Double-header in the Páirc: Aghabullogue and Barrs plotting paths to Munster finals

There aren’t many pitches you could go to see a double-header at this time of year. 

Sunday is one of those occasions as SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh welcomes the Munster Senior and Intermediate football semi-finals.

St Finbarr’s and Aghabullogue are the Cork teams bidding to make provincial deciders at the end of a hectic week. For the Barrs, it’s a repeat of their 2021 semi-final against Éire Óg Ennis. 

That afternoon, just six days before Christmas, they were healthy 2-14 to 0-12 victors. Both teams show just over 50% turnover in their starting line-ups since that clash.

REFRESHED

Bar Steven Sherlock, five of the Barrs’ front six are recent additions. 

Cork hurlers William Buckley and Ethan Twomey have quickly become top performers in an attack which also stars Ciarán Doolan, Ricky Barrett, and John Wigginton-Barrett, albeit the latter missed last weekend against Clonmel Commercials. 

Goalkeeper Darragh Newman continues to impress, recently gaining a call-up to John Cleary’s inter-county panel.

A similar regeneration process has boosted Éire Óg across both codes. They achieved the only senior double across all club championships this year.

Their defence is almost entirely composed of current and former Clare seniors. County centre-back Ikem Ugwueru has been utilised in attack for much of the season, where he netted a group-stage brace. 

Corner-back Manus Doherty also likes to get forward. He has bagged goals in three games. 

They take care of defensive matters, too, conceding an average of 1-9 per game.

In attack, Mark McInerney has tallied 3-50, including 3-24 from play. His performance against Waterford champions Rathgormack, scoring 0-16 of their 0-20 total, including four two-pointers, labels him the key man to blot out.

The loss of Colm Walsh O’Loghlen for recent games has been a major blow to their scoring spread. 

That was somewhat tempered by Gavin Cooney returning from Australia to score a goal in the county final.

The spine of their team featured in the hurling semi-final victory over Loughmore-Castleiney last weekend. 

Labelled “the most physical game of hurling I've ever seen in all my life” by their manager Gerry O’Connor, that extra-time contest must take something out of their legs for Sunday.

“Tuesday night, we'll have the 20 hurlers and the 12 footballers will go back to the footballers and they'll train with the footballers. 

"That's the way we do it,” said O’Connor in the aftermath.

“We've been very lucky that both management teams on the football and the hurling front are logical men, and we're GAA men, and we're Éire Óg men, and we communicate as often as we possibly and humanly can.

Of course, we would love to think that we could train all hurling all the time, but that's the deal that we're dealt, and it's the same deal for the footballers. 

"But we've got used to this now over the last 10 years.

“There's a lot of tired bodies in there, and we're very conscious that they have to go again next Sunday.” 

The Barrs know that dual workload. They will be buoyed by their late victory in Clonmel, while reflecting on the improvements possible across the field. More gains can be made in avoiding the goals conceded, doubling down on their midfield strengths, and giving more supply to their attack.

STEP-UP

Éire Óg came within one point of Kerins O’Rahillys in the 2022 semi-final, so the Barrs will be forewarned. 

They have steamrolled opponents this year with their power and pace, but the Barrs have no deficiency in those departments. 

They will mark a major step up in standard from Éire Óg’s previous opponents. On home soil, they should get the job done.

Meanwhile, Aghabullogue had an Intermediate A hurling title to celebrate before knuckling back down to football ahead of their next assignment against Limerick champions Askeaton-Ballysteen-Kilcornan.

Maintaining control will be an area of focus after their 12-point lead over Thurles Sarsfields dwindled to four down the stretch in their quarter-final.

ABK have Danny Neville, who helped Limerick to the Tailteann Cup final, as their standout forward. 

He was named county final man of the match against St Senan’s. He has support in the scoring stakes, too. Joey Rushe fired 1-6 that day, and goalkeeper Jamie Dolan top-scored in the semi-final with a couple of two-point frees.

As a team with recent senior experience, they can’t be taken for granted. And while a Limerick club has never won this grade, they have racked up four final appearances in the past eight years. 

Cork have had two in that span.

But with John Buckley keeping six clean sheets in seven games, and Luke Casey blasting seven goals in seven games, Aghabullogue have the form to get there.