John Horgan on hurling: No room for error in second round of Cork club matches

IT could be said that the second game at the group stage of the championship takes on far greater significance, particularly for those teams that have lost in the opening round.

In a four team group with only two going through to the knockout stage, it goes without saying that another defeat puts those teams in a very precarious position.

A win in the final game in the group might just be sufficient to get a team through but nobody wants to be in that situation.

Therefore the second game is self-explanatory.

Surprisingly, the holders of the Premier Senior title Sarsfields now find themselves in that position after their first round loss to Charleville.

And they are in good company with the Glen and the Barrs first round losers as well, two more of the more fancied sides to be involved at the business end of the campaign.

On a more positive note, those opening round losers have had the best part of three weeks to sort out the difficulties that might have contributed to their defeats and it's often suggested that you sometimes learn more from a loss than a victory.

That is not always the case, however, sometimes maybe a team will iron out their earlier difficulties on the training ground but the evidence won't be forthcoming until you play again.

Well, we will all be a lot wiser next weekend after Sarsfields tackle Newtownshandrum, the 'Barrs play Bride Rovers and the Glen take on Kanturk.

The other three games in the PSHC features Midleton against Newcestown, Charleville against Douglas and the Rockies heading down the road to Midleton encounter Fr O'Neill's.

On the evidence of the opening round games, Blackrock will be the clear fancy to come away with the brace of points after their win over the Glen and O'Neill's substantial loss to Kanturk.

You never predict the result of any game with too much conviction and remember, O'Neill's took down the 'Barrs at the same venue two years ago.

Blackrock were thrilled with their win over Glen Rovers, all the more so because they had only 14 players for the bulk of that game.

Alan Connolly's haul of 1-10 on that occasion was a major contributory factor in the outcome when the Church Road team displayed some fine character in the aftermath of losing a man.

It's always about bounce back ability after a loss and champions Sarsfields will be hoping to do just that when they collide with Newtownshandrum in Mallow.

Both are in a similar position, opening day losses, Sars to Charleville and Newcestown to Bride Rovers.

Some might have been surprised at the margin of the Rovers' victory, nine points at the end given that Newcestown teams in both codes don't wilt every easily. There will be a determination in them to do much better this time but Sars will be the more fancied unit but will, at the same time, be wary of the challenge facing them.

The Riverstown team could have had few complaints at their loss to Charleville, the latter having one very good day at the office, Sarsfields not so, despite losing by just two points.

Their margin for error now has been reduced with a similar sentiment being expressed about the rest of the first round losers.

The Barrs, by their own admission, one is sure, were very disappointing in their defeat to Midleton and the simple, clear message for them has to be, must be a lot better the next time.

And one thing is surely certain, they will be getting nothing easy from a Bride Rovers team renowned for its resilience and the difficulties that they can create for the best of opponents.

The Barrs were wide of the target from a couple of scorable frees and Cork duo, William Buckley and Brian Hayes were restricted to just three points between them and an eight point loss could not be argued about.

Paudie Murray and his management team will have worked on a number of things over the past couple of weeks and they will require more forcefulness in front of goal.

The 'Barrs footballers riposte in thumping Douglas after losing to Carrigaline in the opening round will have energised matters in Togher but they face another severe test of their credentials against the team from Rathcormac.

TOUGHEST TEST

The Glen will be seeking a similar response against Kanturk and this could well be a tougher task than the 'Barrs will face.

They travel deep into North Cork for this one and it's often said that when a city team has to go into rural territory a lot more is asked about their credentials.

The Downey brothers impressed against the Rockies, Micheál Mullins too and Patrick Horgan retains the scoring threat that he always posed.

John McLoughlin and brother Lorcan continue to give sterling service to Kanturk, Liam O'Keefee as well while Alan Walsh looks set to have an important role to play in the Cork set-up going forward.

This will be a big ask of the Glen and their renowned spirit may well be required to its fullest extent again in Castletownroche.

Sars go into North Cork too for their second group joust with Newtownshandrum with a victory the imperative for them against a side that are already on the board after a battling draw with Douglas.

They looked to be on a slippery slope when they trailed in that encounter by seven points in the second-half but fought back to earn what may yet prove to be a precious point.

So the stakes bar has been raised that bit higher for all the teams that fell short in the opening round, it is almost a make-or-break situation really.

The game featuring Newcestown and Midleton evokes memories of 12 months ago when those two drew at the group stage.

Newecstown deserved the point on that occasion but losing to Bride Rovers by nine points will require a very positive response against a Midleton team that seem to on a mission again.

The Charleville, Douglas tie has an interesting look about it, both on the board with two points and one respectively and Charleville going in probably as the more favoured side on the basis of their first round win over Sarsfields.

Douglas are outside the list of leading contenders for the title but they will take encouragement from certain aspects of how they performed against Newtown.

They prioritised getting something from their opening game and they got it, now it's time to build further on that.

LEGEND

Finally, the sad passing of former Offaly great, Padraigh Horan has left a void in the Faithful county that won't be easily filled.

A star among stars in the golden years up there, he was a teak-tough forward who was a true leader in a great team that gave so much plesure to the game on the Leinster and All-Ireland stages.

He was a very fine hurler that we saw recently on that fine show, Laochra Gael, a legend of Offaly hurling who won so much with his county and club, St Rynagh's.