in there, which would be early enough.

“The hunger was there to get back together, get down to the pitch, and just get back out there and, as I said, do what we enjoy doing.

“They love the training, they're really putting it in, the hunger is there, so I hope we can just deliver now and bring it on on Saturday.”

In anticipation of the bad weather, the original fixture was brought forward first from 7.30pm to 6.30pm and then later to 6pm before the call was made before 2pm on Saturday to postpone.

“We were prepped and ready to go on Saturday,” Glasgow says, “it was just kind of frustrating as well, keeping the players in the loop, getting the message that it was gone back an hour, and then by a further half an hour, and then eventually being called off altogether.

“But, look, it was no different down in Castlelyons, I presume.

“It's just given us an extra week to prepare and an extra week to see the faces and do what we like doing.

“The body is primed and ready to go and it's just keeping the minds ticking over as well, more so than anything else.”

The game has a throw-in time of 6.30pm and is preceded by the McCarthy Insurance Group Premier JFC decider between Buttevant and St Nick’s, which starts at 4.30pm.

The IAHC final between Aghabullogue and Bandon had been due to take place last Saturday too, but that will now be played on Sunday, November 9. However, if the Coachford side win the Premier IFC final the week previously, they would be in AIB Munster IFC action, necessitating the further postponement of the hurling by another week.