Revisiting the PSHC predicitions: Three hits and one near miss
Sarsfields players celebrate with the Sean Óg Murphy cup after the Cork County Senior Club Hurling Championship final match between Sarsfields and Midleton at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork. Picture: Michael P Ryan/Sportsfile
It’s that time of year again – the county championships mostly boxed off, the Monday clubs just about finished – when I walk back through my Premier Senior Hurling predictions and see just how foolish or fortunate I’ve been.
And, for once, I’ve come out the right side of it. Four calls every year: champions, dark horse, underperformer, and the unlucky outfit headed for the trapdoor. This time around I hit three, and grazed the fourth. Progress, considering where this little tradition began.
Back in 2023, I tipped the Glen for glory. They went down, not up. A rough debut. Twelve months later, I backed Sars, only for them to fall at the final hurdle. So we were due one.
Third time lucky. I stuck with Sars again this season and, the Riverstown men delivered. Back to the summit, back past Midleton in another final, capping off an exceptional county championship.
I’d billed the Barrs and the Glen as the most likely challengers, but Midleton muscled their way into the conversation. Still, one of the big five – or Imokilly – was always going to lift the cup. And Sars did it with authority. Call that one in the bag.
This is always the trickiest category, you can always bank on one of the non-big five getting out of the group and making an extended run to the quarter or semi-finals.
But with all of the big five advancing this year – a first under the current format – there was only room for one gate-crasher. I backed Charleville, and they duly obliged.
Based on the steady improvement Dominic Foley’s side had shown during the league, the development of key young players, I expected they’d be strong. And they were.
They punched their ticket with a game to spare, only to be handed Sars in the quarter-final. And they gave the eventual champions a rattle, as close as the Glen managed in the group stages.
A fine year for them, and a satisfying tick for me.
This was the tough one. In recent seasons, Bishopstown’s struggles made the call a little easier. This year? Not so much.
I tipped Newcestown for the drop. Not only did they stay up, they had one foot in the knockout stages of an unforgiving group with Newtown, Midleton and Charleville. They didn’t just survive – they nearly slipped through instead of the Magpies.
I did, for what it’s worth, call Erin’s Own the most likely playoff opponent, adding the caveat:
If it’s not Newcestown, then Erin’s Own would be next in line.
Three letters off perfection, but close enough. And once again, Newcestown reminded everyone why dismissing them has become a fool’s errand.
This was the one I worried about calling wrong. I went with Newtownshandrum – and unfortunately, it landed. Zero wins in the group and a salvage job in a relegation replay. After reaching the quarter-finals the previous year, that’s a backwards step by any measure.
Three from four, and if you’re charitable, three and a half. After the rocky beginnings, we’ll chalk that up as a respectable campaign.
Same again next year. And knowing this championship, it’ll find a way to humble me all over again.
App?
