John Horgan on hurling: Cork clubs continue to struggle at senior level in Munster arena

Another Cork team has left Walsh Park empty-handed.

There’s a history between the Waterford venue and Cork visitors, who rarely get anything easy. Spring, summer, autumn, or winter, it’s a fortress, for inter-county or club teams.

Last Sunday, Sarsfields lost possession of the Munster Club SHC, beaten by the side that they had defeated to claim the title in Semple Stadium 12 months ago. It was an early start at the revamped ground, and a fine Sunday in the Déise.

The pitch was in great order, despite the inclement weather in the days leading up to the fixture. We all settled down in anticipation of a rip-roaring encounter between two sides who have got to know each other very well over the past few years.

However, great expectations never materialised and Ballygunner dictated almost everything from the first whistle.

Ballygunner had the advantage of a tough, physical battle behind them, against Limerick’s best, Na Piarsaigh, in the opening round and that proved to be a big plus.

BATTLE-HARDENED

Sars, no doubt, had trained hard in Riverstown since their fine county title victory in Cork, but all the training in the world cannot replace a very competitive championship encounter and the Waterford champions of the past 12 seasons had that benefit.

When a team has to travel to an away venue at this juncture in the year, the last thing you do is hand the early initiative to the home team and allow them to bang in a few very early goals and have a substantial lead before the game has 15 minutes on the clock.

Ballygunner had a point to prove. The loss to their opponents last time out cut deeply and having had things nearly all their own way in their own championship, they had Sars in their sights, assuming the latter topped the charts in Cork.

They say that a good start can be half the battle. That’s not always the case, but it was this time and after Dessie Hutchinson belted in a brace of goals for Jason Ryan’s Ballygunner, there was that sinking feeling that it was not going to be Sars’s day.

Every Sars indiscretion was punished by Pauric Mahony, the Waterford star being near flawless from the placed ball all afternoon, and after 25 minutes the gap between the teams was a whopping 14 points, 2-11 to 0-3.

Now, big leads in hurling can and have been wiped out before, but this game was fast becoming damage limitation for the men from Riverstown.

To be fair to them, the advantage had been reduced to eight by the interval, after a Daniel Hogan goal, and that was a manageable gap if a big start to the second half could be made.

And that materialised when Hogan goaled again and cut the deficit to five points, from staring in to the abyss of being 14 points down at one stage in the first half. The Cork champions were making a game of it.

But, as they had been doing from the outset, they had to chase the game and Ballygunner always looked like winners, with a far more potent attacking force. Patrick Fitzgerald and Kevin Mahony followed Hutchinson’s brace to add two goals, one apiece, early in the second half and the writing was on the wall for Sars a good distance out.

Again, to be fair, they had reduced the Ballygunner advantage to just seven points by the end, 4-18 to 2-17, but there could not have been a dissenting Sars voice when the last whistle was sounded.

There could be no complaints, no excuses.

UNKIND

The best team prevailed and once more a Cork side had an empty plate at a venue that has been very unkind to them down the years, all the way back to 1967, when Cork were dethroned by Waterford in the opening round of the Munster championship, and again in 1974 when the home team came out on top. In both instances, Cork finished those games with 14 men.

Twelve months ago, Sarsfields produced a stunning display to eliminate Ballygunner from the All-Ireland equation, but subsequently lost to Na Fianna, from Dublin, in the final.

Now, both of last season’s All-Ireland finalists are no more and there will be new champions in both provinces and new All-Ireland champions, too. 

Sars won a great Munster title in 2024, but the record of Cork clubs in the competition has been pretty abysmal over the past 20 years, with just three title victories: Newtownshandrum twice, in 2005 and 2009, and, of course, Sars 12 months ago.

Prior to that 2005 win by Newtown, one has to go back to 1987 for the last Cork club to land the title: Midleton.

So, overall that is not a good look for the Cork representatives in this Munster club championship, in stark contrast to the early years of the competition, when it was almost the sole preserve of the big three clubs in the city.

But things have changed very much. The Cork representatives are struggling to make a bigger impact in the modern era and it will be a Clare or Waterford club who will be on the All-Ireland stage when Éire Óg or Ballygunner sort out their differences next Sunday week.

Loughmore-Castleiney, the Tipperary champions, were slightly fancied to defeat the Banner winners, Éire Óg, but after that semi-final going to extra-time, it was a Clare day in Sixmilebridge, after what was, by all accounts, a thriller.

Éire Óg will be underdogs against Ballygunner in the Munster final, but they will look upon themselves as being in bonus territory now, with not a whole pile to lose. That’s why Ballygunner will be extremely cautious, because this Munster club championship can sometimes throw up the unexpected.

Back to Walsh Park on Sunday. This was a hugely impressive display from the home team, with their big guns again answering the call.

Stephen O’Keeffe made one outstanding save from Jack O’Connor, Dessie does what Dessie does: Come up with the big scores, while having had Pauric Mahony back on free-taking duties provided greater consistency in that department.

So, the journey ends for Sars, for now. They gave it their best shot, but on this Sunday in Waterford, they were second best.

LAST TEAM STANDING

Where the provincial hurling championship for Cork clubs across the three grades is concerned, Kilbrittain are the last team standing, following their fine victory over Knockaderry from Limerick.

In difficult conditions, they powered home to set up a final clash with Killrosanty, from Waterford, and it goes without saying there won’t be a dog left in the village for this very big day in the club’s history.

No joy, however, for Ballinhassig in the IHC, following their defeat to Upperchurch-Drombane from the Premier County. Maybe that result was a bit of a surprise, but this grade of hurling in Tipperary is looked upon as being very strong.