Which Cork hurling teams spread the scoring and which are most reliant on one man?

Over-reliance on a single scorer is one of those labels routinely thrown at teams, almost as if it were a moral failing. Because the narrative is, leaning too much on individual leaves you exposed if they pick up an injury.

We saw that argument swirl around Midleton when Conor Lehane was ruled out of the PSHC final. How does a team cope when its talisman isn’t there?

And yet, it’s never quite that simple. You could argue Eoin Moloney’s loss at full-back hurt Midleton just as much. One man can swing a game, but rarely defines an entire season.

Sars, by contrast, are the well-oiled machine that find scores and performances from all over, at any time. The definition of balance.

What we’re measuring here is what percentage of a team’s scores came from its top scorer, to see how much each club depends on their main man.

So what do the numbers say? Do teams who spread the load really outperform those who lean on a talisman?

The answer is neither black nor white. It’s a murky shade of grey.

Take Sars. Colm McCarthy hit 0-47 this summer – that’s just 27.01% of their championship tally, the third-lowest reliance of any club in the top three grades plus Imokilly. A model of distribution, and they finished as champions. That supports the theory.

Bride Rovers fall into a similar bracket. Adam Walsh’s 29.63% has them sixth-best for spreading the load, and they finished with silverware.

OUTLIER

Then there’s Ballinhassig, the outlier. Ger Collins scored 43.10% of their scores, and yet they ended the campaign with promotion to Senior A secured.

Look at the beaten finalists. Midleton come in as the 18th ranked team for shared scoring, Conor Lehane accounting for 34.78%. Of course, that number swayed as a result of his absence in the final, but not much.

As for Castlelyons and Ballincollig, Alan Fenton scored 32.84% of their championship total, the 13th highest spread, while Stephen Wills accounted for 27.21% of Ballincollig’s championship scoring, ranking them fourth in sharing the load.

And so, those that reached the finals, do have a greater leniency toward sharing the load.

But the team least reliant on one scorer turned out to be Newtownshandrum – who were almost relegated – with top scorer Jamie Coughlan’s 0-23 accounting for just 21.70% of their total scores.

Second place is taken by Na Piarsaigh, Ross O’Sullivan the top scorer with 23.60% of the total scoring, though it’s worth noting that Daire Connery’s injury saw the free-taking duty changed mid-season.

But the team ranked at the far end with the highest reliance, is Glen Rovers, and of course, Patrick Horgan. He scored more than the rest of the Glen combined, finishing at a towering 56.25%. One would hardly suggest that the players around Horgan aren’t up to scratch. What it shows is what they asked of their lead scorer, rather than what they lacked elsewhere.

Newcestown aren't far behind, Richard O’Sullivan posting 56.06%.

Relegated sides tend to sit lower in the rankings – Bishopstown 33rd, Erin’s Own 26th – yet Mallow, fifth-best at spreading scores, still faced the drop to Intermediate A.

There are hints and patterns, but no definitive rule. Balance helps, reliance isn’t fatal.

Still, it reveals where Cork clubs’ pressure points lie. Here’s the full ranking, ordered from most shared scoring to most reliant on one player:

1 Newtownshandrum – Jamie Coughlan 21.70% 

2 Na Piarsaigh – Ross O’Sullivan 23.60% 

3 Sarsfields – Colm McCarthy 27.01% 

4 Ballincollig – Stephen Wills 27.21% 

5 Mallow – Seán Hayes 29.07% 

6 Bride Rovers – Adam Walsh 29.63% 

7 Blackrock – Alan Connolly 29.82% 

8 Inniscarra – Joseph Enright 30.00% 

9 Imokilly – Jack Leahy 30.38% 

10 Valley Rovers – Chris O’Leary 31.33% 

11 Kanturk – Brian O’Sullivan 32.20% 

12 Ballyhea – John Morrissey 32.26% 

13 Castlelyons – Alan Fenton 32.84% 

14 Douglas – Shane Kingston 33.33% 

15 Lisgoold – Diarmuid Healy 33.33% 

16 Carrigtwohill – Seán Walsh 34.00% 

17 Cloyne – Brian O’Shea 34.15% 

18 Midleton – Conor Lehane 34.78% 

19 Éire Óg – Eoin O’Shea 34.92% 

20 Blarney – Mark Coleman 35.83% 

21 Fermoy – Brian O’Sullivan 35.85% 

22 Kilworth – Liam Óg Hegarty 36.00% 

23 Dungourney – Jack Leahy 36.36% 

24 Watergrasshill – Adam Murphy 38.46% 

25 Killeagh – Barry Walsh 39.68% 

26 Erin’s Own – Robbie O’Flynn 39.82% 

27 Charleville – Darragh Fitzgibbon 40.70% 

28 Carrigaline – Brian Kelleher 40.96% 

29 Castlemartyr – Mike Kelly 41.46% 

30 Courcey Rovers – Richard Sweetnam 41.67% 

31 St Finbarr’s – Ben Cunningham 42.62% 

32 Ballinhassig – Ger Collins 43.10% 

33 Bishopstown – James Scally 44.07% 

34 Fr O’Neill’s – Declan Dalton 48.44% 

35 Ballymartle – Ryan Deasy 54.55% 

36 Newcestown – Richard O’Sullivan 56.06% 

37 Glen Rovers – Patrick Horgan 56.25%