Sarsfields v Ballygunner: Champions with close to full deck

Sarsfields have no new injury worries ahead of Sunday’s AIB Munster Club SHC semi-final against Ballygunner at Azzurri Walsh Park (1.15pm).

Four weeks after the Co-op SuperStores Premier SHC final win over Midleton, Sars begin the defence of the provincial crown they won with victory over the Gunners last year and, while cruciate victim Cathal McCarthy is a long-term absentee, manager Johnny Crowley expects to have close to a full squad.

“I think everything is good,” he says, “injury-wise, we're good at the moment.

“Obviously, we’re training this week but hopefully we get a clean bill of health going in on Sunday.”
The month since the county win - Sars’ second in three years, with a final defeat to Imokilly in between - has been challenging to fill.

“We found it very, very hard to get games,” Crowley says.

“We had games against college teams set up and they kind of fell on us, one was a fixture re-scheduling, and we couldn't get club games then because you had the Leinster championship on last weekend and their respective club games were two weeks before that. Last Sunday, the Galway final was on.

“Obviously, you're not going to be playing with Munster teams, so your choices were limited, very limited. We had a few in-house games and Sull [coach Diarmuid O’Sullivan] put on some very good sessions.

“It’s just been about trying to manage that. If it was a two-week break, you'd probably come out of your county final, give yourself a Monday or Tuesday and go straight back into it and you’re not looking for a game, so that can fall differently.

“I'm happy with the four weeks. We had a good few days, naturally - you need to celebrate your victories as well.

“We had good craic on the Monday and Tuesday together. We stopped on the Wednesday and went back on Thursday, we had a sweat session and we were back on the field Saturday morning at eight o’clock.”