Cork minor hurling: Clash of Glen and Piarsaigh will decide who reaches Premier 1 semis
Glen Rovers' Michael Brosnan wins the sliotar from Ballincollig's Darragh Crowley during their Cork ETB P1 MHC tie at The Glen. Brosnan will be one of the players the Glen will look to tonight to stay in the championship. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
The final group games of the Cork ETB Premier 1 and 2 minor hurling championships take place tonight.
At Premier 1 level it is all still to play for in both groups, with one game catching the eye.
In Group 1, Carrigaline are home to Ballincollig and even though they haven’t any points on the board, they still have an outside chance of qualifying for the knockout stages.
They will have to beat the Village, and they would mean both would finish on two points. Then it would be a case of seeing how the other game in their group finishes to see if it forces a playoff.
Carrigaline will be aware of this as their loss to Nemo in the football equivalent last week means they are now in that position in that competition.
So, despite not registering a point yet they still have a slight chance of going through. To do that, they will have to beat a quality Ballincollig side who recorded an impressive win over Glen Rovers in round two a fortnight ago.
Like that game, the Village are away from home but on current form are good enough to travel home with the points.
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Even at that, they will be keeping a close eye on the other game in their group as that result will have a bearing on if they progress or not.
And that’s the game that will draw a huge crowd to the Glen field as they take on near-neighbours Na Piarsaigh.
Any time these two clubs meet is a hotly contested game, with local bragging rights at stake. Some of these players will be friends and go to school together. But with what’s at stake, it has the potential to be a top-class tie.
All the pressure is on the home side as they need a result, at the very least a draw to ensure they have any chance of staying in the championship.
If they win, it will either see them through to a playoff or even a semi-final, pending on the result of the Carrigaline and Ballincollig game.
A win for the Glen and Carrigaline would see the former and Na Piarsaigh advance to the semi-finals.
Na Piarsaigh have done enough already to ensure they will be in the knockout stages no matter what. So, they are under no real pressure as, at the very least, they are in a playoff place.
However, they will want to keep their winning run going and a draw would be enough for them to go straight to the semi-finals, as they would top the group.
In the other group wins for Blackrock and Sarsfields will see them advance, with the former expected to get the better of Carrigtwohill at home.
Sars will host Midleton and assuming the Rockies win, then the winner of this tie will join them in the semi-finals.
In the Premier 2 competition, two of the groups are far clearer cut. In Group 1, Killeagh and St Finbarr’s are both through to the knockout stages as they face off tonight. The same applies in group 3, where both Watergrasshill and Kiltha Óg are also through to the knockout stages.
In Group 2, if Éire Óg get their expected win over Ibane Gaels on Thursday night, they will top the group. But even if they lose, they have still done enough to qualify for the knockout stages.
The winner of Erin’s Own and Blarney will join them. Who will go straight to the semis will then be determined across the three groups.
Carrigaline v Ballincollig, 8.15pm; Blackrock v Carrigtwohill, 7pm; Glen Rovers v Na Piarsaigh, 8.15pm; Sarsfields v Midleton, 7pm.
Douglas v Shandrum, 7pm; Killeagh v St Finbarr’s, 7pm; Erin’s Own v Blarney, 7pm; Kiltha Óg v Watergrasshill, 7pm; Cloughduv v St Colman’s, 7pm.
Ibane Gaels v Éire Óg, 8pm.
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